Abel Tasman sea kayaking

We woke up bright and early this morning at 5:45 A.M. After rolling out of bed and devouring a quick breakfast, we all hurried out to the twelve passenger van and took off for an hour long drive to Abel Tasman National Park. Once we arrived, we went and woke up our selves with some “long black” coffee at a café and sat through the safety briefing for the sea kayaks. After organizing ourselves into a boy-girl manner, we loaded the double kayaks up and headed for the beach.

We set off for a three-hour paddle along the beautiful coast of Abel Tasman. Everything was simply peachy when we first set off, as all of us adjusted to the steering system, enjoyed the cerulean blue waters, and spotted cuddly seals on Adele Island. However, at the very end of our voyage we tackled the “Mad Mile”, which attempted to deter us with large swells, lots of wind, and clouds that blocked out the pleasant sun. Eventually we all made it through to a beautiful bay where we stretched our legs and ate lunch in the sun.

Leaving the kayaks at the beach, the group set off on the return hike, a six-mile journey that went up high for sweeping vistas of the coast and then back down into the woods, which resembled a jungle straight out of Hollywood. Three hours later we were back in the van headed back to our hostel in Nelson. Unfortunately, many among us were wearing sandals for the 8-mile hike, which left Sam, Grace and Katherine with painful blisters. Now, we are all showered and full from a delicious pasta dinner and relaxing in the hostel.

Adios,

Matt Thomas

Editor's Note: 1) The SmugMug pictures of students eating and laughing involved an inevitable experiment with Vegemite. All survived.

2) Tomorrow we will have a day of driving, so the noted blisters will have time to heal before our next hike, which will involve shoes, not sandals.