From Wellington we took the InterIslander Ferry across cook straight to the South island. The less populated South island is even prettier and wilder than the North island. There is everything from tropical looking bays and beaches (but not tropical warm waters) to Alpine areas (Mt. Cook is where Sir Edmund Hillary trained for Mt. Everest) and everything in between with some beautiful mountains, hills, rivers and waterfalls. We had done many of the tourist items in 2016 (with one big exception) so we just enjoyed living here and soaking up the beauty. We started in Abel Tasman National Park, named for the European who first mapped New Zealand (the Maori had been here for hundreds of years), This beautiful national park looks is full of beaches and coves and highlights New Zealand’s coastal beauty. We then made a quick stop for Christmas, at the super nice town of Wanaka at the start of the mountains.
Even on a cloudy day, the golden beaches of Abel Tasman are pretty nice. Had a great kayak trip with a small group (3 + guide). This was our lunch spotLeaving cloudy, rainy Wellington on the ferryArriving in lush Abel Tasman with its blue green waters and golden sandsAbel Tasman is just the perfect mixture of golden beaches, crystal waters, and fern covered hills,Our small group Our guide was Aaron but I don’t remember the couples name. He was from South Africa and she was from Germany. They were so nice and shared the hike back with me sharing travel stories and tips.One of the many friendly waterfalls on the trail. The whole damn country is this way. Not too wild and not to tame. Just perfect!A New Zealand Tui with its unique white neck tuft and pretty song was cool to seeAnother nice little cove Another beautiful fern the size of a palm treeThe day at Tasman turned out to be a highlight due to the beautiful scenery and the nice companyThe Instagram famous Wanaka tree growing in Lake WanakaNZ “traffic jam” on our way to Wanaka. Cows outnumber humans 2 to 1We didn’t do too much in Wanaka since we had a short stay over Christmas but it was a great little town like so many in New Zealand
