Journey into the Abel Tasman National Park

he Abel Tasman National Park, a short drive from Nelson at the top of the South Island is an ideal spot for hiking or kayaking.

The coastal track here is classed as one of the countries great walks. It can be walked over a number of days or in shorter periods.

Water taxis buzz along the coastline servicing all the various drop off points for hikers, day trippers and kayakers. There are a number of idyllic camping spots to spend an unforgettable night. Some only accessible by water.

I’ll be writing another blog shortly all about hiking the track over a few days. It’s one of the most easy and accessible multi day walks in New Zealand and recommended for beginners to overnight hiking who might be slightly nervous about a first adventure into the bush alone.

The estuary at low tide at Marahau, gateway to the Abel Tasman

My weekend started with a drive from Nelson through to Motueka. Motueka is a service town for the neighbouring areas but it’s also fast becoming a top spot to spend a couple of days. As well as splendid scenery it also has a number of wineries dotted around it’s outer reaches. There are some great eateries as well – T.O.A.D Hall is a popular spot on the outskirts of town catering for an array of needs. They have their own juice bar and ice creamery. They serve great breakfasts and even open on an evening for pizza. The place is huge with a fantastic beer garden out the back. The Smoking Barrel is becoming famous for its donuts, which are apparently incredibly creative. Elevation is a top coffee house but my favourite is Patisserie Royale. Stock up early morning for both breakfast and lunch and you can’t go wrong. The house-made pies and quiches are divine. They have a great choice of sandwiches, including exciting vegetarian versions. However as you’d expect from a French bakery it’s the patisseries that win out. A massive array of pain au chocolat, pain au raison, almond tarts, the list is endless. Choosing which one to sample is the hardest part. But trust me when I say, you cannot go wrong.

Overlooking the beach at Marahau

Leaving Motueka the road snakes through farmland and through small settlements that are present mainly to support the fruits and hops that grow prolifically in this area. As you turn off towards Mapua the landscape alters once again to dense bush and pine forest. This part of the country suffered from some devastating flooding a few years ago and the road is only just back to one piece again. The approach into Mapua itself is through coastal wetlands. The road curves around an estuary that is popular with fishermen when the tide is right. Mapua is small, spread out along the coastline. As you would expect there are a number of kayaking and water taxi operators here. There are motels and campsites and a couple of worth café/restaurants. I will talk about accommodation and food options in the area in another blog shortly.

At the far end of Mapua as you follow the coastline – which can’t be missed as it runs alongside the roadway the bush strewn landscape of the Abel Tasman National Park looms up above. Coming next, the Abel Tasman National Park

Resting up in Te Anau, gateway to Fiordland National Park

Te Anau is essentially a service town, for all the local farmers and tourist operators in the surrounding area. It’s also an excellent base for visitors keen to explore the Fiordlands. It's the gateway to several of New Zealand's Great Walks, Kepler, Milford and Routeburn.

The lake front at Te Anau

The town is attractive, situated alongside the lake front, with a wide high street offering an array of shops, bars and restaurants. The lakeside itself is awash with motels, backpackers and hotel accommodations. There are wharfs for boat trips (there are sightseeing trips along the lake, water taxis that take you to drop off points for accessing the Great Walks, such as Kepler and Milford, and even a boat that takes you over the lake to spy some glow worms hidden in a cave only accessible by water - check out the Real Journey's website). There are also helicopter and seaplane trips departing from this area offering unforgettable trips over the Fiordland National Park - check out Southern Lakes Helicopters and Wings & Water.

Te Anau is the perfect stop over point for access to Fiordland National Park, the views aren’t too bad either….

The town is home to a couple of useful supermarkets. The bakery offers good sandwiches and tasty slices to tide you over on one of your many excursions into the great outdoors. My favourite coffee spot in town is Sandfly café, it’s usually packed full of locals which is always a good sign. There are tables out on the front lawn under some shady tree branches. The coffee is great, as are the Southland cheese rolls (a south island speciality and essential to try) and the homemade venison pies. Don’t miss out on a tasty treat from the counter for afters., you won't regret it.

