Abel Tasman National Park is the star attraction in Tasman Bay/ Te Tai-o-Aorere. Its main draw is the Abel Tasman Coastal Track—an accessible Great Walk that offers turquoise bays with golden sands linked via well-formed paths through native bush. Although 60km long and taking 3–4 days from Mārahau to Wainui Bay, most people stop the hike at Tōtaranui, which is the farthest water taxi stop. In the absence of roads, these taxi drop-off points make the track accessible to day walkers, who can achieve it in comfortable segments without the need for overnighting in pre-booked huts, or tents. This log describes how we approached this picturesque track and shares what we saw and experienced.
Coordinates
Mārahau
Mārahau doesn’t have a lot of beach when the tide is in (first photo). It’s the southern gateway to the coastal track (second photo). Sandy Bay has one of the largest tidal ranges in NZ, at up to 5.1m (third photo). Mārahau sandspit provides sheltered harbour for houseboats and boaties in Otūwhero Inlet (final photo).
Anchorage to Mārahau
We sat in the water taxi as the tractor towed it from the car park, down the road to the boat ramp, and then out across sand flats to reach the sea.
We called in at Split Apple Rock/ Tokangawhā, a 135 million year-old old granite boulder famous for being split in two (first photo). The taxi then made for Adele Island/ Motuareronui to see NZ fur seals (second photo). We disembarked over the bow onto convenient rocks in the beach at Anchorage (third photo). The 3.3km Pitt Head Loop has a lookout with views of the point, across into Torrent Bay (final photo), and further up the coast.
Te Pukatea Bay makes a good impression when seen from the Pitt Head Track; just look at that turquoise sea (first photo)! There’s gold on the beach too—golden quartz sand at least (second photo). Doesn’t the water look inviting (third photo)? It was pretty cold though! With this fabulous blue sky, sun and sand (final photo) you might need a reminder that it is winter in NZ; thankfully the sandflies were not out!
Anchorage itself is a rather nice landing beach (first and second photos). There’s a large DOC campground here, with the Pitt Head Track at one end and at the other, it’s 3km to Cleopatras Pool (third and final photos). Due to a landslip resulting in track damage, getting to the pool currently involves barefoot wading across an ice-cold stream.
During return to Mārahau we stopped to explore a few detours. The path to Observation Beach had views beyond Fisherman Island to the Kina Cliffs (first photo) and to inland mountains of the Richmond Range (second photo). Stilwell Bay was overlooked from Yellow Point (third photo). The Apple Tree Bay lagoon was a spectacle in the dying of the light (final photo).
Including the taxi journey, this leg explored 45km over 8h, of which 23km/ 7h was hiking.
Torrent Bay/ Rākauroa to Onetahuti
Early morning rains abated, but had left snow on Hoary Head (1473m) in the Arthur Range as our water taxi departed Mārahau; that’s Pukeone/ Mt Campbell with the mast to the left (first photo). Our landing spot in Torrent Bay (second photo) required wading ashore, with boots over shoulder (the sea was painfully cold!). By the time we had a view looking back over Torrent Bay (third photo), we still had frozen feet and would do so for some kilometres yet! We took this close-up of alien skin—or is that native rimu tree bark (final photo)?
Frenchman Bay was frustratingly difficult to photograph, but eventually the trees saw fit to afford an unobstructed view (first photo). Invasive Hakea sericea/ needlebush were flowering trackside (second photo). Falls River could be viewed from the swing bridge crossing (third photo); no wading needed! We stopped briefly at the gorgeous Sandfly Bay for lunch in the sun—and not one sandfly made us her lunch (final photo)!
Medlands Beach offers the picture-postcard tropical beach scene—except it’s not going to melt your popsicle at 13 degrees (first photo). This might be our favourite beach so far though! Bark Bay (second photo) was named for timber harvesting carried out here; a tidal estuary sits behind it (third photo). Tonga Quarry was a former base for extracting granite blocks, but has been repurposed for extracting your picnic (final photo).
The track provides a stunning introduction to Onetahuti beach as you round the corner (📷1). Off the beach’s south end, Tonga Island contributes to the Tonga Roadstead/ sheltered anchorage (third photo). For a short while we enjoyed the beach views north (third photo), before our taxi pick-up arrived (final photo).
