The Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman Park

So far, most of my posts have covered one day of travelling. This post will cover four days visiting two of New Zealand’s highlights – the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman Park. There is a simple reason why two such memorable places get so little text – the weather was awful, and two of these days were almost completely washed out. After my whale-watching flight in Kakoura, I headed north to the tip of the North Island. State Highway One was scenic, with nice sea and mountain views, but slow going, with more than its usual share of roadworks. I reached Blenheim, the capital of Marlborough’s wine country, in the early afternoon. I thought about visiting the city for a coffee break, or even the famous nearby Cloudy Bay winery for a tasting, but Blenheim’s outskirts were so ugly that I hurried on to Picton on the north coast, the entrance point to the Marlborough Sounds.

The Marlborough Sounds are the estuaries of a series of rivers emptying into the Cook Strait between New Zealand’s North and South Islands, which form a jagged coast with countless islands and peninsulas. Indeed, this relatively small area contains around a quarter of the total length New Zealand’s coastline. The Sounds are very thinly populated, with a few fishing towns, holiday homes, campsites and resorts. Much of the area – and many of the resorts – is only accessible by boat, but a few narrow, winding roads also lead into the region. I had booked a resort on one of side roads leading off from the popular Queen Charlotte’s Drive scenic route which links Picton and the small port of Havelock. The route would have been beautiful….had the sun made an appearance to bring out the colours of the water and vegetation. But instead the weather was stubbornly overcast, and the sea remained a dull grey colour. After an hour of scenic but slow driving I arrived at my resort.

It was a beautiful, utterly remote and so laid-back that the hotel did not give guests room keys – this part of rural New Zealand has so little crime that people do not bother to lock their doors. It was just a shame that the sky remained overcast, and the sea water which was bright blue in my guide book remained a dull grey. It was possible to go hiking or to hire kayaks or paddleboards to explore the Sounds, but the weather did not inspire me to try any physical activities and instead I explored the beach a bit, where I found some wild oysters……

…..and then sat reading, admiring the view from my room as the sun set.

The next day I had originally planned to explore the Sounds some more and then devote the whole of the day after to visiting another of New Zealand’s highlights, the Abel Tasman Park. However, seeing a forecast of very bad weather coming, I drove west straight to the park. It has a spectacular 60km coastal track, which takes 3 to 5 days, and the best way to experience the area is either to walk the whole path, or take a water taxi into the heart of the park, walk a section, and come back on a return boat trip. But I arrived too late to take an outward boat and had to content myself with a short walk from the park entrance to Apple Tree Bay, about 5km in.

Despite my limited programme, I was immediately enchanted by my walk. The path led from the park entrance gates, across the a river estuary…..

…and then along the coast, past many bays with sandy beaches.

The sides of the path were lined with lush vegetation, including many giant ferns. Not only were the views impressive but the hike was also a treat for other senses; I was accompanied by unusual and beautiful birdsong, quite unlike what I hear back home, and in many places the path had a strong, sweet smell of honey. To this day I still don’t know which plants make this scent, which I smelt often in New Zealand.

I spent a pleasant half an hour on the beach at Apple Tree Bay……..

…and met a new friend, a weka, one of New Zealand’s many flightless bird species.

On my way back from Apple Tree Bay it started raining. I got back to my car without getting too wet, but then the skies opened and it rained hard all evening and all of the next day. Fortunately, my accommodation was probably the best value placed I have ever stayed in – a large and beautifully furnished apartment looking out over the bay of the city of Nelson. It was the perfect place to sit out some impossibly bad weather. My only activity for the next day was visiting a local winery for a tasting and a light lunch……

…..after which it was all to easy to sit back and admire the view from my flat. I ventured out once to buy some excellent turbot for dinner from a nearby shop on the seafront. Somehow, when the weather outside is this bad, staying in a nice place with a good view gives you a really cosy feeling.

On day two of the storm, I had to check out and made the short drive east back to Picton in heavy rain. I stopped for lunch on the way in the town of Havelock, which is known for its greenshell mussels – which are enormous and very tasty.

I reached Picton in the late afternoon and the sun finally put in an appearance. I used the remaining two hours of daylight driving around the area, seeing what the past two days could have been like if the weather had been kinder.

Still, I cannot complain – so far I have been fairly lucky overall with the weather, and even under clouds, the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman Park were pretty. At least I have an excuse to come back and visit the area again, hopefully when the sun is out.

Next Post: From Picton to Wellington

Previous Post: Kaikoura – lobster and blue whales