Kayaks, Swing bridges, Caves and more

We couldn't leave Abel Tasman without a kayak outing. It was fine until the westerlies picked up and we had to work really hard to get back. John did the curvy and very difficult driving from Kaiteriteri all the way to Karamea, north end of the road on the west coast of the south island. Along the way we stopped to cross the longest swing bridge in NZ, 110 meters long over the Buller Gorge.

Once in Karamea at our bach (pronounced "batch"), kiwi for vacation cottage, we did a short hike to Scott's Beach along the last part of the Heaphy Track. In 2 hours we never saw a soul and had the beach to ourselves. We squeezed in the Timbers game before the hike...go Timbers!

Today we took a guided hike to the Honeycomb Hills Caves, managed by a public trust and only accessible if guided. The Oparara Basin is full of limestone that millions of years ago was undersea. The tour took us in to a huge cave complex with over 9 miles in passageways. We also visited the largest natural arch in the southern hemisphere which crosses the river. All quite amazing because this area is so remote that virtually no one comes to see these phenomenal features.

Kayaking at Abel Tasman, Split Apple Rock in the background.

Our cute, one bedroom bach in Karamea, $65 a night, very funky.

John crossing the swing bridge on the way to Scott's Beach. We've crossed a swing bridge every day the last 3 days.

Glow worms at Honeycomb Hill Cave. Lots of amazing formations in the cave.

Emerging from the cave. Lots of head room in this cave along with Moa bones and carniverous snails.

Ferns are a symbol of New Zealand for good reason...they abound in many varieties. These were along the trail to the cave.

The Oparara Basin gets about 240 inches of rain a year. The rivers run orange brown from the leaching of leaves along the banks. The leaching makes an acidic tannin tea of the rivers.

Oparara River near Karamea. The subtropical flora has a bayou feel. Ferns, moss, palms, green.