Abel Tasman National Park – 2

Day 176-177 – Marahau, New Zealand

I didn’t write last night because I started nodding off over my 6-o’clock cup of tea, and I decided that shower, preparing next day’s lunch and diner were a priority.

The morning boat took me to Tonga Quarry, where I had ended last day’s walk. I went for a short exploration of the other side of the beach before going back on the trail.  There was a dead baby seal, poor thing. There were also two birds, one who yelled at me because I was approaching its nest and it really, really didn’t like that. It is a black bird with striking red eyes and long red beak, a something oyster-catcher. (I’ll have to check.)

It is a relatively short journey, with less views over the sea. When arriving near Bark Bay, the bay just before my pick-up, one can cross the narrow mouth of the bay at low tide or take the overland trail that follows the bay’s edges. Since I had plenty of time (and the tide was too high), I took the long way around.

Abel Tasman National Park – Bark Bay – Wetland

The way around includes wetlands with a boardwalk, a waterfall feeding the creek, necessitating walking on a smallish suspension bridge (the baby brother of the one on the top picture), and a regular bridge further on.

I finally arrived on the access for Bark Bay beach and had a leisurely lunch. Bark Bay gets his name from the bark of some trees harvested for medicinal purposes.

From there it is a short walk to Medlands Beach where I had my pick-up. It is a small cove, with very green waters: the picture currently heading the blog (and not the article) is from this cove.

Abel Tasman National Park – Medlands Beach

Today I felt a lot better rested… except my knees, which object pointedly to my walking again without a day of rest. 

I still took the day slowly. I started at Medlands Beach, still going south, towards one of the main beach of the park, Anchorage. (Because it is a safe place to anchor.)

I came quite fast on one of the landmarks I didn’t want to miss, the suspension bridge over Falls River. (See header.) The river under it is remarkably green. The trail was also busy, with more people than I had seen the previous days.

On the way, there was the Halfway Pool – is it halfway between two landmarks, or does it come half-way up your body, or is it always half-way full (or empty)? I don’t know.

The descent over Torrent Bay gives some very nice views of the bay, closed almost completely by a sandspit. At high tide, it is a white bar spearing a sea of blue.

Abel Tasman National Park – Torrent Bay – High tide

Again, there is a choice between a high tide and low tide crossing. Though I would have been game for going the whole way around, the time difference is really important for this bay and my knees weren’t up to it.

I opted instead to wait for the tide to go out enough for the low-tide crossing, which was hellish in its own right: walking on the sand or mud isn’t a problem, it is the seashells embedded in it that makes for very uncomfortable footing.

You might think (like I did) that the crossing was simply between the end of beach and the next hill: it isn’t. The crossing is in the middle of the bay, behind the beach.

I finally made to Anchorage. The boat crew know me by name by now, and I’ll see them tomorrow for the last day as I will take a -very- easy day around Anchorage.