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Abel Tasman in summer provides a great deal of pleasure and adventure for lots and lots of people - from New Zealand and from all around the world. But we are very small in the scale of things...
At Onetahuti Beach in Abel Tasman National Park - kayaks lined up and people preparing, donning lifejackets and doing warm-ups in anticipation of some happy paddling and exploring around the coast.
A very peaceful evening at Marahau, tide out, the extensive estuary revealed, the light a soft pink adding to the warm colours of the sand and grasses - wiwi and glasswort in particular.
Two horseriders, dwarfed by the sweep of sand, rode quietly by.
Another night, a paler light...
This time looking out from Marahau to Tasman Bay. Open sand, more horseriders, and a huge cruise liner looking like a toy in the distance. And still very peaceful.
Marahau is at the southern end of the Coast Track through the Abel Tasman National Park. The beginning of the park is seen here in the distance. It's a bright sunny morning at Marahau, the tide is mostly out and the exposed sandy flats a pretty rippled pattern - but what on earth are these tractors doing there? Would it help if I added that I took this photo while sitting in a fully occupied water taxi?
An ingenious solution to the problem of low tide and launching the boats that take people +/- kayaks along the coast of the Abel Tasman - these tractors have delivered their loads and are ready to collect incoming water taxis. The tractors start the journey at the water taxi headquarters. They pull the fully loaded boats on the trailers down the road, onto the sand, and across to the water. In they go...easy!
Launching a taxi. Backing into the water quite a way - the trailer has to be under water, then off goes the boat. It was difficult to get a decent photo, with the bouncing of the boat I was on - first on land, travelling on the trailer, and then on the water. The other passengers - tourists and holidaymakers exploring the coast of the Abel Tasman - seemed to find the experience lots of fun. I certainly did. An unexpected bonus to add to all the other pleasures of being there.
I tend to think of butterflies as delicate, no doubt because they are small and can fly with such lightness and grace. The Monarch is quite a big and dramatic butterfly, and an amazing traveller. Native to North America, Monarchs got to New Zealand and established themselves here in the 1800's. It's a long way!
They are apparently the most recognised butterfly in New Zealand. There is even a Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust which researches and educates about all butterflies here, not just the Monarch. Like most butterflies, Monarchs don't like the cold. In North America they migrate, flying up to thousands of kilometres to get to southern California and Mexico to overwinter together in huge groups. When the weather gets cooler here they fly up north (it's the southern hemisphere) to the warmth (at least 10 degrees C) and swarm in sheltered sites, often in coastal areas. Generally they are inactive but they can become active on warm days in the winter, feeding on nectar, sunning themselves and flying around. What a pleasant way to spend winter! I know that many people grow swan plants in order to watch the voracious stripey caterpillars, the rather gorgeous gold studded green chrysalides, and the emerging butterflies.
I was passing a garden when I saw this Monarch by chance - feeding on the blue echium flowers (Echium candicans) with their bright pink stamens. Having my camera close to hand most of the time means I can "capture" such happy chance sightings - I hope that you enjoy them too.
No rain yet, and hardly a puff of wind til today. Last night the evening stillness probably contributed to the soft misty look of the sea and the coast. The colours were pastel - the sea a baby blue and the sky a delicate pink. Then just before sunset the sunlight seemed to become focused, and golden sunbeams bathed the rocky outcrops and grasses of Princess Bay on Wellington's south coast.
The misty conditions will have added to the spectacle - a haze of gold. It lasted barely a minute, and then the sun went behind the hills, and the colours faded. I have visited and photographed Princess Bay more times than I can count and there is always something new to be seen and appreciated.
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