On an evening there are several bars and restaurants buzzing with people returning from a great adventure. My favourites are The Fat Duck and The Redcliff. The Black Dog Bar is the most sophisticated spot for a drink, they even serve their own wine and beer, and be sure to check out the cinema next door.

Look out for my guide to the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary and Manapouri coming very soon….

Accommodation

options for places to stay in Te Anau coming shortly….

Snowball fights in Mt Cook National Park

There is nothing like a road trip through the mountains when it’s winter time, when a snow blanket coats not only the peaks of New Zealand’s mightiest mountain range but also the frost bitten ground. Even glacial rubble looks pretty with a layer of white glittering snow smothering it. Mount Cook or Aoraki is the name given not only to this national park but the village residing in it. A resort town it consists mainly of places to stay and eat whilst The Hermitage, the area’s largest hotel, offers everything from a gift shop, museum to planetarium. The main reason to visit this national park though is to get out and explore. There are numerous walking tracks a short distance from the village. Head out to Lake Tasman and the Tasman Glacier. The lake was formed only a few years ago as the glacier slowly resided. At all times of year huge chunks of ice can be seen floating down the lake as they gradually break up having chipped off from the glaciers terminal (or end point). It’s quite a sight to see. Follow the track down to the lakeside where there is a makeshift jetty. This is used by the small boats that take tourist groups out across the lake to get close up views of the ice burgs and of course at the lakes far end, the glacier itself. I was more adventuress than this and opted instead to join a guided kayak around the lake. The water is a grim grey colour and although it doesn’t look very appealing it is just melted ice, and therefore the purest water you are likely to find. The murky colour is just a result of rock salt built up over years in the glacial ice. I gulped a few mouthfuls as I kayaked across the water. There were a number of ice burgs floating down the lake for my visit, I was told they were the remains of a big displacement recently. I was able to manoeuvre my kayak around several, careful to not get too close in case some of the ice decided to chip off and make an almighty splash. The colours were brilliant blue and emerald greens and it was difficult to imagine that this ice dated back thousands of years as it had compacted and moved with the glacier. After a generous amount of time spent gawping at these mighty ice cubes we, myself and my guide made our way down the lake to the glacier terminal. We were only allowed within a kilometre of it, again for safely reasons, in case a Tsunamai was triggered across the lake by the breaking of a gigantic slice of ice. To be honest this was more than close enough, especially since it was several kilometres kayak back to the jetty! It is only by being so close and yet so far away that you get to appreciate the sheer scale of the Tasman Glacier. Standing at the viewing platform which you can easily climb up to from the pathway to the lake you cannot quite grasp the size. Everything in the area is enormous so why would you possibly be able to comprehend? But sat in a small kayak just in front of this colossal wall of ice gives you another perspective entirely. Everything is epic in scale in this mountainous area of wonderment.

Look out for my next post about the Hooker Valley Walk and where to stay and eat in Aoraki/Mount Cook Village

A road trip into Mt Aspiring National Park never disappoints

Wanaka is famous for several things, its buzzing atmosphere, its picturesque setting, it’s large lake and it’s famous tree. But what is really inspiring about any road trip to Wanaka is leaving civilisation behind and heading deep into Mt Aspiring National Park.

My first day in Wanaka involved a stroll around the lakefront. I’ve hired a kayak before and taken it across the lake - that is well worth doing - hire of  kayak and paddleboards is usually available on the edge of the lake near the town centre. Today though I just felt like a stroll so headed around past the jetty and marina. absorbing all those picture postcard views.

Top tip: make sure you head down the jetty to peer into the clear waters beneath - there are usually heaps of New Zealand Long Fin Eels swimming around. These eels can live up to 100 years in freshwater before heading out to sea.

The lakeside pathway I was following carries on through woodland and meanders by the lakes eastern reaches. You can carry on all the way to Albert Town if you so wish. As I strolled I spotted shags and herons fishing in the lake water and several fantails tweeted a chorus at me as they grazed on the bugs disturbed by my footprint.

I also strongly recommend walking around the other side of the lake which is an even prettier route to follow (had left from the town) and yes this route does indeed take you past the famous ThatWanakaTree# - its also quite a cool mountain biking track and offers some epic photo opportunities.

