Road trip snack – pie with curry and meat filling. Yummi.

After my unsuccessful Tongairo hike I adapted a little to the newzealandic way of travel and actually planned my hikes on the Heaphy and Able-Tasman track. The idea to first go to the Able-Tasman, spend New Year’s Eve in Golden bay and than go to the Heaphy should not happen because everybody seems to walk the Able-Tasman between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. However, I could work out a way by walking both tracks into the opposite direction, even though the transport to the Heaphy became quite pricy that way.

It was raining the whole morning in the bus ride to Kohaihai and I already feared a soaked backpack for this day, but when I started walking (the bus was late and I first started 2 pm) it reduced to a slight drizzle making the 20 km along the coast really enjoyable.

20 km along the coast in a slight drizzle rain were mot to bad.

And in the end of the day some sun even colored the sky red.

Unfortunately most of the rest of the track lead through (quite different styles of, but still) forest lacking any kind of view. The walk in it self was compared to the Te Araora leisure walk with huts every few hours and lots of friendly kiwis to talk to showing me all the reasons why I actually like hiking.

In the beginning of the track the forest mainly reminded of a safari though the jungle …

… but turned later into something overgrown with moss (maybe that’s why they call it rain forest).

I shared a little hut with these lovely ladies for one night (They made me going to bed at 8 pm and getting up 5.30 am.).

I decided to spent New Year’s Eve in Collingwood a tiny place at the end of the golden bay mainly because I would be able to walk from the Heaphy track there in one day, if I couldn’t get a lift. Anyway I got one from Noah and was very grateful, because exactly this morning it was again pouring down. He also showed me the tiny shop just by the road, making a great coffee and selling little pieces of art that existed at least as long as the Heaphy track and looked exactly the same.

New Year’s Eve in Golden Bay turned out to great fun. Standing in front of the sad bar in Collingwood left only one reasonable option: heading to the Mussel Inn, a bar everybody was talking about. And it is so different to the European New Years Eve. People are camping in front of the bar to avoid driving home, girls are swinging in light summer dresses, and the rest is drinking beer around the bone fire. And when the night finds an end you still can go back to the beach and watch the first sunrise if the year.

I couldn’t believe it, but people were indeed camping in front of the bar. A bit like a tiny festival.

My first New Years Eve in short trousers.

Indian pale ale is my usual favorite, but this one was the perfect choice for the night.

The first day, though hard couldn’t be spent in bed. The sun shine left no excuse and the bikes could be borrowed for free from the hostel. So we biked the 25 km to farewell split wandering around on the longest dune I have seen so far. After the long 25 km back it was then also okay to finish the day with the greasiest fish&chips I have eaten so far.

The dune is that long, that many people don’t bother to walk, but take the bus.

The next leg if this journey meant walking four days along the coast on the Able Tasman track. I could only book the campsites and got therefore very cheerful when I saw the sun promising weather forecast. So we headed out the first morning our thumbs ready the find a lift to wainui beach (24$ for a 22km bus ride seemed just a bit to much). It took just 4 hours and four rides to get there, but all the nice chats on the way were worth the little hazzel of hitch hiking.

We are walking in the sand lalala. Pretty hard but luckily only part of the track.

The track has definitely one feature lacking all other hiking tracks I have been to before: astonishing golden beaches and crystal green water (pretty cold though). On the other hand it meant quite some up and down and low tide bay crossings, but nothing you couldn’t manage even while pushing a trolley (saw a few on the track). I guess that was the bad thing about it. The beauty and accessibility if the area draw many people (only a small percentage being hikers) here, but on the other you don’t have to be the lonely fighter all the time.

You have to plan your trip carefully otherwise you and up with wet feets, trousers, shirts, backpack and hair while crossing the bays.

Boats are swimming again at high tide, otherwise they are just laying around in the sand.

If you don’t want to walk, you can also paddle around. But be aware you are never alone.

But the view is unique.