One Particular Harbor

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

I booked a last minute overnight tramp in the nearby Abel Tasman National Park. I snagged the last spot in the new Anchorage Hut, and was excited to escape for a couple of days. The bus dropped me off in the quiet “village” of Marahau (population 200) at the beginning of the Abel Tasman Coast Track Great Walk. The weather was perfect, and I spent my afternoon beach hopping in paradise. My four hour hike primarily consisted of a bush walk, but offered fantastic views overlooking the glistening blue waters below.

By the time I reached the Anchorage Hut, I discovered what Jimmy Buffett had been singing about all these years. You hear about this “one particular harbor,” but I can imagine that most people haven’t actually been there. And I found it along the coast of the top of the South Island in New Zealand. My overnight stay bordered a secluded cove with a shimmering shore lined with green hillsides and about a dozen anchored sailboats. The only thing missing was a frozen piña colada which I neglected to pack in my backpack.