© NZPocketGuide.com
© NZPocketGuide.com

Eco Boat Tour in the Abel Tasman National Park – Day 95

© NZPocketGuide.com

Day 95 on the Road

Abel Tasman Boat Tour with Abel Tasman Eco Adventures

Today we are cruising the Abel Tasman National Park and beach-hopping with Abel Tasman Eco Tours.

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So today we are going to the Abel Tasman National Park on an eco tour with Abel Tasman Eco Tours.

This morning we are leaving The Barn Backpackers really early because we have a meeting with the team from Abel Tasman Eco Tours. If you remember, we’ve done a tour with them a few days ago but when they told us they had a tour around the inlets and bays of the Abel Tasman National Park and we couldn’t resist to join them again for another day out.

After putting the boat in the water we are quickly making our way to the first pitstop of this tour which is going to be Split Apply Rock. it’s probably the most iconic stop in the Abel Tasman National Park. everybody gets a picture with it. And surrounding Split Apple Rock there is quite a few unique rock formations as well as a few shag colonies. As we find out with Stu who is our guide on the Abel Tasman Eco Tours Split Apple Rock isn’t just a rock that looks like a split apple, it actually has a whole little ecosystem on there full of marine wildlife and he also explains to us why the rock is shaped the way it is.

Not only that, but the Abel Tasman National Park is also dotted with loads of little islands which are a haven for wildlife here. Stu has a background in marine biology and he really knows so much about the wildlife here in the Abel Tasman National Park. We stop at several shag colonies along the way and we learn so much about them and so many fascinating facts such as did you know that shags can swallow rocks to make them dive deeper in the water? It’s so fascinating.

Next up is Te Pukatea Bay, this is where we are going to be hopping off the boat and going on a small trek where Stu will be able to tell us even more about the Abel Tasman National Park. So after unboarding the boat and obviously getting our feet wet we are all taking some time to relax on the sand while Stu is giving us some hot drinks and cakes just as a nice morning snack before the walk.

this bay is a prime example of how amazing Abel Tasman National Park looks. It’s golden sand beaches with a backdrop of thick rainforest. I love it. So stu is going to take us on a little walk around and we are going inside the thick bush where he’s telling us more about the native plants. It’s got a chemical in there… MDMA… Yeah, so this is the reason why Laura and I are going to eat that see if we’re going to have a good time.

Woohoo!

Why am I always eating the one that tastes disgusting. So it turns out that the MDMA full kawakawa plant is not really tasty and Laura and I really are not big fans of it. Stu tells us later obviously after we eat it that it’s usually drunk as a tea which probably makes it much more bearable. Going on on our way, Stu is showing us some high-tech possum traps which help them control the pest in the Abel Tasman National Park and making sure that the wildlife is well preserved. Stu also shows us some manuka and kanuka which are the main trees that grow in this section of the Abel Tasman National Park and then we continue making our way up to an absolutely stunning viewpoint which has amazing views of the surrounding beaches and forests of the Abel Tasman National Park. This viewpoint is known as Pitt Head and overlooks a couple of stunning inlets they are turquoise waters bathing in golden sand beaches. It’s perfect.

On the way down we are getting warmer and warmer and out merino wool layers supposed to keep us in check in case of the weather changing all the time are just not doing a good job right now they are cooking us.

After jumping on the boat and landing on another beautiful beach, we are sitting down to tuck into some lunch and just sort of take in the amazing views around us. Stu is showing us some fascinating little marine creatures like shrimp and starfish and different shells as well. It’s amazing how he just picks up something straight away from the ocean and knows exactly what it is.

And then we are jumping back on the boat once again to make our way back towards Marahau. And on the way back we do spot a few little blue penguins but unfortunately they are too quick too small for us to even attempt to film them. Although little blue penguins are more prominent in other parts of the South Island of New Zealand, Stu is explaining us that there are a few colonies around the Abel Tasman National Park which are actually currently breeding. This is fascinating the amount of wildlife that we go to see in such a short tour.

tomorrow we’re going to do something a bit more traditional on the Abel Tasman National park, we’re going to take the water taxi, and we are going to go sea kayaking and then a bit of hiking. It’s really the traditional backpacker activity in the Abel Tasman National Park. And it’s something which is long overdue because we’ve been spending so much time around this park it’s time to get in.

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