Absolutely Abel Tasman

Friday 17 January

Such a perfect day!

We followed the forecast and booked a Wilsons’ cruise for Friday - sailing up the coast from Kaiteriteri to Totaranui along the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park , then back to Anchorage Bay where we hopped off to picnic, swim, relax and take a wee walk to a lookout. The National Park is absolutely stunning and the sunshine made it all even more beautiful. The clear waters sparkled in a dazzling array of blues & greens, the beaches were golden strips of sand dividing the sea from the variegated green bush, and the sky was blue scattered with wispy clouds - an artists dream! We had the best time!

We joined the throngs in Kaiteriteri in the morning to check in for our trip and exchange our booking code for a selection of printed tickets then moved across to the beach to queue where we hoped the boat would pull in. All the boats do beach boarding and come in close, lower a long and sometimes rather phallic gang plank then everyone scuttles up the gangplank and tries to nab the best seats on board! There were about half a dozen boats heading out up the coast around the same time as hours, but it appeared to be a very efficient operation and nobody seemed to get left behind.

We managed to bag 2 aisle seats on the upper deck near the bow, and a perch on the life jackets storage which was ace!

Heading north up the coast, our first scenic detour was to see Split Apple Rock (world famous in New Zealand) which looked rather impressive as we sailed in close for a photo opportunity.

From there, going northbound we passed Mārahau, Apple Tree Bay (a stop), Adele Island, Te Pukatea, Torrent Bay then doubled back to Anchorage Bay which was our destination on the return leg of this cruise. Torrent Bay, where 3 streams merged at the beach, was a little too shallow so those disembarking there had to be taken ashore in a tender.

Falls River entered the sea just south of Medlands Beach, creating a giant sandbar across much of the mouth of the bay - with sparkling teal/turquoise waters glistening either side of a golden strip of sand - absolutely stunning!

Medlands and Tonga Quarry seemed to win out with the most Caribbean crystal clear waters, but the gold medal went to Tonga Quarry beach with the gorgeous stone arch and a seal colony on Onetahuti Island just off shore from the main beach.

Our last two ports of call on the way up were Awaroa Bay and Totaranui where the boat picked up a bunch of girl guide hikers and their back packs, and disgorged a new batch of hikers who were planning to walk south back to Kaiteriteri over the next few days - much as Nickie & Russell had done a few days earlier.

Our trip south was much quicker and easier as we stayed on board the Wilson's Vista boat and retraced our route via the sea. And so it was we landed at Anchorage Bay three hours after we left Kaiteriteri and we spent a lazy afternoon there - we had a picnic by a driftwood log and both Linus and I got swooped by greedy gulls who knocked our wraps out of our hands, but luckily for us, did not actually manage to steal them; then we took a leisurely stroll up to the Pitt Head Lookout where we met a rather brazen weka, and as we were a bit warm by then, we all took a dip in the glorious clear but not super warm waters. Fortunately our timing was good as shortly after we came ashore for a wee snooze on the beach, a large sting ray started patrolling gently up and down the beach, often coming within a couple of metres of the lapping waves! What a privilege to see one in so close!

Back on the Vista at 3.30pm we tootled slowly back to Kaiteriteri, admiring the views of Nelson across the way and giggling at the kayak tour who had rigged up a kontiki raft and were "sailing" along by Adele Island!

What a great daytrip - and only one way to end it... a trip to the real fruit ice cream farm on the road home - strawberry for the others and raspberry/blueberry for me, all topped with a perfect cherry - yum!

Back at the campsite we did a bunch of laundry and created a delicious bacon & mushroom pasta for dinner - it really was a perfect day!