Hawkes Lookout, Takaka Hill
After an early morning flight from Auckland, we began our day 1 of the Nelson / Tasman / Blenheim trip with a day visit to the Abel Tasman National Park.
After landing in Nelson, we picked up our rental car and promptly made our way to the Abel Tasman for our first visit of the day – the Harwoods Hole Track.
On the way to the Abel Tasman, we stopped at Hawkes Lookout. It was a clear 27°C day with no cloud in sight, looking out to Riwaka and Motueka.
1.5 Hours later (including 30 minutes of narrow gravel road) we arrived at the start of Harwoods Hole Track. The 45 minute track took us through beech forest with limestone rock formations framing the track.
At the end of the track is New Zealand’s deepest vertical shaft, a vertical height of 176 metres. There are no barriers and I couldn’t see the bottom from the edge.