Abel Tasman National Park

This morning I headed to Nelson before boarding an aqua taxi to cross the Tasman Sea into Abel Tasman National Park. Now this was anything but a relaxing ride filled with many laughs and swear words. Earlier in the year New Zealand had a drought for months and months. For the next little while I would encounter rain for 48 hours straight and then some more after that. Water conditions were rough, and the boat that took everyone across launched on giant waves and then crashed down hard. 

I really felt it in my spine. I’ve never been in such a small boat with waters that rough before. We got absolutely rocked. Some were crying out in pain, others swearing absurdly, while others laughed hysterically, such as myself. We headed out to the sea and boarded our floating hostel for the night. It was pretty cool and definitely unique to stay on a hostel anchored in the sea! It was a tight squeeze and very easy to bash your head on the ceiling above your bunk bed. For dinner we had some BBQ steak and sausages on the grill and stayed warm by the fire out on the top deck. Some jumped off the boat into the water but that was going too cold for me to follow along.

The rain hasn’t been preventing the photos from turning out amazing and the sights are always so spectacular. I surely didn’t let the rain stop me from going out and exploring! For instance, I went on a 4 hour hike throughout the park and it was raining the entire time. It was an absolutely beautiful hike. The sand was so golden . . . I had never seen sand that colour ever before. The higher I climbed and each turn I made allowed me to take in more and more incredible views! Aside from the rain and getting pretty dirty it was so awesome. I’d love to come back in the summer months when the water isn’t so rough and I could kayak around and explore that way.