Abel Tasman National Park

We finally made it to our destination for this trip! Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand's smallest (and only coastal) national park, known for its golden beaches, granite cliffs, and turquoise water. It has three entrances: one in the south near Kaiteriteri Beach and the other two in the north by Golden Bay. Since we wanted to see Golden Bay as well, we figured we would kill two birds with one stone by heading to Totaranui on the northern end.

The drive to Totaranui

Totaranui Beach, right next to our campsite:

Kayaking is a popular way to explore the area, as well as hiking (or as the kiwis call it, “tramping”) the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, which is what we decided to do. Considered one of New Zealand's “Great Walks,” this track takes about 3-5 days to complete and follows the coastline through some amazing landscapes and incredible scenery. Since we weren't quite so ambitious, we just picked a small section of it and hiked a little ways and back, which took us about three hours. It was far more intense than we expected, with a lot of uphill/downhill climbing, but so picturesque! Starting with a field surrounded by tropical-looking trees (which reminded us of Jurassic Park), the track took us along cliffs, through forests, and over a number of beautiful golden beaches. Here are a just a few of the pictures we took from our hike:

Cool rock formations at Anapai Beach:

We have since returned to Nelson (completely rejuvenated and with a nice tan to boot!) and are eagerly awaiting Christmas, as well as the Youth Festival shortly thereafter. Things are going to get very busy around here real soon!