The region on the north end of the South Island is the Tasman Region. You can visit the city of Nelson, enjoy the shores of Golden Bay or spend a week trekking in Abel Tasman National Park. We wanted to spend a few days near the park, but away from most civilization. We accomplished just that. It was the perfect, albeit too short, ending to our time on the South Island.
We stopped in Nelson for groceries and a blind date at the Freehouse. Not romantic obviously. Our friends have been connecting us with friends around the globe and we got a few connections in New Zealand. Social interaction is a luxury for us on this leg of our trip. We are traveling in a tiny rental car and spending our time out in quiet nature. Getting the chance to have a beer with two new friends was wonderful. They have been all over the place and had lots of great trips for us. Plus, Britt has been a wealth of recommendations while in New Zealand. Go check out their website here.
We left Nelson and ended up in Takaka about one hour away. It is a great place to stay and enjoy the Golden Bay Area. The town is small and has a very laidback hippie vibe. Just minutes from the north end of Abel Tasman Park, you can grab kayaks or hit the trails on the quieter end of the park. We thought two nights here would be perfect.
We found ourselves another great animal with our AirBnB. This dog ran wild through the beautiful gardens at the cabin we stayed at. We were able to get some laundry done and read books while sitting by the wonderful wood burning stove.
Kayaks were out of the question for us after we called the only company in town and tried driving to their location. No luck. We decided to hike to some waterfalls instead and it was an easy and beautiful stroll. Wainui Falls is right on the edge of the park and can be done in about 30 minutes, but we sat and enjoyed the mist from the falls for a while.
This stop left us wanting more. Since we had been planning on a day of kayaking, we didn’t have much else planned. With a little google search, we found Te Waikoropupu Springs. This place was unbelievable. It is the largest freshwater spring in the Southern Hemisphere and the water is so beautiful and clear. The colors cannot even be described and the camera just doesn’t do it justice.
It was one of the best places we visited on the South Island because it was unplanned and a huge surprise. It is so easy to visit if you are anywhere in the area.
We left Takaka the next morning to make the three hour drive to the ferry. The rainbow above was the last thing we saw before going over the big hill and back towards Nelson. The drive to Picton was beautiful, but we were pretty sad to already be leaving the South Island.
The ferry ride itself was so much better than I expected. We loaded the car on and then headed upstairs. We found a quiet comfortable corner surrounded by windows and read books and watched the boat navigate through the fiords. You can easily step outside for a better view whenever you want and the weather for our journey was perfection.
When we get back to New Zealand, this region is definitely on the list. Trekking through Abel Tasman National Park would be an amazing experience as well as our original plan of kayaking. Plus, we have friends in the area now.
