Round the World Favorites

This video has been weeks in the making, it is some of my favorite spots on my recent Round the World Trip. I made it of a higher quality, so I hope you enjoy it!

Abel Tasman and Golden Bay

Who Is Abel Tasman?

Well he was an explorer, pretty early in New Zealand. But, Abel Tasman is also the site of one of the best National Parks in New Zealand. Although being the second smallest National Park in the country it has one of the Great Walks.

Initially, I thought it would be awesome to do the three-day walk from Marahau to Totaranui. I was planning to rent some equipment, stay at a few huts and head off up the track. But, upon closer research I found it might be interesting to do the route via kayaking and walking.

I booked the kayak and took a water taxi up to Anchorage Bay begin my journey. Once there I hopped on a kayak and went north past Torrent Bay, Medlands Beach, Sandfly. We came across several small islands.

Then, we made it to Tonga Bay and Tonga Island, which is a seal marine reserve. These little guys came up and flirted with everyone. They climbed on a few kayaks and loved for us to pet them. According to the kayak guide, seals only eat live food. They concentrate on squid and octopus, and are quite picky. Lots of the older seals spent their time in the sun or doing a bit of hunting in the sea.

Our stopping point for the day was Onetahuti Beach, where a water taxi took us back to Anchorage.

Overnight I stayed a place called Aquapackers. Which is a backpackers hostel on a boat. There was music, a barbecue, boat jumping, and a good sleep.

The next morning, I set off on foot from Anchorage back to Marahau. This section of the track follows the sea and there are amazing views of the water, rocks, and trees. I was so impressed by all that I saw.

It was great kayaking and hiking the Abel Tasman. It is now low season, and very few people on the track. It was great to hear the birds, see other wildlife, and have such an amazing autumn day!

A Little Tease...

I am going to tease you just a bit. I checked out my photos from Golden Bay and the Abel Tasman. They look great. I hope the video looks nice as well. But, before I get everything ready, here are a couple.

Abel Tasman Completed...

I am fresh from a fantastic trip to the Abel Tasman National Park. I will have a great video and many, many, many pictures to show. But, you will have to be patient, I need some time to relax. I have hiked and kayaked 56kms. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the South

Wow, I am exhausted today. I didn't do much siteseeing, but I spent a lot of time getting a plan of travel attack worked out. Yesterday, I spent the day traveling. It started with a ferry, then on to a bus, and finally a nice walk. I am currently in Motueka awaiting my early morning start on the Abel Tasman.

My Abel Tasman experience will be different then I expected. Instead of renting equipment, making hut reservations, buying food, and walking the darn thing. Instead, I will start my day with a water taxi up to the top of the walk, use a kayak to get down from the north and spend a second day finishing up the trek walking. I have been promised that I an only see the sea lions up close on the kayak, so it should be great.



After the trek I am going up to Takaka and Golden Bay to help out on a farm for the ANZAC weekend and then back to Picton to visit some friends and finally to Nelson before flying off to pick up my parents at the end of April.

Motueka, where I am staying isn't too interesting besides the factory, mussel farms, and the Marlborough wine are just up the road a few kilometers.


Anyway, I need my rest and to finish up the planning. I won't have access to a computer for a couple of days, so expect and update when I get back