So i arrived in Nelson on the Friday and we got on the beers straight away. Much beer, food, some stupid cocktails and comedy dancing later i hot the sack in preparation for the preparation of the sea kayaking expedition extraordinaire. Saturday was spent recovering and shopping and having a mooch round Nelson. Its a small place with picturesque colonial architecture. And its fairly quiet too. Not sure its totally my cup of tea. I did managed to visit the geographical centre of New Zealand though, which isn't actually the geographical centre of New Zealand at all. So there we go, pretty pointless really.
The 'centre' of New Zealand - or not.
Anyway, on with the sea kayaking. Abel Tasman is the smallest national park in New Zealand is located on the northern tip of the South Island. It is named after Abel Tasman who was the first European explorer to sight New Zealand in 1642.
We had a kayak rented for 3 days with a return water taxi booked for the afternoon of the 6th. We were not to miss this else it would be a loooooooong paddle back. We set off from Kaiteriteri having packed our double kayak with tent and rations. I was the 'driver' at the back and had control of the direction with a foot pedal operated rudder. Becky was at the front. The first few km's we paddled we were in a group accompanied by a guide to make sure we could handle the bus like kayaks. We headed north past split apple rock - a large round rock that has been split in two somehow or other. I am sure the Maoris have a good story for how it ended up like that.
Split Apple Rock
So we headed north. Our guide left us and we were on our own. Well, sort of. The Abel Tasman was busy this weekend due to the stunning weather. Ho hum. We paddled along, headed out to a couple of small islands to explore. The beaches are fabulous and the water so clear and aquamarine. Wildlife was a plenty with fish and Shags and Oyster Catchers and Cicadas (really noisy grasshopper type bugs) being the most abundant. We were hoping to see some dolphins but sadly that didn't happen.
That night we were camping at Te Pukatea Bay, a beautiful campsite in a sheltered cove. We were camping right behind the beach. Stunning views to go to bed too and wake up too. Following our landing at the camp we took a short walk through the bush to a view point. Wow, what a view. Back across the bay we were camping in and away to the north over the rest of the park where we would be heading on the next day of the trip. You could even see Rays swimming in the shallows of the cove in the evening sunlight. Amazing.
Te Puketea Bay
The next day we paddled north and stopped in at a tidal lagoon (only accessible at high tide). We paddled up Torrent River (no torrents in site mind) and took another short walk into the bush to Cleopatra Pool. This is a fresh water, natural water park. The rocks have formed and eroded in such a way as to form a series of pools and water shoots that you can swim and frolic in. Trouble was however the water was bloody freezing!!!!! Great fun though. Sadly the crowds arrived and it got a little to crowded for us so we walked back tot he kayak and carried on paddling north. The beauty of the kayak was not only the stunning views, but also the freedom. We could explore beaches and coastline not accessible by foot!!!
Our second camp was in a place called Mosquito Bay. It is only accessible by boat. And at high tide (unless you like a long walk/drag with you very heavy craft). Luckily we timed the tide just right. An hour later the hike up the beach would have been a mammoth expedition in its own right. The views from the beach were amazing. And the pink cloudless sky at sunset was superb. Thankfully the site did not live up to its name and the mossies were few and far between. Sand flies on the other hand are a different matter!!!
Mosquito Bay
The following morning the tide was still out a fair way so it was a bit of effort to drag the kayak to the water. Thankfully a couple of other kayakers were in the same situation so team work was the order of the day. Today was our final day in the kayak. I was kind of glad as i was actually starting to get over the fact that you could see all this wonderful coastline and golden beaches. But the day was made a bit more interesting by a rather significant swell that was coming in. The paddle out was extremely choppy and surf filled, and we had to steer clear of the shore and the numerous reefs in the area in order to stay up right. Fun!!!
Tonga island was the port of call. This is a seal colony. And there were plenty of seals to see. Although it may have been a little early for them as they didn't seem to be their playful selves. They just kind of floated there. Or maybe they were getting bored of sea kayaking too. We couldn't stop for long though as Becky was starting to feel sea sick in the rocking and rolling of the kayak in the swell. I mean come on - how can you get sea sick in a kayak!!!
We headed for shore, a tiny beach lashed by surf for a bit of a breather. After a while sitting in the sun contemplating the next foray into the surf it was decided we would head to Shag Harbour, then back for the pick up and a couple of hours on the beach.
Shag Harbour, only accessible at high tide, provided a tranquil lagoon like refuge from the swell outside. Bounded by sheer rock walls it forked and split into many channels and rock islands. Excellent for paddling round and exploring. We only saw one Shag in Shag Harbour mind, so i can only presume he owned the whole lot.
The owner of Shag Harbour
It was a short paddle back (an hour or so) to the pick up point for the aquataxi to return us back to the Kaiteriteri. The trip back in the taxi took about 30 minutes. It took us nearly 3 days to get to the pick up!!! But it was a fabulous experience. The weather was hot, the sea was clear and the beaches were amazing. I once said sea kayaking is for gays. Well its not. It was fun. But it did lack a certain bit of adrenaline you get in the white water side of the sport. I would do it again for sure. But i am not rushing out to invest in a sea kayak. In all honesty i almost got bored of the endless paddling. But it is a means to access some of the most stunning scenery i have seen.
