Archives For National parks

Kiwi Ranger adds fun factor this Christmas at Totaranui

Sarah Mankelow —  December 12, 2012 — 1 Comment

Kiwi Ranger activities are available at Totaranui this summer.Christmas camping at Totaranui just got a whole lot more fun with the arrival of Kiwi Ranger – just in time for the holidays!

Totaranui is a ‘Great Walks’ campground next to the clear waters and golden sands of Totaranui beach and estuary, in the wonderful Abel Tasman National Park.

It’s been a popular place for families for many years, with sites booked out every summer. People come here to relax on the beach, swim, kayak, fish or explore the nearby stands of native bush by walking one of the many tracks. Now its popularity is set to increase, as Kiwi Ranger is added to the mix of family-friendly fun activities on offer.

Kiwi Ranger is for kids of all ages – from 3 to 103! It’s a booklet of activities which you can choose from to do during your visit.

With Kiwi Ranger you can:

  • Use all your senses on the Pukatea Walk,
  • Walk barefoot between the tides and dig down to discover the colours and patterns of the mudflats,
  • Explore rock pools shaped by wind and waves and discover what lives within,
  • Keep a campsite journal,
  • Collect a checklist of amazing nature experiences; watch a sunrise, be bitten by sandfly/namu, lie under a giant māmaku fern, or watch fluorescence where the waves break.
photo credit: Nicky Kenny.

Totaranui Kiwi Ranger adds the fun factor!

Kiwi Ranger guides families to make the most of their visit, by taking it beyond a mere walk in the park, to an experience worth remembering and treasuring.

Becoming a Totaranui Kiwi ranger is easy. Pick up your booklet from the Totaranui camp office. Check out how many activities you should do depending on your age. Then when you are done, return your completed booklet to the campsite office to claim your badge!

Booklets and badges will be available next week – just in time for Christmas!

Kiwi Ranger is now live at ten sites around the South Island. To find out more go to doc.govt.nz/kiwirangeror kiwiranger.org.nz

Family fun in the lagoon while on holiday at Totaranui

Family fun in the lagoon while on holiday at Totaranui

In Camping, National parks, Nelson/Marlborough , , , , , ,
permalink

Great Walker Diaries – Abel Tasman here we come

Siobhan File —  November 14, 2012 — 4 Comments

DOC Great Walks Logo.by Siobhan File

What a miserable contrast the grey drizzly sky outside my desk is to the happy images on my screen—taken only four days ago while I was wandering along the Abel Tasman coastline on my first proper Great Walk adventure… I wish I was back there…

Idyllic image of a beach on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track.

How idyllic does this look right now!

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I wasn’t really sure what to take or expect. Thanks to all those who gave me tips and tricks—they definitely paid off!

My biggest struggle was trying to sort out the transport to and from the start of the track. What a nightmare! Lesson number one: book your flights after you’ve sorted out the ‘to and fro’. None of the services available teed up with the aqua taxi we needed to hop on to be at Nelson Airport by 4pm on Sunday. In the end we ended up booking a rental car. It was actually pretty good as we had a bit more freedom. But if you are wanting to bus back to Nelson, book that in first!

I was on a course all week in Nelson beforehand, so packing was a bit difficult. Having a car was another advantage—I could leave extra stuff in there. My boyfriend Sam flew down on Friday morning and we went to the supermarket to choose our food. Steak and potato salad for his cooking night, and chicken ravioli for mine. Remember how excited I was about the scroggin opportunities… well, it ended up being a bit of a fail. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious. You just had to eat it with a spoon. Lesson number two: Don’t use cooking chocolate. It melts.

Siobhan's scroggin experiment.

Scroggin fail/new chocolate bar idea

Once we got to Marahau, we parked up with Abel Tasman Aqua Taxis (they have a special park for customers) and began to sort through my stuff. I’ve always known packing lightly isn’t my strong point… but Sam—you officially have in writing that you were right. I should have listened to you (in this instance). I only used a quarter of the things in my makeup bag and hardly any of the clothing I’d packed. Lesson number three: only pack what you really really need. I packed a different outfit for each day, but ended up re-wearing a few items that weren’t as dirty as expected.

Siobhan and Sam ready to set off on their big adventure.

Ready to set off on our big adventure

Once everything was sorted, packed, confirmed and comfortable, we set out on our big adventure into Abel Tasman National Park. To make sure you get the alert for that story, follow the Great Walks Facebook page.

A bottle of wine on a beach at a bay along the Abel Tasman Track.

A snapshot of the evening we were headed towards

In Great Walks, National parks, Recreation , , , , ,
permalink

Great Walker Diaries – Abel Tasman Coast Track

Siobhan File —  October 29, 2012 — 18 Comments

DOC Great Walks Logo.

by Siobhan File

In November I’m going down to Nelson for a week with work and thought that while I’m down there, I should attempt my first proper Great Walk at the end of the trip (with the Abel Tasman Coast Track). I say proper because I’ve done bits before, but I was helicoptered to those places and met my bag and a chilli bin of food at the huts, rather than having to carry it myself… don’t judge me.

So, I rallied a group of friends together last Saturday night while we were all out at dinner. Everyone was super keen, but over the week it’s dwindled from six of us, to four of us, to now just me and my boyfriend who’s going to meet me on the Friday.

Mosquito Bay, Abel Tasman National Park. Photo: Garry Holz

Mosquito Bay, Abel Tasman National Park

After stuffing up my hut bookings (which the visitor centre staff were very nice about), we’ve locked in Anchorage Hut for Friday night and Awaroa Hut for Saturday night. We’ll then catch an aqua taxi back from Totaranui on Sunday afternoon to fly back to Wellington.

A map of Abel Tasman National park and the walking route.

A map of where we’ll be walking

So that’s a big day of walking on the Saturday. I hope I don’t get blisters or a sore back from my pack.

Some other things I am currently worried about include:

  • What am I going to wear? The DOC website says wool or fleece clothing, but even in November? Isn’t Nelson the sunniest spot in New Zealand? I’m not sure what tramping attire really is.
  • Will my running shoes be ok? I don’t think I’ll be able to fit big fluffy socks into them…
  • The website also says ‘a portable stove will be needed’. I don’t have one of those either. I’ll have to look around for one.
  • Will my sleeping bag be warm enough (given it’s a child’s one I got from Santa when I was 11)?
  • Which aqua taxi will we get from Totaranui, and will it tee up with a shuttle back to the airport?

Some things I am really excited about include:

  • Being able to eat as much scroggin as I like—guilt free because it’s pretty much non-negotiable for tramping
  • Choosing my own mix of ingredients to make my perfect scroggin
  • Experiencing the spiritual feeling I’m told I’ll get while walking
  • Playing cards by candle light in the huts
An image of scroggin including sultanas and nuts.

Did you know that ‘Scroggin’ stands for: ‘Sultanas, Carob, Raisins, Orange peel, Grains, Glucose, Imagination, Nuts’. I’m gonna go crazy on the ‘imagination’, and will definitely be swapping the carob for chocolate.

So I’ve got a bit of organising to do around getting there and back, and sorting out my equipment. If anyone has any recommendations or advice about the Abel Tasman it would be greatly appreciated!

In Great Walks, National parks, Recreation , , , , , , , ,
permalink