With the kayak portion of my trip behind me, I begin the hike from Watering Cove to Bark Bay, where I will spend the night in a simple hut.

I wave good-bye to my new kayak friends and set off.

Good-bye Adele Island!

After about 15 minutes I see Anchorage in the distance. Some of my fellow Stray passengers walked the track from the beginning to Anchorage and then back again, all in one day. It takes about eight hours round-trip. Others hiked the four hours to Anchorage and then hired a water taxi to take them back; I believe it costs about $30 for this service.

Here is Anchorage:

Then the track turns inland for a bit.

This next area is Torrent Bay, one of the key tidal crossings. If you arrive too early or late and the tide has rolled in, you must hike an extra 40 minutes around the bay. But if the tide is low, then the bay is exposed and you can hike straight on through. I happen to arrive during low tide.

There are little seashells everywhere:

People in the distance below are waiting for the water taxi to retrieve them.

This area passes through one of the few residential areas of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track; most of the houses here are summer homes.

This photo really shows how empty the bay becomes at low tide:

For comparison, here’s an image I found on-line of Torrent Bay at high tide:

(image via)

What a difference a few hours makes!

I keep trekking on towards Bark Bay.

I arrive at Bark Bay just as the sun begins to set.

Do you see a small rainbow in that cloud?

Here is Bark Bay Hut. It’s one of several big huts along the Abel Tasman track; beds are $32 a night in the low season and it’s quite primitive. There’s no electricity, toilets are outside, and the beds are really just flimsy mattresses lined up side-by-side. But if you’ve been hiking all day and just need a warm, dry place to rest your head for the night, it’s perfect.

It’s around 5pm but people are already in their pajamas and finishing dinner or playing cards. There are lots of families here.

You’ll see what I mean by mattresses laying side-by-side. Prepare to get cozy with your neighbor.

Every mattress is taken, which is typical. The huts along the Abel Tasman track are often fully booked three seasons out of the year.

I step outside around 8pm to take this photo before going to bed. The light inside is all candle light, but it looks electric due to the long exposure of the photograph.

Time for bed, but I’ll be up early tomorrow with photos from day two of my trek.