We were up early on a fine Wednesday morning and after our usual brekky of porridge we were collected by minibus and taken to the beachside in Marahau. Here we boarded an 'Aquataxi' speedboat to take us into the Abel Tasman National Park. Unusually, we boarded the boat in a car park and the boat was then towed by a tractor to the jetty down the road and released into the water.
After 20 minutes speeding along the beautiful, rugged coastline we were dropped off at Bark Bay and began our 20km (6hr) walk back to Marahau. The National Park is the smallest in New Zealand but it lies along the coast and is beautiful, hilly and covered in lush green forest. Our 'tramping' (the New Zealand term for hiking) took
us along the Abel Tasman Coastal Path, which was like a narrow ledge that twisted and turned its way through the forest with magnificent views over many different bays.
When we reached Torrent Bay it was low tide and so we took off our shoes and socks and waded our way for 30 minutes through ice cold streams and a very muddy estuary to reach the other side. The experience was a little chilly in mid-winter but good fun! We plonked ourselves on a small isolated beach and had a picnic lunch at midday before another three hours of very pleasant walking back to Marahau.
The sight of our tranquil little hostel with smoke pouring out of the chimney was a welcome sight at the end of the day and we sat next to the roaring log fire with a hot chocolate and biccies. In the evening we drove 20 minutes along the coast to the tiny and very sleepy town of Mapua where we enjoyed some w
ine and a huge bag of fish and chips by the wharf. Ash enjoyed a local dish, a mussel pattie, which as it sounds is deep fried chopped mussels!
We were up early on a fine Wednesday morning and after our usual brekky of porridge we were collected by minibus and taken to the beachside in Marahau. Here we boarded an 'Aquataxi' speedboat to take us into the Abel Tasman National Park. Unusually, we boarded the boat in a car park and the boat was then towed by a tractor to the jetty down the road and released into the water. 
After 20 minutes speeding along the beautiful, rugged coastline we were dropped off at Bark Bay and began our 20km (6hr) walk back to Marahau. The National Park is the smallest in New Zealand but it lies along the coast and is beautiful, hilly and covered in lush green forest. Our 'tramping' (the New Zealand term for hiking) took 
us along the Abel Tasman Coastal Path, which was like a narrow ledge that twisted and turned its way through the forest with magnificent views over many different bays. 
When we reached Torrent Bay it was low tide and so we took off our shoes and socks and waded our way for 30 minutes through ice cold streams and a very muddy estuary to reach the other side. The experience was a little chilly in mid-winter but good fun! We plonked ourselves on a small isolated beach and had a picnic lunch at midday before another three hours of very pleasant walking back to Marahau. 
The sight of our tranquil little hostel with smoke pouring out of the chimney was a welcome sight at the end of the day and we sat next to the roaring log fire with a hot chocolate and biccies. In the evening we drove 20 minutes along the coast to the tiny and very sleepy town of Mapua where we enjoyed some w
ine and a huge bag of fish and chips by the wharf. Ash enjoyed a local dish, a mussel pattie, which as it sounds is deep fried chopped mussels!
