The Abel Tasman Trail is a coastal trail which is one of the most popular of New Zealand’s Ten Great Walks. Along the trail there are huts which you can pre-book for the night. The entire trail takes five days – we opted to do three days, booking ourselves into two huts.

As the day of the walk approached, I started to feel apprehensive. I haven’t done a walk long enough to merit carrying a backpack since I was on school camp! Would I be able to cope?

Preparing for the trail was hard enough. We would have to carry everything we needed for the next three days. Since the weather forecast was mixed, this included a wide range of clothing from shorts and sunhat to fleeces and waterproofs. Food wise, we had to buy a portable stove as there are no cooking facilities in the huts. Then we had to plan meals which would be light and portable – whilst highly nutritious, of course!  Finally, we had to buy sleeping bags as no bedding is provided in the huts. We went as cheap as we could on the sleeping bags, since we don’t have the baggage allowance to take them back to the UK – but then we discovered that Night 2 was forecast to be 9 c and the sleeping bags are only supposed to be warm enough for temperatures of 10 c and above – would they keep us warm or would we freeze??

To get to Motueka, the nearest town to the start of the trail from Hanmer Hot Springs was a challenge. I suggested we cut across to Kaikoura on the East coast, stay the night there and then take the highway to Picton and then on to Motueka on the South Coast road. We went all the way over a slow and twisty mountain pass to reach Kaikoura – then discovered that due to damage from Cyclone Gita, the highway to Picton was closed.

So the next day we had to drive all the day back over the slow and twisty turny mountain pass – straight back to Hanmer Hot Springs. After that we had another three hundred kilometres to cover before we reached Moteuka. Two long days of driving. On the plus side, Kaikoura was pretty – and we saw some awesome scenery, including some snow capped peaks!

As we approached Moteuka, we started to see lots of wineries and another interesting looking crop which we realised was hops. There were also plenty of veggies for sale by the side of the rode. The range was amazing – from apples and pears to lemons and pomegranates. We stopped and brought a huge bag of apples for $2 (about one pound) – delicious! There were some other intriguing signs on the road to Moteuka which we didn’t have time to follow up. One read:

Theatre – Art Gallery – Tame Eels

Tame Eels??? If anyone knows what that is about, let me know! On reaching Moteuka, David did spot a huge eel swimming along in a stream –  but as far as I know, it wasn’t tame!

Day One

 

The day of The Great Walk dawned bright and clear. After some last minute checks – suntan lotion? Check! Mosquito repellent? Check! – we headed to Marahau, which is at the start of the trail. We parked the camper van in the car park of the Abel Tasman water taxi company. The car park is provided by the water taxi company. It’s free, as long as you book with them to pick you up at the end of the walk.  As soon as the van was parked, we shouldered our backpacks and set off. David was worried his pack felt too heavy, but mine felt just right and my confidence soared. We only had 12 kilometres to cover today. Maybe it was going to be okay.

Immediately, two things happened to unsettle me. First, we met a girl who stopped us to ask if we knew where she could hire or buy a camping mat. This set me wondering if the huts provide mattresses for the beds. Perhaps we’d be sleeping on bare boards that night…? Second, the bridge at the start of the trail had been washed away by the Cylone and we had to pick our way over a river. What other Cyclone damage would we encounter on route?

Soon, we were into the walk. We climbed up from ground level to wind our way along a path which clung to hills high above the coast. The path was really pretty. It was overhung with giant ferns and other shade giving trees and bushes. Stunning beaches were round every corner. It was tempting to go down and swim but with heavy packs on our backs, we didn’t want to go ‘off piste’ too much. Around midday, we stopped on a beach for a Scooby snack. It was hot and I was tempted to swim but settled for a paddle. There’d be time for a swim once we reached the first hut.

An hour later, we stopped for lunch (cheese and pickle sandwich and the inevitable apple, since you ask!) I was impressed to find toilets provided at intervals along the route, as well as taps with treated water so we could can refill our water bottles along the way. The trail was spotless, with no signs of litter. Dogs are not allowed on the trail so no dog mess, either!

By three p.m., we reached the first hut at Anchorage. It was beautifully situated, right on the beach at Anchorage Bay. The first thing I did was get changed and go for a swim. A wind had blown up and it was quite breezy by now so it was an English style dip rather than a full blown swim. After swimming, I headed up to check out the hut. It was a lot bigger than I’d imagined. There was a large communal kitchen and dining room with a wood burning stove and four separate bedrooms with eight beds in each hut. And praise the lord, the beds had mattresses! On the downside, there was no hot water or power, except for some solar powered lights in the communal kitchen which came on after dark.

