Before discovering Nelson I had a 2 day walk and kayaking trip at Abel Tasman National Park. The bus departed Nelson at 6:30am and by 9:00am I was on a water taxi heading from Kaiteriteri along the Abel Tasman coastline to Awaroa Bay at the north end of the national park. The view from the taxi of the coast was great and I couldn’t wait to hit the land and start my trip. I being dropped off I started my unguided hike southwards. The scenery was simply stunning; to my left I had the golden sands and sparkling green and blue sea, on my right stood the lush green bush of the park.

After walking for about an hour I came to Onetahuti Beach. Due to the high tide I had to wade into the bay to reach the path on the other side which was really cool and made me feel like a proper explorer. The rest of the day was spent heading south and stopping at various beaches along the way to top up my tan which had been fading quickly since arriving in New Zealand. Once I arrived at Bark Bay I set up camp and had some tea. I made myself feel very masculine by chopping wood and spent the rest of the night sitting and chatting with people around the campfire. I didn’t have the best night’s sleep but to be honest I was just happy to have a private room for once. The camp was situated between Mosquito Bay and Sandfly Bay, I shouldn’t have been surprised then when I woke up with over 30 bites on my feet and ankles. That was soon forgotten however when I walked onto the beach and saw the beautiful morning view and had a morning bathe in the refreshing Tasman Sea.

Shortly after my wash I was met by the kayaking group and we started our adventure. Firstly we headed to Falls River and then to Pinnacle Island where we encountered a colony (??) of seals. It was awesome seeing these animals in their natural environment; one even swam out towards us and darted right past my kayak which was incredible. We continued our trip south, passing a few floating penguins on the way until we reached Te Pukatea Bay where we stopped for lunch. After here we continued through Appletree Bay and around Adele Island. Here the wind was strong enough that we were able to sail to Split Apple Rock. The cover used for lunch was actually a sail. The three kayaks came together and the sail was tied to paddles which the guys at the back held in the air, the front guys held the sail close to the sea and we sailed down the coast. It was sweet as and a lot easier than paddling in the strong winds. A quick stop at Split Apple Rock for some cookies and a swim then we returned to Kaiteriteri beach and concluded our great trip. I was sore and sunburnt but I had had the most amazing couple of days.

I had felt a bit down in the few days before this trip. I was sick of always being on the move, tired of sleeping in dorms with snorers and fed up of eating cheap, crap food every night. This trip though reminded me just how lucky I was and what an amazing time I was having. I returned to Nelson for a few days before my next bus trip. Like the other towns and cities in New Zealand there wasn’t much to do but Nelson was by far the most pleasant residential are area I had visited. I took a walk to the geographical centre of the country and visited the cathedral. There I walked a sweet old woman to her car which was my good deed of the day. For the rest of my time I relaxed at the hostel. I found another gem; The Shortbread Cottage only slept 18. It had a real homely feel and free internet which I took full advantage of by downloading 7 albums. It also had a nice lounge and I caught up on some T.V. including Brothers and Sisters, Coach Trip and Corrie! DEV IS OUR HERO!