Hiking Abel Tasman, Swing Bridge, Seals, and Pancake Rocks (Day 14-15)

The past two days have been an incredible whirlwind of fascinating first-times.  The landscape of the South is very different than the north.  The rolling green hills of sheep have been largely replaced by incredible rocky mountains capped with white snow and breathtaking ocean views of the west coast.

Our first major activity in the South was hiking in Abel Tasman National Park.  The hiking trails in this park can take days, so we took a water taxi to the start of one of the nicest trails in the park, and got ready for a 14km hike from Torrents Bay up to Onetahuti, where our water taxi would then pick us up in four and a half hours.  The hiking was mostly through uphill woods, with the occasional break through the palm and silver fern trees that revealed stunning views of bright blue bays, greeny-blue ponds and pools, and deep blue seas.  It was certainly different than what we have previously seen in this country.  It was, however, completely exhausting to have to hike that much distance in such a short span of time.  We allowed ourselves a half hour lunch break at Barks Bay, a beautiful area of sand by soft waves, and then continued the rest of the hike.  We made it with about ten minutes to spare, enjoying a much-needed rest at Onetahuti Beach.  I dipped my tired feet in the cold water for a bit, and then we saw our water taxi speeding over to get us.

Split Apple Rock seen from the water taxi

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Yes, this is New Zealand!

After that very long day, we drove for a few more hours, enjoying the mountain views, and made our way to a free campsite for the night, Hope Saddle Lookout.  There is a nice little trail leading up to a spectacular view of the mountain range on all sides, so we went up there to watch the sunset turn the snow-capped mountains pale purple and pink, before cooking a much-deserved steak dinner on our little campstove at this secluded campsite.

The next day, we enjoyed a bowl of cereal and excellent cup of coffee on a picnic table surrounded by mountains before continuing our drive west towards the coast.  

On the way, J saw a sign for "New Zealand's longest swing bridge", and immediately pulled over into their parking lot.  We had walked a swing bridge in Abel Tasman, but how could J resist the LONGEST one in the country? 

The Buller Gorge Swing Bridge Adventure & Heritage Park is a fascinating bit of land that lies on a fault line, and for $10, you can walk the swing bridge and have access to their hiking trails that have all sorts of fascinating information about the land, such as pointing out where parts of it have been thrust up almost 5 metres INSTANTLY during earthquakes.  They also have a "Comet Line", which is a harness swing that zips across the gorge and river below, that you can ride for an extra fee.  J's excitement as she saw this was palpable, and while this is not usually the sort of thing I do, I told her that if she wanted to do it I would do it with her.

Swing Bridge

While I'm afraid of heights, after my sand-dune sliding experience, this actually wasn't as frightening as I expected it to be.  It was really cool to zip over the gorge at a moderate speed and enjoy the views from above. 

After that unplanned adventure, we continued our way on to the coast.  The views here are spectacular.  You drive immediately beside the ocean.  We stopped a few times to get out and take in the incredible sight of the oceans and cliffs. There really isn't anywhere in this country that isn't beautiful.  These spectacular views, while they have become somewhat expected, are never taken for granted.

A few hours in, we saw a sign for a seal colony.  "Can we stop at a seal colony?!" I asked in excitement.  And so down the road we went.  This amazing location near Cape Foulwinds
takes you to a viewing platform high above a year-round seal colony on the coast where you can watch wild Fur Seals to your heart's content.  At first it took a few moments to see them at all - their smooth grey bodies camouflage very well with the grey stones all along the coast.  Once we knew what to look for, every small movement was exciting.  "Look over there, that one's walking!" "That one's rolling over in its sleep!" "That one's jumping on the rocks!"  we'd excitedly point out to each other.

When I zoomed in with my camera, I realized that a baby seal that was snuggling against a larger seal was actually nursing from its mother, while what must have been a father (larger and with whiskers) kept guard nearby.  It was fascinating to watch this little family from high above.  Eventually, I had to let J drag me away so we could continue on our adventure.

We continued the magnificent drive down the coast towards Punakaiki, home of New Zealand's mysteriously fascinating "pancake rocks".  These incredible rock formations look like giant stacks of pancakes all along a small portion of the coast.  Scientists aren't exactly sure how they formed, which makes them even all the more interesting.

We took the short walk around them, marveling at these incredible rocks and the way the ocean waves crashed in and against them.  I love things that science hasn't quite figured out yet - the mystery makes them all the more alluring, gives them a touch of magic somehow.  They're impossible to describe any further so I'll leave you with a bunch of pictures instead.