Abel Tasmen

The Abel Tasmen National Park is along a sheltered part of coast line, with gorgeous sandy beaches and miles of bush walks. We would love to see it in summer, although it would be much busier – camping slots for the entire season tend to sell out in a day.

The first leg of our journey was by sea kayak. We set off at 9am and arrived at Anchorage Bay in time for lunch on the beach. We saw secluded coves, bathing seals, and paddled through calm waters and choppy waves!

After that, the walking was a breeze, although we had heavy bags (we carried all our food, clothes, sleeping bags and a tent). That night we pitched up in Barks Bay, which was peaceful and pretty.

Needless to say, we had a terrible nights sleep. But the upshot was that we were awake to enjoy the sunrise. The next part of the walk took us inland, past rivers and waterfalls, and ended at another long beach, where we were collected by water taxi and returned to our campervan to warm up with Hot Chocolate and biscuits.

Anchorage Bay

Team Hyde

Beach hikes

…and suspension bridges

Our dinner spot

Sunrise at Barks Bay

Inviting clear waters

Fishing

Split apple rock