The weather today was fine but not stunning for the region and this time of year. I decided to repeat a hike to Wainui Falls in the Abel Tasman National Park.
I stopped at the Abel Tasman Memorial on the drive to Wainui but the light wasn’t right and the scene didn’t look that great.
Starting my walk to Wainui Falls before 1000, it was very quiet. I was nearly the only person going there. I wondered if the track was closed due to slips during recent storms.
As it turned out, there was a slip near the falls. Work had been done to allow access in a rough kind of way, so all was good.
On the return journey, I did encounter more people heading in. All-in-all, I think the entire walk took less than an hour. It’s described as the most scenic of the “Easy” graded walks in New Zealand and it certainly doesn’t disappoint, even as a second trip.
I’ll let these gorgeous photos do the talking.
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- Scenery on the short hike.
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- Scenery on the short hike.
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- Scenery on the short hike.
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- Scenery on the short hike.
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- Landslip with rough temporary access path.
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- Wainui Falls is grander than it looks in the photo.
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- Wainui Falls is grander than it looks in the photo.
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- Scenery on the short hike.
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- Textures of Abel Tasman National Park.
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- Textures of Abel Tasman National Park.
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- Textures of Abel Tasman National Park.
I had time to stop at the Abel Tasman Memorial again before visiting friends Peter and David at their new home. The memorial is just a boring white needle (not depicted in these photos) but the scenery is stunning. The plaque commemorating Tasman’s visit and subsequent events take Euro-centric view and employ a similarly Euro-centric language.
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- Roadside scenery between Wainui Falls and Abel Tasman Memorial.
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- On the roadside near the Abel Tasman Memorial.
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- View from Abel Tasman Memorial (a white needle, not depicted).
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- Plaque commemorating Tasman’s visit.
Peter and David kindly invited me to stay for lunch. They have an amazing property with panoramic views of the sea and the hills behind.
Their neighbouring property was on the market so they took me around for a look-see. It was so tempting for me to shift away from Auckland to this gorgeous area. They told me that winters here are sunny and still, compared to Auckland’s wet and windy. Tempting!
Back at the accommodation, I ate in with my hosts for dinner. The local takeaway isn’t open tonight.