New Zealand: The Return of the Kayaking

We'd been spoiled in New Zealand so far. Staying with friends and enjoying their generous hospitality. As much as I'd loved the time there, I was keen to do some 'travelling' again. So we decided to book a return flight to Christchurch, rent a vehicle and make our own way around the South Island for ten days. 

After landing in Christchurch, we waddled with our luggage towards the nearby car rental place, where our chariot awaited. Our 'chariot' was, in fact, a fairly old Toyota people carrier that had been adapted make a nice compact campervan. Although it had a couple of bits of cosmetic damage and a fair few miles on the clock, we were assured that the vehicle was a good shape. However, after stopping at the local 'Warehouse' to stock up on supplies for the week, we returned to the van to find that its battery was completely flat! Not a great start to our road trip.

Thankfully, the rental company sent out a mechanic who swapped our battery over and we were on our way again - north from plains of Christchurch and up into the foothills of the Southern Alps. Our plan was to get as far north as possible as we were aiming to be in the Abel Tasman the next day.

We stopped just before dark and set up for the night in a free campsite. Despite being plagued by midges, we slept well and got going early the next morning.

Taking turns driving gave us both the opportunity to enjoy the constantly changing views. Not for the last time that week, I was sure that I spotted mountains and river beds that Peter Jackson had used in The Lord of the Rings films. It was all so familiar and incredibly beautiful.

After a few more hours of travelling through stunning scenery, we arrived in the National Park of Abel Tasman. My parents had visited here a few years ago and loved the place, so I was eager to see what they had enjoyed so much about the area.

We spent our first afternoon there finding a campsite and then walked along the coast path to a secluded beach. Although the water was only about knee high, Steve and I still attempted to swim in the clear waters. We weren't particularly successful, but enjoyed splashing around anyway!

That evening, after a great shower, Steve cooked up a delicious meal and we sat playing cards. Sam had taught us a Brazilian game and we needed to practise so we could beat him and Reggie when we saw them next! We watched some Breaking Bad on my iPad and then settled down for another night in the camper.

The next morning I was subjected to a brutal assault. Whilst minding my own business and eating my muesli, I was set upon my three thugs. They used a youngster to lull me into a false sense of security and then, for the next five minutes, I was mercilessly attacked. I thought I would post a picture of the perpetrators so that no one else suffered at their hands... Or, more accurately, their beaks...

The evil (but very cute) ducks hadn't dampened my spirit though. We had booked a kayak that day and soon we were paddling our way along the stunning Abel Tasman coast. 

We stopped a few times to swim and wander around the park's forest paths. Steve had been here before with his brother and sister-in-law and so he said knew where we could find a particularly spectacular bay. I was a little dubious as Steve's sense of direction hasn't always been reliable, but this time he was spot on. As we reached the ridge of a hill we were greeted with a stunning view of Anchorage bay, its golden sands and emerald waters. I wouldn't doubt Steve's internal sat nav again!

We swam and walked so more, before heading back to our kayak and beginning the long paddle back to the campsite. It was now clear to me why Mum and Dad loved this place so much. On our way we saw some grey seals sunbathing on rocks, but sadly not the orcas that we were told sometimes come into the bay. Having said that, I'm not sure what my reaction to having a giant killer whale next to me in my tiny kayak would've been!

Although we were tired from our trip, we decided it would be a good idea to keep moving. Later, as I lay listening to some very loud locals leave a pub in the early hours of the morning, I wondered whether we'd made the right decision, I was now trying to get some sleep whilst parked in a public car park rather than in the beautiful surroundings of a National Park. But as I looked at a map of New Zealand I realised we had -  after all, the South Island was a big place and we only had a seven more days to explore it.