Wanaka itself is well worth devoting some time too. It’s home to some excellent cafes and restaurants and some cracking pubs. The Lake Bar is one of my favourites - positioned on the corner it does, as the name suggests, have great lake views. The wine and beers pretty good too… Lots of locals congregate here. A few doors away there is an attractive bar called Alchemy which is apparently good to eat in - I haven’t tried it yet as I’m rather addicted to Francesca’s Italian, a somewhat Wanaka institution that serves fabulous pasta and desserts. Don’t miss their polenta fries for starters either - they are irresistible. Whilst mentioning food in Wanaka I must recommend the scones from the Federal Deli found tucked down a little alleyway off the main street (Helwick Street), they sell out quickly but the cheese and date scones here are from another planet……

The shops in Wanaka all tend to cater for the great outdoors which is hardly surprising given where Wanaka is situated. If you don’t go outdoors here and do some hiking, climbing or cycling there is probably something suspicious about you. Yes, I appreciate I’ve just mentioned some incredible eating and drinking spots (I haven’t even started on the wineries and chocolate shops present nearby, I’ll save those for another day) but you must get out in the outdoors in Wanaka it’s just not negotiable - and just think how good you will feel about tucking in to said food and beverage after a day full of exercise….

So, in keeping with what I’ve just strongly suggested, my start the next day was early - super early. I opened the curtains to a bank of fog - mountains, what mountains, was grumbled as I looked out of my motel room. This annoying deterrent though did not stop me from heading out on the hour plus drive to Mt Aspiring National Park and the Raspberry Creek Carpark as the sun rose. I could barely make out the valley I was driving through as the fog settled although I did come across a few sheep jams along the way and a couple of cows on the road - hey this is New Zealand after all. After weaving my way along an unsealed road and through some narrow stretches with tight turns I came to the car park which was virtually empty on this cold grim morning. I hoped, as I wrapped myself up in all my cold weather gear, that the visibility would improve - and it sure did in such an incredible way. Glancing up as a began my walk I noticed the top of a snow covered mountain looming high above and slowly poking Its peak out of the freezing blanket of fog and into the sun.

Read my next blog about Mt Aspiring National Park, Rob Roy Glacier and drinking the best hot chocolate ever at Patagonia

Kaikoura - home to a marine bonanza of wildlife and birds

Less than 3 hours scenic drive from Christchurch is the seaside township of Kaikoura. It’s the perfect short break after a hectic working week. Anchor Court Motel has reopened recently following damage suffered after the now famous 2016 earthquake. Directly across from the beach it’s floor to ceiling windows offer stunning views of the ocean complete with sunrise. This was the view from our room - we paid slightly more for a sea view but it was definitely worth the few extra dollars. Kaikoura is a mecca for marine life and this is the main reason to visit. Kaikoura is a placed to knock off some of those bucket list dreams. I’ll tell you more about these in a later blog - swim with wild dolphins, learn to fly a plane, watch a sperm whale breach, even witness the mighty albatross fly overhead. It’s one of my very favourite places and an early morning start is always a must. Up early for the sunrise Dan and I headed out to meet the chaps from Kaikoura Kayaks, to hire a double sea kayak. They also do a few different guided trips which are well recommended but having done one of these previously we decided to head out on our own. After a very thorough safety briefing which came complete with some valuable information for future use we paddled out of South Harbour. The sea was smooth, the sky clear and the going fairly easy. We soon came across our first New Zealand Fur Seal lozenging around on the rocks. Up ahead more where in the water, rolling around attempting to cool off on this warm summers day. After a frantic paddle through the waves out at sea we reached Whalers Bay, only accessible by boat or foot. We kayaked through the shallow waters spotting fish and seaweed floating around in the clear waters beneath. Lots of seals were hanging out in this bay which is a popular area for the young males. They barked at one another a fair bit but were pretty laid back with us. We received a few odd looks and curious glances but on the whole they were more interested than bothered by our presence. As we approached the rocks some flopped down in the water, swimming closer to take a better look. We hung around on our own for quite a while until a Swim with the Seals boat appeared. Being so close to marine life, no matter how many times you’ve been lucky enough to experience it, is always a pinch me moment. Reluctantly we headed back to shore bidding farewell and wishing luck to our new found friends.