A Christmas Tramping Trip

Split Apple Rock in Abel Tasman

Christmas Day in New Zealand was spent hiking part of the Abel Tasman track. Hiking is called "tramping" here, whereas in Australia it's called "bushwalking." Anyway, we took a water taxi from Kaiteriteri Beach to Bark Bay. Then we walked back on the trail to get picked up at Anchorage, for a total of just over ten kilometers of tramping.

We had amazing sunny weather, and the views and beaches on this track were incredible. Check out this private little lagoon on the right! We enjoyed the swing bridge and playing on one of the beaches at lunch (both seen below).

We took a short side trip to Cleopatra's Pool, a freshwater area with small waterfalls and a natural slide. It was so fun and a great way to cool off!













When we got to Anchorage, we had some time to relax while waiting for our water taxi that would take us back to Kaiteriteri. So we enjoyed the gorgeous golden sand and clear cool water and took naps on the beach. Like last year, it was another amazing Christmas Day spent in the sunshine.









We spent the night at Kaiteriteri Beach and didn't feel like cooking after our busy day, so we drove into town and found an Asian place that was open. We got some fish and chips (they didn't have Asian food-go figure!) and a fried chocolate bar for dessert (delicious!). Oh yeah, and we were even able to connect to the Internet and talk to our families on Skype for a bit. It was Christmas Eve for them (and a lot colder), but it was awesome to "see" them and wish them "Merry Christmas!" A great day all around.

A Belated Merry Christmas from the Keys!

Christmas Eve in Nelson and Golden Bay

After our mountain bike ride on the Queen Charlotte Track, we hit the road again and drove to Nelson, a funky little place about two hours from Havelock. We had lunch and did a beer (for Zack) and cider (for me) tasting at a restaurant called Sprig and Fern (thanks for the recommendation, Kate!). Then we spent a couple of hours browsing in the stores and walking around town. It had a very hippie sort of vibe; it reminded me of Boulder, Colorado.





Next, we headed to our campsite for the night in the Golden Bay area of the Abel Tasman National Park. Like last Christmas Eve, we camped right near the beach. In this picture, I'm standing right outside the back of our campervan, and you can see the water through the palm trees.










We had chili for dinner (which also happened to be what we had last Christmas Eve!) and enjoyed our Saint Clair wine with strawberries and cheese and Makana chocolate. While we were snacking, Santa came around and handed out candy to all of the campers!










We later took a walk along the beach. There were several other people doing the same thing, so it was a festive atmosphere, especially with the music provided by a bagpiper. Because nothing says Christmas like a bagpiper on the beach, right?!

Also like last Christmas Eve, we had a beautiful sunset to enjoy on the beach. I'll end with two of my favorite shots from the night. I'm not sure if this was our last Christmas Eve we'll ever spend on a beach, but I wouldn't mind doing it again if it looks like this!