Ted. This is the one of three national parks near Nelson and we recently drove there for a day hike. The park, named for the Dutch explorer who was the first European to visit New Zealand sits on a peninsula separating Tasman Bay from Golden Bay.
The 37 mile Coast Track is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. It is New Zealand’s most popular “tramping track” (Kiwi for hiking trail) and, while we were certainly not alone, we’ve been on much more crowded trails near Asheville, NC. Plus, folks were quiet and courteous and there was no trash anywhere. Like the other great walks, there are huts along the way and it’s not unusual for hikers (trampers) to take several days to hike the entire length. The trail pretty much follows the coastline and a network of water taxis do pickups and drop offs along the way. We also saw folks kayaking and sailing along the coast. We kept it simple and just did a roundtrip walk from the trailhead parking lot in the hamlet of Mārahau.
It was a wonderful hike on a lovely day. We may return but only after we check out a few other “must sees.” Here are a few images of this beautiful park.
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| Salt marsh at the start of the walk - a birder's dream |
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| A nice wide trail |
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| Possum trap (predators are an issue for the birds) |
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| Wekas are constantly begging for crumbs |
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| Tinline Bay |
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| Silver fern - a symbol of NZ |
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| The iconic tree ferns |
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| Fisherman Island |
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| Tramps in NZ always end with cake & coffee |
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