Important things I have learned:

• Everything looks better in the sunshine.
• The most dismal place can be transformed by good weather.
• There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing (A Swedish proverb).

Abel Tasman National Park is in no way a dismal place. In fact, it even looks nice under storm clouds. However we are not travelling with suitable clothing to explore a national park in the rain.

The forecast for our day here was not looking promising, and sure enough we woke to the soothing sound of rain splashing on the tent. Thankfully, the revised forecast suggested that this weather front was going to blow over by 11 am, giving us an excuse to have a lazy morning.

Sure enough, just after 11 the rain stopped and the sun came out. Armed with sandwiches and some cereal bars we set off to the water taxi station. Abel Tasman has a 3-5 day coastal walk running down the east of the park. If you don’t have much time to spare, water taxis run along the length of the route, dropping off and picking up at various points along the way. We decided to get the boat to Barks Bay, walk to Anchorage and then get another boat home.

A note to future walkers: these taxis are surprisingly expensive and as long-term travellers we were reluctant to pay the money. However, it is certainly worth it as the walk is beautiful and the service provided is excellent. The hour long journey to our start point was actually a guided tour of the park, and included a brief stop to see a seal colony. We also took a detour to see Split Apple Rock, a famous landmark.

The area was turned into a National Park in 1942, and no buildings were allowed to be erected after that. This leaves the park almost unspoilt with only a few houses dotted here and there. None of the houses have electricity, and access is either by boat or on foot along the coastal path.
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