We decided that we were going to hike from Marahau; the start of the track, to Anapai Bay (45.5 of the 51 km track) with a day side trip to Separation Point. On the last day we hiked back from Anapai Bay; where we camped to Toraranui (approximately 7 km) and took a boat taxi back to Marahau (52.5 km in total). We spent 5 days and 4 nights and the weather was sunny and hot every day.Although the Able Tasman does not have the mountains, fiords, lakes, vegetation and bird life that the Kepler, Milford and Routeburn track have, Able Tasman was still a highlight for us. Able Tasman had the beaches, the coastline and the hot sunny weather that is compared to none other. We hiked along the coast and camped every night on a beach. Early morning and nighttime dips and afternoon swims were on the agenda every day. Although the track is usually busy, we went right after NZ school spring break and were lucky enough to have alot of privacy.
At times we were the only ones on the beach. I have to say, being by the sea and having the serenity on the beaches is something that you just don't get in Canada as much, and certainly not at all in Ontario. The sea is something that I will miss when I leave. It is the smell in the air, the freshness of the water, the sound of the waves and my favourite, was just to feel the sand on my bare feet!We camped for the entire track so did not meet as many people as we had in the other tracks, but we did meet a couple from Calgary, Alberta and of course, no track would be complete without meeting a Kiwi, which we did the last night. Like I said in the last blog entry, Able Tasman is located on the most north/westerly part of the South Island of New Zealand.
On clear days you could see the south shore of the North Island and an area called Farewell Spit; a stretch of sand that goes on forever. On our second last day we hiked to Anapai Bay to camp. From here we did a side trip that went further north to a place called Separation Point. We had to hike straight up to get to the point and then walked down a steep slope to the water. Here you could see Farewell Spit, the shore of the North Island and lots of different sea life. 
The highlights were the albatrosses and the seals. All unaffected and unafraid of humans. New Zealand is a pretty awesome place to go to see wildlife and plant life as conservation of both is a priority to all New Zealanders. We just sat and watched the seals play as they swam and entertained us; with equal joy, it seemed.The track was not as demanding (although I still got my heart rate up carrying our 40 lb pack up and down the coastline), but there were so many different types of experiences to keep it interesting. Being on the coastline, one challenge on the Able Tasman were the tides. We didn't always have to worry about them, but we always had to be aware and at times, it did require our full attention of when we were going to be crossing. The tides were not as large as the Bay of Fundy, but still pretty significant. On day 3 we had the option of setting up camp and heading back along the track to the Awaroa Lodge & Cafe for dinner and a beverage. Honestly, tramping in New Zealand feels like cheating. When you camp and hike, the food is usually freeze dried with the odd treat of a pepperoni stick or chocolate covered almonds, if you are lucky.
But in New Zealand because of their great camping facilities and the fact that there are no large predatory animals, it makes it easier to bring slightly better food (real food on the first day and maybe some wine in a bladder). The Able Tasman went one step further and they have a lodge that you can hike to from camp; unbelievable. Again, no wonder we did not lose any weight! The hike back to Awaroa Lodge and Cafe was not without incident though. To get to and back from our camp to the lodge, we had to co-ordinate the tides. The first attempt was not so lucky, but the second time we were (at least we worked off our dinner with our hiking back and forth). It was a relaxing walk really; warm weather, along the water, walking with your shoes off with you feet in the sand.....ahhhh..... The nice thing about any of the side and/or extra trips that we took once we set up camp, was that we did not have our heavy packs on. The food and the drinks once we reached the lodge were just an added bonus. It was a fabulous lodge and restaurant. To top it off our server was Canadian. This was after we found out about the Olympic hockey, so of course we had to share our joy. 
The owner of the restaurant/lodge is from New Zealand, but tried to immigrate to Canada without success. Unfortunate for him, but good for the lodge. I had a salad (fresh fruit and vegetables is what I miss on a hike and NZ has the best of both) and beer, Delia had a steak and a beer and we shared a blueberry dessert. You know what they say...if you are going to cheat, you might as well cheat big!The next morning proved to be another new experience in New Zealand. This morning, the tides happened to be extremely important. If you didn't leave 1 hour on either side of low tide, you were stuck there until the evening. Getting up early was not an issue with us as we are early risers and we made the low tide no problem. But here's the thing, that even in low tide, there were parts where the water was still high enough that you had to remove your shoes and walk through. The tide crossing was I guess about maybe 1 to 2 km in length and in that stretch there was probably about 3 or 4 sections that we needed to take our shoes off. Well, not knowing what to expect, we figured that it was a pretty good idea to remove our shoes and keep them off until we reached the other side, as opposed to taking them off, walking across the stretch of water, drying our feet off and putting our boots back on and repeating this 3 or 4 times (walking with our boots on was not an option given the the water was close to knee deep). This was a great idea - to keep our shoes dry, but not such a great idea for our feet. The sea floor was not just soft sand
like it looked from a distance, but had clam shells as well....ouch! This was not so nice on feet especially cold feet with a 40 lb pack on. There was alot of "grinning and bearing" let me tell you. Our feet were so numb and sore by the time we reached the other side our hiking boots felt like soft, fluffy slippers when we put them back on.So let me see.......serenity, beaches, sunsets, seals, white sands, good food, great hiking....and oh yeah, on
our way home on the boat, our driver spotted Blue Penguins. They are the smallest penguins in the world. We were not able to get any pictures of them, but we saw them. So damn cute! And just to finish off the Able Tasman track adventure with a funny story. The boat took us back to Marahau to where we were staying, but not just to the shore, but right into town. That's right, we reached the shores in Marahau and there to meet us was a tractor with a trailer. While we were still in the boat, the skipper of the boat drives the boat up the ramp to the trailer. They hook the boat up to the trailer, lift the motor and then drive the rest of the way up the ramp, through town to the parking lot of the company - all while we were still in the boat - way too funny! It is this exact fun, relaxed, adventurous, caring attitude that we just loved about Kiwis!
our way home on the boat, our driver spotted Blue Penguins. They are the smallest penguins in the world. We were not able to get any pictures of them, but we saw them. So damn cute! And just to finish off the Able Tasman track adventure with a funny story. The boat took us back to Marahau to where we were staying, but not just to the shore, but right into town. That's right, we reached the shores in Marahau and there to meet us was a tractor with a trailer. While we were still in the boat, the skipper of the boat drives the boat up the ramp to the trailer. They hook the boat up to the trailer, lift the motor and then drive the rest of the way up the ramp, through town to the parking lot of the company - all while we were still in the boat - way too funny! It is this exact fun, relaxed, adventurous, caring attitude that we just loved about Kiwis!
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