April 22, 2016
Bark Bay is one of Abel Tasman National Park’s “big guns.” What appeared, from the anchorage, to be a long golden stretch of beach was, in fact, a big playground of sandbars and lagoons, making it one of the more popular spots for day visitors.
We landed on the cream-colored sand of one of the outer sandspits. It turned out to be low tide, making it an easy wade through shallow channels to the tiny sand islands. Birds lazed around, used to human traffic. There were a few people around, walking in small groups or sitting quietly on the beach. A couple of people were sleeping on the beach fully clothed, as though they were so tired they couldn’t be bothered to change or even lay down towels. Somehow that didn’t seem strange; this place seems to have a subduing effect on people. In all it was a very quiet, low-key area. Below, a gallery of photos of our afternoon at Bark Bay (click to enlarge/scroll.) –Cyndi
