Today we booked a trip to Abel Tasman National Park to go for a walk along the track which runs along the shore. The weather was overcast with some rain when we started but managed to stay relatively dry for the day. We were picked up by bus at 8:30am and taken to Kaiteriteri where we caught the marine shuttle and went up the coast to Totoranui and the back down to Torrent Bay where we got off the ferry and hiked about 8km to Medland Bay. It was a wonderful hike with lots of viewpoints along the way. My only complaint would be the numbers of people who were also hiking. If this is what it is like in the early spring, I can only imagine how busy it is in the height of summer. Totoranui is the site of the biggest Department of Conservation tourist camp in NZ. It can accommodate up to 800 people!! On our hike we passed 2 groups of workers doing brushing along the track. The track itself is quite amazing as it literally had to be cut out of the bank all along the coast. We walked over a suspension bridge which will accommodate up to 5 people at a time so I imagine in the summer, there are lineups waiting to pass over it. We had to wait at Medland Bay for about an hour for the ferry to pick us up. I forgot to take bug dope with me and was wearing hiking shorts. As our bus driver put it, there is an evil being lurking on the beaches. When the Maori gods made Abel Tasman park, they wanted to dissuade people from lingering so they turned dead Maori warriors into these evil little beings called Sand flies to bite and suck blood from anyone who stopped on the beach. They discovered me with a vengeance!! The thing about these little beasts is that their bite turns into a very nasty little itching spot 2 days later, so I will await my fate!! We arrived back at our campground at about 4:30pm and we are going to walk a few blocks to a nice little Thai restaurant for dinner. Tomorrow, we are thinking of driving through the Buller Valley and perhaps stopping at Westport or Greymouth.