South Island NZ: Franz Josef to Abel Tasman

So far I’ve covered from Christchurch down to Te Anua (plus Glamping!) and also Milford Sound to Wanaka. Up next is the journey to the wild west where we ventured from Franz Josef to Abel Tasman.

Day 11: Wanaka to Franz Josef

Drive: 3 hours and 45 minutes

With such a long drive ahead of us, we decided to make it more approachable and take a couple stops. First up were the Blue Pools, a walk just off the main road that takes about 30 minutes round trip. The water was unbelievable and looked quite inviting, though I have a feeling it was terribly cold.



We also made a stop at a waterfall that was barely a few minutes off the road.



Next up was Lake Matheson track that was suggested to us by our Airbnb host, Sue. This was an easy track around the lake that, if the weather were clear, would have offered views of Mt. Cook.

Finally we had made it to Franz Josef!

Night 11 and 12: JAG Franz Alpine Retreat (was quite buggy and not great)

Day 12: Franz Josef

First on our to-do list was the Franz Josef Glacier Track, the whole reason for the naming of the town. It was an easy walk with glacier views almost the entire time. We experienced a bit of rain, though that didn’t stop us in the slightest.

Just prior to the start of the glacier track is Peter’s Pool. We did it for the heck of it and found a rather sad looking pond about 15 minutes down the track. We had found Peter’s Pool!

This was a day of hiking! Onward we went to tackle the Lake Wombat trail. An hour and a half return walk, this was the quietest trail of the day. There was barely anyone on it and the turning point was a peaceful bench overlooking a wonderfully reflective lake.

We then did the Tatare Tunnels walk, which was about an hour and twenty minute return. The cool thing about this one was that the turning point was a tunnel that you walk through. It was pitch black, so you needed a light. It was also filled with a couple inches of water.

Okay one more for ya. We wanted to catch the glow worms just along the trail in town. So, we headed there at dusk and walked the short walk to the end. At first we didn’t see any but as it got darker we soon spotted them all around us. It was really neat and an easy way of catching the glow worms without dealing with caves and admittance fees.

Day 13: Franz Josef to Punakaiki

With our legs warmed up from the day before, we were ready to kick off the morning with yet another hike. This time we opted for the Callery Gorge Walk just off the main town. It was an hour and twenty minute return and ended on a swing bridge.

Drive: 3 hours and 10 minutes

After checking into our room at Punakaiki, we decided to take a look at the famed Pancake Rocks. They are likely the whole reason the town exists. Layers of rock are sort of stacked on top of each other, giving the undeniable appearance of pancakes. They were quite impressive and we were told it features blowholes if the time of day is right.

We were on a walking streak and weren’t yet ready to call it quits. We decided to walk a portion of the river trail across from our lodge. It was a lovely and easy walk along the river, the same trail I’d run the next morning. We even came across some of the native birds with their chicks.

Night 13: Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation (a convenient and clean place to stay, though outdated)

Day 14: Punakaiki to Abel Tasman

The morning wouldn’t be complete without a short walk in the rain now would it? With four hours of driving in our future we decided to start with the Truman Walk to see the beautiful beach. Alas, it was fiercely windy and raining. But still a fun way to kick off the day.

Drive: 4 hours

After a very long drive we had made it to Marahau, our gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. It was a quaint town with extremely easy access to the park via foot, water taxi or kayak. Luckily our hotel host knew exactly the tour to do and we conquered it on our next day out! But first a walk along the “beach” that had a seriously cool low tide.

Night 14: Abel Tasman Haven (lovely chalets within short walking distance to food and tours)

Day 15: Abel Tasman National Park

Although the weather wasn’t exactly perfect, a wonderful day was in store for us in the extraordinary Abel Tasman National Park. We checked in just outside our cottage at R&R and met our guide, Jacob. We just wanted to put a face to the name since we wouldn’t initially be setting off with him, but rather meeting him later after our water taxi and hike. Then we jumped over to the water taxi place next door and got on the boat. Interestingly, this boat was not yet in the water. See the funny thing they do in Marahau is use tractors to pull the boats along the road and launch them into the water. It was very odd, albeit enjoyable.

Once out on the water we did a bit of a tour in the extremely choppy water and saw the “apple” and seals with their pups. 

Then we jumped off (in knee-deep water, mind you) at Torrent Bay to begin our hike. The hike took us just under two hours to reach Bark Bay. Once there, we met up with our guide and four others in our group who had opted for the full day of kayaking. We ate our lunch along with some hot chocolate and coffee from Jacob and then geared up for the kayaking. After getting acquainted with our new rig, we set off to explore the coves heading back toward the initial drop off point.

Then we jumped on the water taxi, along with all of our kayaks, and motored back to the tractor awaiting us. Overall it was a wonderful tour and our guide Jacob, being a local, had wonderful stories about the history of the area.

While our journey in New Zealand may only have a week left, we certainly have much more to cover! I’ll do that in the next post as we continue our kiwi adventure.