A Tropical Paradise

About an hours drive from Nelson is a little seaside settlement named Marahau. Its golden beaches and blue skies make it feel like a tropical paradise.

The dogs and I loved the beach. There are two beaches, one at the beginning of Marahau (on the right as you reach this popular holiday spot) and the other is past the rocky lined foreshore. The second beach runs towards the National Park. Both beaches are dog friendly.

The tide was out when we arrived and as it came in, the water heated up as it traveled over the sand. It truly felt like a bath.

Oakly couldn't get enough of being in the water, he just swam and swam.

As I was wading about knee depth, I noticed quite a few crabs doing their sideways scuttle across the sand. I didn't particularly want one to walk over my foot so I reassured myself that they'd be more scared of me than the other way around.
But as Murphy's Law had it - that tickle on my foot, did turn out to be a crab! No screaming occurred - hahaha

We had lunch watching the kayakers coming in from a day of paddling around Abel Tasman. One company owner, said he was picking up 60 kayakers in the next half hour! And that was only one of the many companies that we saw collecting them.

A line of tractors were parked along the foreshore with their boat trailers attached, waiting to collect the boats as they came back. It's surprising how far out they go. Imagine what the sea water would do to them!

And then there were the tourists arriving in water taxis after a day walking the Abel Tasman. Marahau thrives with tourists and holiday makers - tourism is now its main focus. Years ago tobacco farming and hops (for beer) were the main source of income for the area.

We parked the bus a few hundred metres further along, and walked along the northern beach, which was also super warm! The photo below was our view when we opened the door of the bus.

Not only was the view spectacular, we had some tunes to back it up. Sitting up on the rocks was a guy strumming his guitar.

I just couldn't get enough of the golden sand, the colourful shells, warm water and awesome views.

Close to 4pm, the water became a hive of activity - a busy time for kayakers and water taxis.

Before we left, I walked along the path that borders the foreshore. Seats are placed at regular intervals providing spots to enjoy the scenery.

I mentioned to Bernie how nice it was to see kids out biking and playing (instead of being indoors in front of a device/screen). One particular boy kept popping up. I first saw him as he was dropped off by the school bus, I noticed him because his Dad was there to meet him and they were obviously pleased to see each other. Ten minutes later I saw him racing around on his bike with his mate (or brother?). Then he appeared again with his buddy playing on the end of the pier. As we were driving out, I spotted him again with his sister - they'd taken a blow up paddling pool down to the beach and were using it as a boat. Fun times! So good to see.

When it was time to leave, we'd barely driven a hundred metres before Boo found herself a cosy spot, snuggled up on the couch. After a busy day exploring, swimming and rolling in the sand she was ready for a serious nap.

If you're thinking of staying in Marahau, there are a couple of campgrounds to choose from. The first you'll come across is the 'Marahau Beach Camp' which is about 100m from the foreshore and is close to the departure point for sea kayaking and water taxi trips.

The second is 'Old Macdonalds Farm Holiday Park,' which is located along the Marahau River, in a farm setting. Dogs are allowed between 1st March to 1st December. 'Old Macdonalds Farm Holiday Park' is close to the start of the Abel Tasman Track.