Over Queen’s Birthday Weekend, we embarked on our first family overnight camping trip. Teaming up with the Irvings and Blankensteins–two great families we’ve befriended during our time here–we made the trip to Abel Tasman National Park at the northern tip of the South Island.
Our marauding band of 13 people took the park by storm, dividing and conquering: 11 of us took a water taxi into the park while Jeremy, in a fit of delusion, decided to run the 12KM to the hut with Lynn, who graciously slowed her pace for the first 10KM before leaving him in the dust for the home stretch.
Meanwhile, the boating crew had a relaxed tour of the beautiful coast, including the famed “Split Apple Rock,” before landing on the beach in time for the kids to get involved in a construction project:
After an evening walk, in which we chased birds, gathered fire wood and enjoyed the sunset, we headed back to our hut for dinner and, of course, some birthday cake in honor of the Queen.
After a night of relatively good sleep, we were set for our 12KM hike out of the park. But first, there was an energetic stair jumping session.
Over the next 4 hours, we walked up and down, sang songs, had snacks and enjoyed the beauty of the park. One thing we did not do: whine. Amazingly, all three of our girls hiked–with backpacks on–the entire trip without complaining.
After the hike, we headed back to the Blankenstein’s in Nelson to continue the 3-family fun. After a yummy dinner and a good night’s sleep, we enjoyed a mountain bike/dance party morning before setting off back home to Westport. More photos can be found here.
Sounds like another great adventure!