It was a short drive from Marahau to Nelson and we had some time to kill before our flights. The Center of New Zealand monument sits at the top of Botanic Hill, although the ‘true’ geographical center of the country is actually several kilometers southwest of Nelson in Golden Downs. The top of Botanical Hill…

We saw Abel Tasman National Park from the water today on a 6-hour boat cruise with AB Charters. It was a 20 minute drive into the neighbouring town of Kaiteriteri and about another 10 to find parking at the end of Stephens Bay Road! ‘Kaiteri’ was hosting a Waka Race (in Maori canoes) and the…

If they build straight roads in New Zealand, we haven’t found them yet. Today we headed up to the north end of Abel Tasman Park on another crazy twisty road. This whole peninsula is made up of limestone karst with caves, sinkholes and canyons to explore! And, of course, the geology comes with a Māori…

We both woke up pretty sore from our crazy long hike yesterday, so we have decided for a low key day today. We took a quick drive through Kaiteriteri, the neighboring resort town. There are some very big, beautiful homes nestled into the hills above town with some amazing views. From the lookout at the…

The Abel Tasman Coastal Track is called one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. The total trail is 60km & takes 3-5 days from Marahau to Totaranui with tent camping spots and a few sleeping huts along the way. We have decided to only do a day hike. We tramped almost 13km from Marahau to Anchorage…

We left Westport this morning heading north on another series of long curvy roads. We drove in and out (and back in and back out) of the rain all day. Now that we are out of the forest, we are driving through large agricultural areas. There are tons of sheep, of course, but also huge…

We shouldn’t be surprised to have lousy weather in an area known for its lousy weather. Cape Foulwind is a prominent headland overlooking the Tasman Sea. It was named by Captain James Cook in 1770 after his ship was blown off course by nasty westerly winds. The Cape Foulwind walkway is a small section of…

We left Hokitika this morning and followed the coast north. There were lots of places to stop and take photos. First we travelled off the beaten path and back in time to the Woods Creek Track for a history lesson of gold mining in the area. The short path took us along the creek, through…