The communal aspect took a bit of getting used to. I feared we’d end up sharing with a family with a noisy baby. Apparently, there’d been one in the night before. As it turned out we did end up sharing with a family, but they were super quiet and considerate (Shout out to Lucie, Dan and Leeia! if you are reading this)  The family are taking a gap year to travel the world and homeschooling . It was lovely to meet some other ‘Senior gap year’ travellers, albeit at a different stage in life. I was asleep by 9 pm and didn’t wake up until the sun came up. After a hearty bowl of porridge we hit the road again for the start of Day Two.

Day Two

This was going to be our hardest day at almost 20 kilometres. That may not sound much, but with a pack on, believe me, it is a long way, particularly when the route is as up and down as this one was.

A light rain began to fall around midday. We reached Bark Bay Hut an hour later, moments before it really started to come down. This was the half way point. Since we were booked into huts at either end of the walk, we felt we were entitled to go inside and eat our lunch inside the hut. Someone had lit the fire and it was lovely and warm. As the downpour intensified, a group of kayakers pushed into the hut, dripping wet. We felt really lucky to have bagged a place to sit. One of the kayak party organisers pushed through carrying a burning hot pot of soup and scalded someone. After this incident, we decided it was time head off and make space for someone else. Fortunately the rain was letting up.

II have to confess, the afternoon felt very long. The rain continued in fits and starts. Both of us started to develop aches and pains in various different places – backs, feet, shoulders. I swear the hills became steeper. The rest breaks were certainly more frequent. Then at about 5.30 pm, the weather began to clear. By the time we arrived at Aworoa Hut an hour later, it was beautiful. And so was the hut. It was smaller and more basic than the one at Anchorage, but in a stunning secluded location. It faces Aworoa Bay, which has to be crossed to reach the rest of the trail. It can only be crossed around low tide. Low tide was at 2 pm the next day, which meant we would have to hang out at the hut until just before 1 pm, by which time the water should be low enough to cross.

Inside the hut, the fire was lit and a washing line was hung with coats, sleeping bags and bags. Not everyone had been as lucky as us and dodged the rain. Sleeping wise, the arrangements were basic – three rooms with twelve beds in each, six on the bottom bunk and six on the top, all lined up in a row. All very cosy, but not necessarily conducive to a good night’s sleep!

We ate food, stared at the view and played cards until such time as we could decently go to bed – about 9.30 p.m. It was hard to sleep. Far from being too cold, it was actually too hot, due to the fire in the next room. People seemed to be climbing over me and skipping in and out of bed for the next couple of hours. Then at 2 a.m., a group of super fit, macho lads got up to try and make a night time crossing of Aworoa Bay, which woke me again.  Restless, I went outside. The lads had already gone. The moon was bright enough to light up the entire bay.

Day 3

A warm, cloudy day. We hung around until just before 1 pm waiting to cross Aworoa Bay. By midday, a sense of restless excitement filled the hut – there were a dozen people who just couldn’t wait to cross the bay. Some of them set off early. It was funny watching them wade out into the bay, the water climbing higher and higher, but I’m pleased to report that everyone made it over. Finally it was 12.45 and we decided to go for it. Shorts on, packs on the back, bare feet. It was pretty uncomfortable, crunching clam shells with every step, but there was no danger of being washed away –  the water stayed below the knee.

Once we were on the other side, we had to pick up the pace as we had two hours until our water taxi departed and a sign stated that it was a two hour and five minute walk. If we missed it, there were no other boats that day. So, ignoring all the aches and pains, we stomped up and down the hills without a break, and made it to the beach in plenty of time.

Getting onto the water taxi turned out to be the biggest challenge of the entire walk. By this time, a wind had got up and the sea was surprisingly rough. One elderly man wobbled as his pack swayed on his back and ended up taking a swim. When it came to my turn, I eagerly accepted the Captain’s offer to carry my pack out to the boat for me. Even so, I ended up soaked to the waist. David didn’t fare any better. By the time the boat set off, we were freezing. There was a big swell and the boat was over crowded. However, despite these drawbacks, the Captain was determined to give us a tour of the local sights. We saw some New Zealand fur seals and their pups, which was cool, but by this stage we just wanted to get back on dry land. Finally, we arrived back at Marahau. Instead of pulling onto the shore, we drove straight onto the back of a trailer which was pulled by a tractor. Then we were driven back to the car park perched in the boat! It was such a relief to get back to the campervan and change out of our wet things. We were pie eyed with exhaustion but filled with a great sense of achievement. We had completed our first Great Walk!