Abel Tasman National Park, heading South in NZ

Our last day in Nelson was spent at Abel Tasman National Park. Allison and Carol kayaked along the coast with a guide and a few other kayakers.  

With choppy water and Allison's arm still in a sling, Carol would have her work cut out for her!

Luckily the wind slowed up and the paddling was easier than expected. 

Along the way they saw quite a few seals and rays and paddled up the coast about three hours.

At the start, the four of us took a boat taxi to the kayak launch beach.  Cameron and I opted not to kayak due to the rough water.  We thought an overland return might be a better option.  The guide told us there was a 7 km trail back to our starting point at Marahau and that it should take 2 hours to hike.   They all paddled away and left us on the beach alone. We hiked up a very steep path to the trail and saw this sign...



What we thought would be 2 hours and 7 km, was in fact 12.2 km and 4 hours.  We had no water, no map, no cell service, and we were wearing flip flops. There were no other options for a way back. We decided to hike non stop and as fast as we could wearing flip flops. We made it in three hours and had a great time. All of the other hikers that we passed were fully outfitted with packs, boots, poles. We got quite a few looks as we sped along in our footwear! Luckily the weather cooperated. No rain and not too hot!

Final stretch - very sore feet but we made it!

Here's some more of the scenery along the way:

Today we drove to the Franz Josef Glacier.   We'll spend the night here and, weather permitting, get a helicopter tour of the glaciers tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.

Along the drive today, a tree fell and blocked the road.  We missed it by just a few minutes.  It blocked traffic for about an hour until the trucks arrived with chain saws to cut it up.  Everyone stuck in traffic got out and socialized, set up their gear, had snacks and drinks. It was without question the most pleasant traffic jam we've ever seen.

No worries, mate. Just set up a picnic!

Our first look at the glaciers beyond the palm trees - photo below. We've never seen rainforest and glaciers at the same time.   

We understand why they call these mountains the "Southern Alps"

Kiwi sighting along the way