Abel Tasman Kayak and the Nelson Area - Middle Earth Meander - New Zealand 2016 - February 2016

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After finishing with our paddling, we wandered the wide sands of Bark Bay. Right on time at 3pm, we watched as our kayaks were expertly sported away by the staff at the kayak rental company.

courtesy JInnes

Shallow Beach

Leggy Starfish

Stubby Starfish

courtesy JInnes

Kayak Reclamation

Loading our kayaks

Back to Base

courtesy JInnes

Bark Bay Campsite

Chilling at Bark Bay

Patient Seagull

Spacious Tentsites

Quiet Beach Scene

Bark Bay

Returning to the campground area, Andy chopped up wood and made ourselves a fine little campfire (Bark Bay is one of the few spots in the park that provides firewood and allows campfires, although only in the designated fire boxes).

Dinner, Bark Bay

After eating supper around our campfire, we once again relaxed for the evening. Pu and I decided to follow Andy and Andrea's lead, who earlier had walked along a section of the Abel Tasman Coast Track around the back of Bark Bay. We waded across the low-tide water in the Bark Bay Estuary to a bright orange marker that marked the low-tide route of the track.

Bark Bay Estuary

Low-water crossing marker

Brief bit of Track

The walk around the back of Bark Bay along the Coast Track was quite beautiful, and gave us a little glimpse of what was in store for us for tomorrow, when we'd be hiking along the track south, back to the park exit and the community of Marahau. The track was professionally carved into the soft soil, wide and smooth. Overhead arched thick native bush, crowded with innumerable numbers of the giant tree ferns that are so characteristic of New Zealand.

courtesy PChen

Expansive Tree Ferns

Waterfall Creek Bridge

View from Waterfall Creek

There were several picturesque viewpoints along the track around Bark Bay. I left Pu behind and walked a little faster, noting that the tide was coming in and filling the sandy flats of the Estuary. I wanted to get some close-up pictures of the flood tide slowly devouring the sand.

courtesy PChen

Waterfall Creek Bridge

Bark Bay Estuary

Marshland Boardwalk

Thick Bush Near Bark Bay Hut

Flood Tide

I overestimated the tide's speed, and had to wait quite a while before the slowly-moving pulses of tide inched up the shallow gullies that snaked across the flats. There's something about tidal bores (or anything resembling them, as clearly this was too slow to be a true bore) that I find fascinating.

Delicate Symmetry

Flood Tide

Peaceful Evening

The clear, sunny day transitioned into an equally clear evening. Andy's fire both kept us warm and attracted the attention of some of the other denizens of the campsite - chiefly a group of young Europeans (mostly German, Dutch, perhaps Belgian, if I recall correctly) travellers. Their english was quite good and we chatted a long way into the darkening night.

courtesy PChen

Bark Bay At Sunset

courtesy JInnes

Campfire Chatting

Fellow Campers

Warm Glow

Jenn had lost one of her shirts on the beach earlier in the day, and we were all wondering who out in the wilderness would take such a thing. As the local ranger came by to check our camp reservations, somehow the subject of the missing shirt came up. The ranger said that he picked up a shirt matching her description, and that it was at the Bark Bay Ranger Station's lost-and-found bin. Sure enough, after a march back to the ranger station, Jenn returned with her missing shirt. Mystery solved.

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