You know you are lucky when you have the opportunity to travel almost two years in Oceania. But you know you are even luckier when you get to spend some of that time in the beautiful New-Zealand.
At first, when I was thinking about NZ, I had in mind a green country, and the never ending beaches meeting crystal blue waters brought Australia in my mind. It's true to say that the NZ environment is green, but there's also lots of blue to discover and those two beautiful colors come together perfectly in NZ with a jaw-dropping result.
Perfectly situated on the South Island, the Abel Tasman National Park is a great example of this beauty. Founded in 1942, the park was named after the first European explorer who arrived in NZ and with 225 km2 it is the smallest national park in the country.
To explore this jewel of a national park, travelers can choose from three different options. You can do it by boat, kayak or simply by foot. In general, people are taking three days to discover the park.
Since I have trouble making decisions in my everyday life and I'm not any better at it in my travelling life, I decided to mix all the options. So my friend and I kayaked up the coast for the first two days, walked the last day and came back by boat. But all options are open except maybe swimming which might just be too hard!
The two kayaking days were sensational! Apart from the nature enthusiasts who came from all around the world to check out this paradise, I had the chance to see some of NZ’s wildlife, such as cormorants, oyster catchers and lots of seals! Even baby ones!
The third day of the journey was the walking day, which was good because my arms were a bit tired! It was also a great change to see the park from a new perspective. We had to wake up super early because we had to adjust with the tides, considering that some parts of the trail could not be crossed at high tide. In my opinion it makes it even more of an adventure when you have to adapt with nature’s rules!
At the end of the day we came back to our starting point by boat. Since the boat isn't as close from the coast as the kayaks I've been told that we can sometimes see orcas. I didn't have this chance but it just means I need to go back!
The department of conservation (DOC) of NZ has organised many cute and convenient camping grounds all around park.
The Abel Tasman National Park is just one example of all the beauty NZ has to offer. In fact NZ has fourteen national parks which seem to be all stunning. Plus, this sympathetic country is situated in the southern hemisphere which makes it an interesting destination to get away from our northern hemisphere’s cold winter months! Happy travels!
Photo Credit: Paul Clancy
At first, when I was thinking about NZ, I had in mind a green country, and the never ending beaches meeting crystal blue waters brought Australia in my mind. It's true to say that the NZ environment is green, but there's also lots of blue to discover and those two beautiful colors come together perfectly in NZ with a jaw-dropping result.
Perfectly situated on the South Island, the Abel Tasman National Park is a great example of this beauty. Founded in 1942, the park was named after the first European explorer who arrived in NZ and with 225 km2 it is the smallest national park in the country.
To explore this jewel of a national park, travelers can choose from three different options. You can do it by boat, kayak or simply by foot. In general, people are taking three days to discover the park.
Since I have trouble making decisions in my everyday life and I'm not any better at it in my travelling life, I decided to mix all the options. So my friend and I kayaked up the coast for the first two days, walked the last day and came back by boat. But all options are open except maybe swimming which might just be too hard!
The two kayaking days were sensational! Apart from the nature enthusiasts who came from all around the world to check out this paradise, I had the chance to see some of NZ’s wildlife, such as cormorants, oyster catchers and lots of seals! Even baby ones!
The third day of the journey was the walking day, which was good because my arms were a bit tired! It was also a great change to see the park from a new perspective. We had to wake up super early because we had to adjust with the tides, considering that some parts of the trail could not be crossed at high tide. In my opinion it makes it even more of an adventure when you have to adapt with nature’s rules!
At the end of the day we came back to our starting point by boat. Since the boat isn't as close from the coast as the kayaks I've been told that we can sometimes see orcas. I didn't have this chance but it just means I need to go back!
The department of conservation (DOC) of NZ has organised many cute and convenient camping grounds all around park.
The Abel Tasman National Park is just one example of all the beauty NZ has to offer. In fact NZ has fourteen national parks which seem to be all stunning. Plus, this sympathetic country is situated in the southern hemisphere which makes it an interesting destination to get away from our northern hemisphere’s cold winter months! Happy travels!
Photo Credit: Paul Clancy
Pascale Martineau
Kinésiologue de profession, surfeuse de passion et "backpackeuse" de vocation, j'ai eu la chance de voyager et l'opportunité de vivre à l'étranger. J'aime les voyages et j'aime échanger par rapport à ceux-ci comme dans une auberge de jeunesse où chaque soir des gens des quatre coins du monde se racontent leurs récits.