Hiking and Kayaking the Abel Tasman

Welcome to the Abel Tasman.....the best two days on our trip so far....

We spent two days hiking and kayaking our way through the Abel Tasman, a national Park in the south island of New Zealand. The weather was perfect, and the views were magnificent.

We took a water taxi to Anchorage Bay and then hiked our way back to Marahau.

These rocks were HUGE! I wish the picture was able to portray how grand this was....

A coastal view...

All I could think of was, "Pinch me! Am I really here?"

This is the view from the hike.....there were many beaches along the way. The next day when we were kayaking these beaches weren't there anymore. Why? The tide rises and falls 4.5 metres a day here in New Zealand, more than anywhere else in the world. It was incredible to see the difference between morning and afternoon in the coastline.

Yes, the scenery was this stunning ALL of the time.

There was a part of the hike that was mostly uphill, so I was glad to stop every few minutes for these picture opportunities....

A little out of breath but still smiling....this was taken by another hiker we found along the way.

Amidst the rocks towards the very end of our hike

And now for the kayaking......truly, one of my favourite days in my entire adventure. We kayaked for about 4 or 5 hours in total, and although I couldn't raise my arms at the end of the day, it was so much fun!

My favourite part was a stretch between the coast and an island that we encircled. It took about an hour to do it and all I could hear were the sounds of my paddle in the water, and I could feel the sunshine on my arms......

Another of our sexy outfits!

Can you pick out the seals sun bathing?