Today was a full day of kayaking and hiking with the Sea Kayak Company in Abel Tasman National Park. We spent three hours in the morning kayaking, including around the seal colony, followed by an afternoon hike along the Abel Tasman coastal track. It was a fun experience paddling amongst the wildlife and beaches, and we also enjoyed the opportunity to hike the forest section with the famous Falls River swing bridge.
Because we were staying in Marahau, we only had to walk to the water taxi a few hundred yards from our hotel. Others drove in or were bused in from Motueka early in the morning. We were picked up in a shuttle from the water taxi and taken down to the beach where a boat (already hitched to a tractor) and kayaks were waiting. After the group took our seats in the boat, the kayaks were loaded and the tractor began taking us out to the water. It was past nine, and the tide was rising. Once the tractor reached the water, it backed the boat in until it was floating.
With a full boat and kayaks strapped on back, the water taxi shot off up the coast. It was initially calm with several islands blocking the incoming waves, but we were soon slowed down by swells 8 feet high. With the slow down, we were able to better pay attention to wildlife and as a result spotted several blue penguins floating at the surface. Regardless of how the rest of the day would go, Ashley would now be happy.
After 30 minutes, the boat found the cove where we would be launching the kayaks. Lucas, our guide for the day, began briefing the group on safety, the equipment, and how to effectively paddle and operate the kayak once on the water. These kayaks had pedals to steer, so it was decided that Nate would sit in the back to keep us going in the right direction.
For Nate, sitting in the back was a good thing. As soon as we were pushed into the water a wave hit the front of the boat and rolled over Ashley, some of which snuck through the sea skirt. Nate stayed dry thanks to Ashley's kindness.
The initial plan was to paddle out to the seal colony located on an island a couple hundred meters offshore. The Sea Kayak Company was one of the few operators with permission to paddle around the colony, allowing us to get much closer than some of the boats passing through the area. It was initially easy going, but as we approached the island the waves kept getting larger on the left side. Swells were relatively rare in Abel Tasman, and we were 'lucky' to be seeing them. They were large enough that Lucas informed the group that no one was to have their camera out until we passed around to the calm side of the island. It was another 15 minutes of hard paddling, rising up and over swells, before we got there.
Ashley was finally able to pull out the camera on the calm side, meaning Nate was the only paddler (and steerer). The current slowly glided us along as we searched for seals and penguins on the island's shore.
It didn't take long before seeing some small groups of seals. Lucas encouraged us to move closer to shore, but his kayak had to stay between us and island so as to not interfere with the wildlife. Ashley was really excited once some seal pups were spotted on the rocks.
Quietly floating near shore, we watched as a seal slid into the water. It then swam playfully only a few feet from our kayaks for several minutes until the current had pushed us too far down the shore. We spent a few more minutes casually floating along until we had completely circumnavigated the seal colony.
With cameras away once again, we spent the next 45 minutes paddling back to the coast and then moving south back towards Marahau. It was another paddle through the swells with minimal breaks, but we kept our rhythm together and kept up with Lucas. Along the way, several blue penguins were spotted floating on the surface. If any of the kayaks got within 10 - 15 feet, they would disappear into the water and pop up 50 feet away. With shoulders burning, it was nice to make the final bend toward Bark Bay where we would stop for lunch. We landed on the beach, but before we could get out Nate got hit by a wave and soaked. It felt like an even trade for Ashley.
Bark Bay had an active camp site that was used by many of the backpackers hiking the full Abel Tasman coastal track. Facilities were minimal, but did include a small outside kitchen, picnic tables, and restrooms. We enjoyed a quick lunch chatting with the other kayakers. After this short break we were soon on our way again. It was high tide, so we would have to take the longer route 12 km route and had 3.5 hours to catch the last water taxi back from Anchorage Bay at 4:30. As you can see from the sign, the suggested time for the hike was 4 hours.
We picked up the track from the end of Bark Bay. We were trying for a quick pace, but the other kayakers were moving even faster in hopes of catching the earlier boat at 4. The track initially hugged the coast, but soon was heading upward into the forest. After 30 minutes of what felt like mostly uphill hiking, Ashley stated that "This whole country is uphill." It quickly became the quote of the day any time we were headed uphill for a few minutes.
The Falls River swing bridge was one of the areas that we knew we wanted to hike while in Abel Tasman. Fortunately, the hike today took us through the section that included the swing bridge. It was quite a bit longer than expected and didn't 'swing' or rock as much as we thought it would once we walked out onto it. However, it was around when we reached the bridge that it began raining lightly. It wouldn't stop for the rest of the hike.
We kept up our pace on the trail as it continued upward through the forest. Occasionally, views of the bays and coast could be seen through the few breaks in the trees.
With a fairly tight deadline, we didn't have as much time for pictures as we would have liked. But, it was raining and probably would not have resulted in those postcard quality shots.
One of the unique aspects of this section of the coastal track is that there was a shortcut, low tide route that followed along a sand bar and was over an hour quicker. Unfortunately, it was still a few hours until the tide would be low enough. So uphill, through the forest was the only option. It took another hour before we spotted Anchorage Bay, the end of our hike and where the water taxi would hopefully still be waiting for us. If we were to miss the last boat, then we would have to hike an additional 14 km into Marahau.
From the the view of Anchorage Bay it was still a 15 minute walk (downhill) to the beach, and then another five minute walk to the last boat floating near the shore. It began to rain heavily as we walked along the beach. We noticed one boat turn around towards us along the shore, and someone shouted Ashley's name. It was the other kayakers checking to make sure it was us and that we would make the last boat.
With the raining coming down harder, we hustled to the last boat. As soon as we were on a few kayaks were loaded and the boat was off into the waves. It was a bumpy and somewhat wet ride back to the Marahau beach. A tractor greeted us in the waves and towed us along the road back to the water taxi base.
With the rain not letting up, we quickly got back to our room to get some dinner. Having tried the sit down place last night, we decided to go to the food 'truck' stand Fat Tui. The food was good, hot, and greasy - perfect for a rainy and quickly cooling night. We particularly liked the fried pineapple rings.
It would end up raining heavily for the next 24 hours. It was still a very fun day, but we would have loved a sunny day to see the true colors of the water during our kayak. In the end, it's hard to complain too much when this was one of the few days so far that had poor weather.
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