​Kelsey's Travel Blog!​
I travel not to escape life, but to be sure that life will not escape me! Come join me!
Abel Tasman National Park
It is hard to believe that it is the middle of December and, as all of my friends and their families begin to prepare for the cold holiday season with layer of sweaters and warm wool socks, I have my shorts and T-shirt on, the car window rolled down, and am soaking in some of that road-trip sun. Our first adventure stop on the South Island brought us to Abel Tasman National Park located on the northern part of the island. We had spent the night in Motueka, a small town on the western shore of Tasman Bay that is also known for having one of the country's highest annual sunshine-hour indices. It is one of the closest towns to the Abel Tasman and has become a base for tourist activities in the surrounding National Park.
We, along with the other tourists in the area, woke up early on a December morning, threw on our bathing suits and suntan lotion, and made our way to the little town of Marahau and took off in our kayaks with our guide, Chris, Sergio from Madrid, and then a family of 3 from Columbia on a sea-kayaking adventure through Abel Tasman National Park.
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Abel Tasman National Park was founded in 1942 and is the smallest of New Zealand's national parks, yet it is known as a popular tramping location, as well as a prime spot for Kayaking, camping, and sightseeing in the park. The scenery was breath taking: crystal clear blue water, lush scattered islands, and beautiful sandy beaches that rival even the best Caribbean beach.
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We departed from the mainland and kayaked down the cost to a hidden beach to take our mid day break. I’m not afraid to say that sea kayaking kicked my ass, but once we landed on the remote beach that was inaccessible by anything other than hiking through the Abel Tasman National Park or by water, it was worth the struggle. The view was breath-taking! We spent time chatting with our local guide and the other participants, indulged in some french-pressed coffee and sugar biscuits (cookies), only to hop back into the Kayaks and struggle with our already tired limbs to make our way to another beach and to hop on a speed boat, which brought us back to civilization. As I type, my arms STILL hurt, but the chance to experience the intense natural beauty of such a country makes a little bit of pain totally worth it.
