February 15, 2023: The Abel Tasman Track delivers beautiful views and isolated beaches in an easy day hike. This kind of walk is why outdoor enthusiasts love New Zealand!
“Journal or description by me, Abel Janzs Tasman, of a voyage made from the town of Batavia, in the East Indies, for the discovery of the unknown South-land, in the year 1642, the 14th of August. May it please Almighty God to grant His blessing thereto. Amen.”
Captain Abel Tasman, 1642
Eager to explore the track, we were among dozens of day trekkers who boarded the water taxi in Kaiteriteri. We quickly scrambled topside to secure seats and enjoyed coastal view for our hour-long commute to the trailhead at Medlands Beach.
The Abel Tasman Track
One of New Zealand’s “Great Walks, the Abel Tasman Track stretches for 37 miles along the coast. Mild weather makes this hike popular year-round, but especially in summer. Our mid-February trip was still peak season, so our water taxi was full.
While the park is beautiful today, it wasn’t always so. Early European settlers clear-cut and burned the area but found the soil wasn’t productive for farming. Then, in 1942, the Crown (NZ was a part of Great Britain) set aside the land as a park. Through active conservation the flora and fauna are slowly regenerating.
Abel Tasman
The park’s namesake was a skilled sailor in the employ of the Dutch East India company in Asia. With Japan increasingly sealing itself off from the outside world in the 1600s, the Dutch sought trade elsewhere. In 1642 the company dispatched Tasman to find southern lands – hopefully as rich in gold as the Spanish Americas.
On his first voyage Tasman sailed east from Mauritius (near Madagascar). He somehow managed 2000 miles just over the horizon from Australia, never realizing the continent was there. But he did find Tasmania, New Zealand, and Fiji.
Tasman anchored near what is now the park that bears his name, and was the first European to encounter the Maori. Four of his men and one Maori were killed in a skirmish. Tasman named the anchorage Murderers Bay and sailed on without making landfall. There was no further European-Maori contact for more than 125 years, until Captain James Cook arrived in 1769.
The Hike
After disembarking at Medfords Beach, most trekkers turned south toward our eventual taxi pick-up in Anchorage. We, fortunately, decided to venture north to Bark Bay. We had the entire golden beach to ourselves, with no sound but wind, wave and birdsong. The water was shallow and warm, so we enjoyed a short swim.
Reluctantly, we left the beach and began our southward trek. We had the trail nearly to ourselves, passing only a few stragglers from our water taxi. We made it to Torrent Bay at low tide and were able to wade across the lagoon. Our wet feet saved a mile or more off the high-tide route, and so we made our taxi at Anchorage in plenty of time. Here is the route on Alltrails for those interested (we did it in reverse).
Of Cyclones and Earthquakes
That evening, we relaxed with a Waimea wine on the patio of our Airbnb. Cyclone Gabrielle had skirted us and was hammering the North Island, causing extensive flooding in Napier, where we had planned to visit. As we discussed changes to our itinerary, it happened.
WHAM, rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble. A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck, its epicenter about 75 miles away. It was a little startling. Fortunately there was no damage – we had picked-up our wine glasses before they spilled!
Our next stop on the New Zealand road trip… over the pass to Murderers Bay Golden Bay.
Beautiful! As if the beaches and the hiking trail weren’t enough of an experience, you arranged an earthquake as well.
Very cool adventure topped off with an earthquake. You guys do know how to keep it interesting. Thanks for sharing.