Abel Tasman Park

One of the scenic stops along the way to Wainui Falls

On Monday it rained in sheets all day so we weren't able to get out at all - just poked around the quaint local town of Takaka for a while. The weather finally broke on Tuesday afternoon and we had several days of truly glorious, sunny weather. The trails appear to be sandy loam and dried out very quickly so we didn't have to worry about a muddy track anywhere.

Went on short hikes to Wainui Falls and along the coast initially, but later in the week we did some more serious walking along the Abel Tasman Coastal Track thru the park - some of the prettiest scenery in New Zealand. And the good news was that we had it pretty much to ourselves. Guess the big holiday rush of local people taking vacation doesn't start until after Christmas, so it wasn't crowded at all.

The trails were uniformly terrific - in typical New Zealand fashion. Smooth, well-groomed, and even the hills were gradual and easy on the legs - much easier than hiking in the Gorge anyway. Rita developed some blisters from her new boots on day two so we took it a little easy, but it was a real pleasure to be out and about in this particular area - one of our favorites in this beautiful country.



Just another stop for lunch

And another one

Pretty vistas around every turn in the trail

On Sunday we move about 30 miles up the road to Collingwood, on Golden Bay, another place we've been before but liked so much we opted to return for a longer stay. We'll be there for a week.
Best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas.