The gentleness of heaven is on the sea:
Listen! the mighty Being is awake,
And doth with his eternal motion make
A sound like thunder –everlastingly.
- William Wordsworth
This area of New Zealand is well-known for its beauty. In fact, just about everyone we talked to said that this was one of their favorite places to go, and definitely worth the visit. It really was stunning!
Today we took a water taxi through Abel Tasman National Park (which includes an animal sanctuary - absolutely NO FISHING!). We were then dropped off at the north point of a walking track, which took us back to a pick-up point.
Abel Tasman National Park is at the north part of the South Island, on the strait between the two islands. The water between the islands is salt water, so it's just like being on the sea, without a lot of the danger inherent in that. The water was peaceful and calm, and almost indescribable!
The boat ride was fun but a little chilly. The weather was gorgeous - the sun was shining, there was a nice breeze, and of course we were on the sea, which can't be beat. :) I think I've mentioned before that I just love movement - cars, trains, planes, boats....of course I've only had smooth rides so far.
We got picked up from our Top 10 in Motueka and taken to the nearby town of Kaiteriteri where we got our water taxi. On the way, our driver (who was younger than me) pointed out some interesting things along the way. This area has a lot of fruit production - lots of kiwi, and a kind of fruit called "hops" which is used in beer. On our way back we stopped to check out some of their kiwi & hops farms. Another cool thing we discovered while looking at the fruit - some places have this little stand where they leave bags *full* of fruit for whoever wants them. You just have to leave something like $5, and you can take this huge bag of apples. There's a little box where you can leave the money. I think they had a video camera to inspire people to be more honest, but what a good idea! We all enjoyed the fact that you could just go and get the fruit, and there was no hassle about it. Of course, when you live in a country where the crime rate is so low, it works much better. :)
The ride through the park was excellent. I really can't describe the color of the water, and the pictures don't do it justice. I don't think I've ever been this close to this color water. I was amazed! Along the way, we passed one of the most recognizable features of this area: "Split-Apple Rock". The guide said there were two theories about how it got to be this way. One theory was that millions of years ago, a small bit of water or something got into a crack in the rock, and over time split it open to where it is now. Another theory holds that two Maori chiefs were standing on the rock, and the were arguing so fiercely that the rock split beneath them. "You can believe whichever theory you like," said our guide. :)
Before the area became a national park, the land was actually up for grabs, and several people/families bought property. They build houses and have been living there for quite some time. Today it is not possible to buy any land within the park, but the families who have houses there were not forced to move out. So, there are still some nice houses in the park, which would now cost millions of dollars just based on location. Can you imagine waking up each morning in a place like this? It would be heaven!!
The sand on the beaches in the area is golden because of iron deposits, I think. The sea is turquoise (for whatever reason) and it just goes on forever! Along the way, the taxi dropped off some people at some of the various beaches. At one point we couldn't get too close because there was a sandbar between us and the beach. It reminded me of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (Book the Last). We also got to see a stingray beneath our boat, which was really cool! I've never seen one in the wild like that!
Other wildlife in the park: there are many places for seal colonies. We passed by a few and got to see more seals. It was fun - a lot of them were playing in the water, some of them were sticking their flippers up in the air to say "hi" to us, and we got to see some Mamas and their babies.
After a nice boat ride we got to our beach to be let off. We had our packed lunch and then walked the track back to our pick-up point. New Zealand has a few "Great Tracks" - long distance, especially beautiful, lots of people want to walk on them, etc. that kind of thing - in addition to all its smaller tracks. Where we were walking was just a small part of one of their Great Tracks. We got to see a lot of hikers who were doing the whole thing, but we just walked on at our own pace. It was really beautiful - going through tropical rain forest/jungle - can't complain about that! Actually, I would love to go back one day and do a whole track. It was incredible to see the rain forest on one side and the gorgeous beaches/water on the other.
When we got back to our pick-up point (one of the many beaches in the park) the tide was out, so we had to actually walk through the water (at low tide) to get to a place that was deep enough for the taxi. That was fun! Before the taxi got there we walked through the area, looking at some of the nice houses, and I also walked around the beach.
When we got back we walked a little around town again. I ate another Kebab (I had one in Wanaka). It was good!! We looked at some of the restaurants and went grocery shopping. I actually found the Baptist Church in town, so I know I could live here. :) It's really small - in an old house - but that's okay! I wished that we could've been here on a Sunday so I could go to a service. That's something I *really* miss in China - being able to go to services Sun. morning.
There are TONS of mimosa trees in this area, and they were all in bloom!! I LOVE it!!
We're trying to get a hotel for this weekend, but the only thing available is more expensive than what we're used to. Apparently there's a huge international rugby competition going on this weekend, so everything's full. Yikes!
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