On the shuttle bus at ten after 7 this morning to go to Abel Tasman national park. Luckily, the bus wasn't too full, which allowed me to lay across the back row of seats and nap the hour and a bit it took to get there. B, Dan and Sarah also napped I think, but in regular seats...in this case, you snooze you lose, or something along those lines. Once off the shuttle, we got onto an "aqua taxi" that took us up to Torrent Bay: our starting point for the hike today. Along the way we stopped at the split apple rock, which got its name based on what it looks like, and we snapped some photos. Then a fast ride over to Torrent Bay, where we were dropped on a dock. We began the 14.4 KM walk back down, but quickly we were presented with an opportunity to take a 1 KM side track to a place called Cleopatra's Pool, and with a name like that how could we refuse. So up we went on that trail and got to the nice natural rock water slide and pool of water promised on the sign. But leading into the pool was a stream that had massive boulders in it all the way up and around a corner. Being adventurous, I opted to start scaling the rocks and heading up the stream. Dan came with, but B and Sarah opted to hang out at Cleopatra's Pool instead. The boulders took us up a ways on the stream, then we had to switch to a narrow and steep trail on the side of the hills/cliffs that took us around a 90 degree corner. Here the stream narrowed and was much gentler, but finding a path was tricky. We got to a point that we could either jump over the stream onto a mossy, near vertical rock on the other side, or stay on our current side and slide along a steep rock face over the stream on our butts. While I was deciding, Dan opted for the slide, but just as he began it was too steep and he slid down and landed in the stream, completely soaking his clothes and shoes. After I finished laughing I opted to try the jump and nailed the landing (it really wasn't that difficult, just psyched myself out) and then treaded further along the mossy rocks, across the shallow part of the stream and around another 90 degree corner. Here I was rewarded with a big waterfall and a little rock pool in the cliff that looked like a little hot tub. But the water was ice cold, so I didn't go for a swim. I went back over to where Dan was now sitting on a rock and encouraged him to make the jump and go see the waterfall. He did and had no trouble either. Satisfied with a successful side-trip hike, we returned to where Brennan and Sarah were waiting and the 4 of us carried on down the trail.
After a few more KMs we got to a trail that led down to a secluded beach, so we headed down the steep track and had lunch and napped on the beach in the warm sun. Then we headed back up the trail and continued along the main track for another several KMs. In the end we did over 17 KM (almost as much as the Tongariro Crossing) but it was a flat, easy trail for the most part, so it felt like a lot less distance. We stopped at one more beach just before the end of the walk and saw a cool walk-through cave and a tree growing on a single column of rock, high up in the air. Had a beverage at a cafe at the official end of the trail (can of Coke for $4...ouch) and then waited at the Aqua Taxi office for our shuttle bus back. As soon as we arrived back in Nelson, the four of us went straight to Subway and conquered the mean hunger the walk had built up.
Back at the hostel we watched some TV then the movie Push, which was about people with powers. The movie was good but got very convoluted and confusing as it went along. After the cinematic adventure, Brennan and I booked hostels for the next few cities we'll be in, in order to get cheaper rates for booking early and to ensure we aren't forced to upgrade to pricier rooms like we had to here in Nelson. Tomorrow we venture to Greymouth, where a brewery tour is the only thing listed as a worthwhile activity. Franz Joseph glacier walk is after that though, and we'll be there for the CFL Western final, so hopefully we can lock down some fast internet to stream the game with.
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