Abel Tasman Trail – Day 3

Monday January 22, 2024
Distance/ Total: 20.9 km / 13.0 mi

I set my alarm for 5:00 am so I could be Le get an early start. It was darker than I expected when it went off I wasn’t ready to get moving. I took my time and it was light enough by 6:00am to get started on the trail.

The trail was again in great condition and started by climbing up over a cliff. Like the previous days it was a lot of ups and downs but didn’t seem as much as the other days.

The trail headed toward Torrent Bay and I was surprised to see a small village when I reached the pass above the bay. There is no road access so everything must come in via boat. The trail passed through town then circled around a large back bay with a couple of waterfalls. Not much water coming down them now, but I’m sure they look much better after a heavy rain.

About 15 km in was looking for somewhere to stop and eat breakfast, but hiked another km before I found a spot. It was called Yellow Point Overlook, but wasn’t much of an overlook. It was surrounded by trees and the views were difficult to see through them.

Back on the trail it was 8 km to Mārahau, the south end of the Abel Tasman Trail. It was mostly flat and followed the coastline along the bay. There was a Māori arch on this end as well and I stopped for a picture and to pack up my gear for the shuttle ride back to Nelson.

It was only 12:15 and the shuttle isn’t scheduled until 3:15 so I went into the Park Cafe and ordered a pizza and beer. Both tasted delicious after a 3 day hike.

I reached the Bridge Backpackers Hostel about 4:45 and checked in. The Laundry room closed at 6:00pm (how ridiculous) so I barely had an hour to wash my clothes. I stripped out of my stinky clothes and took everything down to wash before starting my shower. I showered and fortunately my hiking clothes are light weight and dried in the 30 minutes remaining when the wash quit. True to their time someone came down and locked the door at 6:00 leaving someone’s wash running in the dryer.

After getting my clothes cleaned I headed to a Thia restaurant to get some dinner. The food was really good and spicy. I’ve been missing spicy food since I’ve been in New Zealand.