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Near the water’s
edge, some small irregularity in the smooth
surface had caught the eye of our trekking guide.
bending down, he scraped away wet, golden sand
with the tip of a finger. There was a sudden glint
of green. John Glasgow’s find was a rare
fragment of polished pounamu, the greenstone or
nephrite so prized by the Maoris. Perhaps it had
been a fish lure or a tiny scraper - the working
of its flaked edges suggested some practical
purpose.
I asked the Maori
community what I should do with the piece of
pounamu I found. John told us, "They said I
wasn’t the discoverer ... instead, it had found
me, and now I was its guardian." John told us
the story as we wandered along the beach at Tonga
bay in the Abel Tasman National Park, on the
north-west tip of New Zealand’s South Island.
The track, one of the country’s Eight Great
Walks, is a two or three day trip between Marahau
in the south and Totaranui in the north. The route
hugs the coast, overlooking the azure-blue waters
of a string of sun-spangled bays, and climbing
over the densely forested headlands dividing beach
from golden beach.
As a walking route,
its attracts trampers from across the world. But I
found an even better way to see the Abel
Tasman’s forests and beaches - an intriguing
combination of pleasant walking, launch cruising,
and offshore explorations by sea kayak.
On my three-day
expedition with Abel Tasman National Park
Enterprises, I enjoyed sunny hours on the water,
with the tang of salt on my lips, and easy
rambling’s through the green gloom of ancient
forests, where the whip-crack of birdsong was the
only sound to break the shady silence. And at the
end of each day, there was the welcoming glow of
light from the windows of a private lodge with a
view to the sea, a hot shower to refresh weary
muscles, and the warm scent of fresh-brewed coffee.
Later on the day ended with a hearty home-cooked
meal and the cheerful company of my fellow
travellers.
If there’s a
better way to discover the pleasures and beauties
of New Zealand’s forests and coasts. I’d like
to know about it. Abel Tasman National Park
Enterprises is a family company, and that’s
reflected in the friendly hospitality which makes
the trip so memorable for their guests. For more
than a century, the Wilson family has had a close
connection with the area, and today, three
generations are involved in the business, offering
visitors a special insight into their unique and
beautiful corner of New Zealand.
John Wilson
skippers the company’s busy cruise launches,
while his wife Lyn, runs Old Cederman House, a
comfortable B & B which is also a remarkable
time capsule of family memorabilia. Their son,
Darryl, manages the company’s operations from a
bustling office in Motueka. His young children
have walked the tracks, played on the golden
beaches and paddled the sheltered waters, and
perhaps it won’t be long before they’re
helping to guide visitors through the native
forest, or welcoming them to the company’s
comfortable beachfront lodges.
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Although
different in architecture and outlook, the two lodges offer guests
the same warm welcome and high degree of comfort. Both have spacious
relaxing living rooms to chat, read a book in a cosy armchair, or
watch the leaping flames in the fireplace if the evening is chilly.
Comfortable, well-appointed bedrooms with private facilities promise
a restful sleep before the challenges of the new day.
The Torrent Bay lodge, half a dozen
steps from the beach, overlooks the calm haven of Anchorage Bay.
bright, light and airy, it’s the perfect beach house. There are
shady verandas, shell collections on the windowsill, a dinghy pulled
up in the grassy dune - it’s the kind of place you’d love to have
for quiet weekends or long summer holidays.
A day’s walk or paddle north along
the sparkling coast is the Homestead Lodge at Awaroa. Here, on the
site of her great grandfather’s home, Meadowbank, Lyn Wilson and
her family have built a careful replica of the original homestead,
with its tall graceful gables and bay windows. The old gardens have
been retained or restored - in the bark of a gnarled, ancient laurel
tree near the front of the house, there’s even a heart carved by
her great-uncle, 85 years ago. Both lodges have live-in chefs, who
prepare and present excellent and generous meals. Vaughan’s
imaginative selection of salads to accompany the evening feast at
Awaroa was a special highlight, and I still remember his home-baked
apple shortcake and rich, strong coffee that greeted us when we
reached the lodge, pleasantly weary after the day’s walk.
The knowledge and empathy of the
guides was a strong feature of our Abel Tasman experience. Both John
Glasgow, who guided on the track, and Janet Heinz, our capable
kayaking leader have a love for the wild country and coast, and an
infectious delight in sharing it. John’s family also has a long
connection with the area. As we sailed by aboard the cruise launch,
Abel Tasman Explorer, he pointed out the family’s seaside cabin in
... where else? ... Glasgow Bay.
Walking with John was a journey of
discovery. With a deep understanding of the region’s delicate
ecology, flora and fauna, history and cultural heritage, he gave us
insights that we could never have enjoyed without his knowledge and
enthusiasm. Next time, I’d like to make it a five-day exploration -
three days was hardly long enough. Even so, I was grateful to have
discovered this jewel on the edge of the sea. Or could it have been
the other way around? Perhaps, like John Glasgow’s greenstone, the
gleaming beaches and dark forests of Abel Tasman had instead found me.
If that were so, I’d be their
guardian ... and indeed, I keep and treasure clear and bright
memories of towering rimu trees, yellow sand, the slap of ripples on
the kayak’s hull, good company, warm friendship, and sea water blue
as the sky.
(This article is contributed by Abel
Tasman National Park Enterprises Ltd - Editor.)
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