This leg involved a 46km journey over 6h 20m, of which 14km/ 4.5h was hiking—but it felt under time pressure, and we met our taxi with only three minutes on the clock!
Tōtaranui
We took Curiosity across Tākaka Hill (see here) to establish a new basecamp in the northern end of the park. Tōtaranui (first photo) is home to a large DOC camp—virtually deserted in winter. Gelatinous salps or “sea grapes” had been delivered by the tide (second photo); some were clumped together in chains (third photo) and gulls/ oystercatchers fed on them. Salp use jet propulsion to move and filter out phytoplankton. Exotic plane trees at the camp host native green mistletoe/ Ileostylus micranthus (final photo).
We had to share additional salp-related photos; these are fascinating creatures, apparently more related to us than to jellyfish! Here’s a longer chain (first photo), an individual with fingers for scale (second photo) in which you can see a dark internal structure/ organ, and a gull having a breakfast of them (final photo).
Onetahuti to Tōtaranui
The 15 minute water taxi ride from Tōtaranui to Onetahuti Beach passed this “apple rock”, apparently not yet split (first photo). After our dry feet drop-off (second photo) we walked to the beach’s north end, where a fancy new bridge crosses the estuary (third photo); this becomes a wetland for some way inland (final photo), here viewed from the climb out of the bay.
From Onetahuti it’s 7.1km/ 2.5h to the Awaroa Inlet crossing; we’d timed our arrival for low tide (first photo). An arrow in the sand indicated “This is the way” (second photo). We weren’t the only waders: kōtuku ngutupapa/ royal spoonbill/ Platalea regia ignored our presence (third photo). Packing water shoes for the 500m crossing—and sandfly repellent—proved a good idea (final photo).
From Awaroa Inlet it’s a further 7.1km/ 2h 20min back to Tōtaranui Beach. En route the track passes Waiharakeke Bay (first photo) and Goat Bay (second and third photos) before Tōtaranui comes into view (final photo). It’s just a 100m detour to a lookout at Skinner Point.
Including the taxi ride, we made a 26km journey over 5h 20m, of which 16km/ 4h 20min was hiking.
Tōtaranui to Separation Point/ Te Matau
From Tōtaranui DOC camp pass Ngarata Homestead, built in 1914 (first photo) and take the estuary walkway (second photo)—if not taking the low tide route through it. It’s 4km/ 50min to Anapai Bay (third photo) on the Abel Tasman Coast Track North. The beach has a good view towards Separation Point/ Te Matau, which marks divide between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay (final photo).
At Anapai notice the stone stacks at the north end of the beach (first photo). Go past these to discover a petite cove tucked in behind them. Then climb out through the back of the cove to reach another “secret” small beach (second and third photos). There’s no track out from here, so backtrack via the hidden gap (final photo) to pick up the main track from Anapai’s beach.
From Anapai Bay, next is Anatakapau Bay (first photo)—the first of two beaches divided by a rocky outcrop. Go over the outcrop to Mutton Cove (second photo). It’s 4.5km/ 1.5h on this leg before you arrive at Separation Point, with views into Golden Bay (third photo). The last bit down to the lighthouse is very steep, so you may decide to forego the scramble and the chance to see seals (final photo).
Return by the same route, or alternately head up the ridge line towards Whariwharangi for an inland loop back to Mutton Cove camp—actually in Anatakapau Bay. You’ll be rewarded with elevated views of your inward route (first photo), Whariwharangi Bay (second photo) and back to Separation Point (third photo). Then enjoy a picnic at Mutton Cove after 12km/ 3h 20m of hiking (final photo)—but don’t share it with the weka, despite their demands!
But what about the “smalls” from today’s hike, we hear you cry? The remains of a māhoe/ whitey wood/ Melicytus ramiflorus leaf, which seems to have in-built crop circles—caused by what (first photo)? The underside and inside of a sea biscuit/ sand dollar segment—a type of burrowing urchin (second photo). Found squirming on Tōtaranui Beach—maybe a baby eel (third photo)?
This leg may have been our favourite: excellent weather, no dependence on a water taxi schedule, and we had the track to ourselves. As the tide was out we took the low tide crossing to return to Tōtaranui Beach. We walked at total of 19km on this leg, which took around 6.5 hours, including breaks.
Hopefully we’ve imparted a sense of what it’s like to walk in this park; you’ll now have some insight into why it remains one of our favourite parts of NZ.
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