Take time to explore nature
ABEL TASMAN NATIONAL PARK
One of the worlds most pristine costal tracks
Take a boat, walk the day, stay the night, stay 5
Golden sand
4 huts and 18 campsites , Miles of endless beauty
Take extra batteries for your instagram shot, no power !
Walk, run, stay the night, or 5
One of the best costal tracks you will ever experience
I have nothing but love for this coastline, when you leave here you'll realize that there isn't any better than the Abel Tasman. This National Park is filled with pristine beauty, the track is kept immaculte. It's really a piece of paradise that needs to be explored without a doubt.
One of the best things is that you have options, no matter what your current fitness level. The track starts in Marahau and ends in Whariwharangi Bay with a total of 60km one way. There are water taxis and ferries avaliable with most of them picking you up in Kaiteriteri you can buy a one way or return ticket to any of the destinations on the track. I.e. get dropped off in Awaroa, stay the night in Bark bay and get picked up the next day in Apple tree bay and get the ferry back to Kaiteriteri the next day. Maybe you only want to walk 2 hours? Or maybe you prefer getting dropped off at a beautiful beach, staying there for 5 hours and return to kaiteriteri with zero walking. Think of getting around the track like a public bus service, it's the definition of convenience.
Make sure to book in advance if you are going between December and March as the track gets very busy. Some areas on the track can be steep but overall it's flat with a few ups and down as you head down to the bays.
One of the best things is that you have options, no matter what your current fitness level. The track starts in Marahau and ends in Whariwharangi Bay with a total of 60km one way. There are water taxis and ferries avaliable with most of them picking you up in Kaiteriteri you can buy a one way or return ticket to any of the destinations on the track. I.e. get dropped off in Awaroa, stay the night in Bark bay and get picked up the next day in Apple tree bay and get the ferry back to Kaiteriteri the next day. Maybe you only want to walk 2 hours? Or maybe you prefer getting dropped off at a beautiful beach, staying there for 5 hours and return to kaiteriteri with zero walking. Think of getting around the track like a public bus service, it's the definition of convenience.
Make sure to book in advance if you are going between December and March as the track gets very busy. Some areas on the track can be steep but overall it's flat with a few ups and down as you head down to the bays.
The most popular starting point is from Awaroa then walking back to Marahau. Most people will walk for 3-5 days but I have talked to some people who took their time to soak up the Abel Tasman taking it easy for 2 weeks. All of the campsites here are absolutley stunning, only pure beauty can be found along this track, if you have the time take as much as you can. See a sunrise, walk for 2 hours, stop, swim in the crystal waters, have a BBQ and lay in the sand with you favourite people, set up the tent, see a sunet and be blown away by a million stars.
Please be aware that there is no power in any of the huts. You will pass a beautiful village called torrent bay village along the coastal track and the whole village is solar powered. If you are here for photography reasons or want the perfect instagram shot make sure you bring spare batteries, you won't find any phone coverage here either making it the perfect getaway.
Biggest rule of this National Park is take an extra bag to take your rubbish with you when you leave. keep this in mind for the things you will be cooking, there are no bins here and alot of people keep an eye out for people throwing rubbish. Littering is seen as quite a serious offence in New Zealand so please respect the land and thow it away when you get back to Marahau or Kaiteriteri.
Please be aware that there is no power in any of the huts. You will pass a beautiful village called torrent bay village along the coastal track and the whole village is solar powered. If you are here for photography reasons or want the perfect instagram shot make sure you bring spare batteries, you won't find any phone coverage here either making it the perfect getaway.
Biggest rule of this National Park is take an extra bag to take your rubbish with you when you leave. keep this in mind for the things you will be cooking, there are no bins here and alot of people keep an eye out for people throwing rubbish. Littering is seen as quite a serious offence in New Zealand so please respect the land and thow it away when you get back to Marahau or Kaiteriteri.
My Experince,
Sea sparkle
Sea sparkle
A friend and I left Kaiteriteri at around 10am and headed Awaroa. Not having booked a site we thought we could find somewhere along the way. About 4 hours in and a 13.5km walk down the paradise coast we were sitting on the beach and realized we had eaten nearly all of our food, while the sun was going down we started laughing, hungry and not knowing were to sleep. As we were sitting on the beach one of the rangers came over and said '' BOYS ! Were are you staying? '''' Not sure, we didn't book '' We said. Cash or credit? you can stay here said the ranger. We couldn't belive he pulled out an ATM machine in the middle of the National park but well, We stayed. we got to the Bark bay site which is build on a sand island, when the tide comes in and it surrounds you with its clear waters.
We didn't bring a tent with us, all we had were two black bags so we could keep dry and two sleeping bags. We arrived in the camp, everyone was cooking mussels and meat on the BBQ and sitting in the orange sunset. It was about 8pm and a funny moment when we realised we had no phone, camera or food so we looked at each other laughing and said well should just go to bed then. We layed out the sleeping bags right near the fence to be close to the water and cover ourselves with the bags to stay dry and that was it.I woke up in the middle of the night and looked up and turned my head back to go to sleep '' WAIT! WHAT !! WHAT IS THAT SKY !I've never see anything like it, the sky was packed with stars so bright I remember just staring at the sky half asleep thinking this is crazy.
That night the water was also filled with bioluminescent plankton which a plankton that float below the surface and flash brightly. The next morning after seeing the sun rise through bark bay we had a small breakfast to save the food we had left and made our way to Ancohorage. On the way back we found the perfect beach '' Sandfly bay'' this was the clearest water I've ever seen, we ran and dived, the water was cold but super refreshing. We stopped at Torrent bay village on the way back and stayed there around the back there is a lagoon we stayed at few a few hours before getting the boat back to Kaiteriteri. When we got back we ordered a pile of burgers and stopped for a moment to take in the beauty we had witnessed.