Tucked away at the top of the South Island you can find some of the country’s best beaches and campsites in the Abel Tasman National Park.
Classed as one of the “great walks” of New Zealand, the Abel Tasman Coastal Track offers up to 60km of golden sands, sparkling seas and tropical rainforest.
Here’s all you need to know to start planning your adventure.
Named after Abel Tasman, the first European explorer to reach New Zealand in 1642, the national park is the smallest in the country.
There’s many different ways you can explore the national park depending on your time frame and budget.
We would highly recommend spending 4 days exploring the Abel Tasman so you can fully immerse yourself in the beautiful surroundings that it has to offer.
At a glance…
Abel Tasman Coastal Track:
- Duration – 3-5 days
- Distance – up to 60km
- Cost – $275 (excluding flights, food and drink)
- Difficulty rating – Easy
Our Recommendations:
- 1: Kayak Marahau – Te Pukatea Bay
- 2: Hike Te Pukatea Bay – Onetahuti Bay
- 3: Hike Onetahuti Bay – Anapai Bay
- If you have time complete the Gibbs Hill Track (the final part of the Abel Tasman track), if not pick up your water taxi from Totaranui
Hiking the Abel Tasman
The Abel Tasman coastal track is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most beautiful “great walks” and arguably the easiest. So, if you’re new to hiking and are looking for your first multi-day trek this is a great starting point for you.
New Zealand’s DOC website recommends 3-5 days for completing the entirety of the track. To avoid feeling rushed, this is another reason we’d suggest at least 4 days. This way you have plenty of time to take in all the gorgeous views, stop to take pictures and go for a swim in the crystal clear waters.
The Abel Tasman National Park is special with its unique microclimate making it a desirable destination to visit all year round. The park experiences the highest number of annual sunshine hours in the entire country.
During our visit in April 2021, we were fortunate enough to have beautiful, sunny days for our entire visit, and with it being shoulder season we had the park almost to ourselves – bliss.
As our favourite activity in New Zealand to date, the Abel Tasman hike is a must do for any visitor. Be sure to book and plan your route ahead of time. Particularly in peak season (November-April), accommodation and water taxis can get booked up very quickly!
Getting to the National Park
Anapai Bay Campsite, Mutton Cove Camp to Totaranui Camp (DoC), Tasman, New Zealand
Onetahuti Bay Campsite, Abel Tasman Coastal Track, Tasman, New Zealand
Te Pukatea Bay, Tasman, New Zealand
Adele Island, Tasman, New Zealand
Abel Tasman Kayaks, 273, Sandy Bay – Marahau Road, Marahau, Tasman, 7197, New Zealand
If you’re flying in from another part of New Zealand, the closest airport to the park is Nelson (60km or 1 hour drive away). You can also stay much closer to the park than in Nelson. The Abel Tasman walk itself starts in the town of Marahau. Alternative accommodation options include the beautiful towns of Marahau, Motueke or Kaiteriteri (well known for its stunning beach and view of Split Apple Rock).
We had an early start to get us to the entrance of the park from Nelson. Our kayaking company sent a shuttle to pick us up for $15 per person. This was by far the cheapest option, beating taxi prices dramatically.
Day 1: Kayaking to Anchorage Campsite (11.5km)
Kayaking is the most exciting way to start your trip!
The first leg of our journey we actually decided not to hike. We wanted to see the park from a different perspective and have the opportunity to visit some of the surrounding islands, and wow are we pleased we did.
We booked our kayaking adventure with Abel Tasman Kayaks. We suggest the 1 day freedom kayak and walk. This option allows you to kayak the first part of your journey before continuing to hike the remainder of your trip.
Although we hadn’t booked in advance, the team took our backpacks and delivered them ready for our arrival at the first campsite. They were fantastic from start to finish and would highly recommend making a booking with them.
The freedom kayak allowed us to venture off on our own where we found a little beach on Adele Island to have lunch. Our only company was a friendly seal also exploring the shores.
We also made a stop at Te Pukatea Bay. Don’t miss it, it was one of the most beautiful beaches we came across. Just one bay before Anchorage our first campsite, it’s comparatively really quiet and absolutely stunning. Because of this, we would actually suggest camping here for the night instead of continuing on to Anchorage. The campsite was so secluded and picturesque.
Marine Wildlife
The Abel Tasman National Park is also full of marine wildlife which is another reason to get out on the water. We were lucky enough to have a close encounter as we came round the final headland on our journey.
A seal appeared and started darting in and out of the water incredibly close to the kayaks. They’re incredibly friendly and playful creatures. It was amazing and luckily we managed to capture it on camera!
We slept at Anchorage campsite for our first night. It was by far the busiest stop on our trip and the only time we saw more than a handful of people during our entire time in the park.
Day 2: Anchorage – Onetahuti Bay Campsite (18.7km)
As you set off from Anchorage take a quick detour to visit Cleopatra’s Pools. Brave the rock slide if you can handle the icy cold waters. It’s a great stop off if you have time – but probably only if you’re willing to get in the water, or have someone with you who will!
Check your tide times
As a result of our detour we ended up switching from the high tide to low tide route, halfway through our venture to Torrent Bay. There wasn’t a clear opening to do this so be careful if you need to scramble down. Keep an eye out for the orange markers pointing out the low tide route.
Note – the low tide route is far quicker, although be prepared to get your feet wet!
A great place to stop at is Bark Bay. Take a dip in the water, before setting up for your second night at Onetahuti Bay. It was pretty quiet with just a handful of other tents around. This meant we got a spot right on the sand with prime views of the water – a perfect spot for dinner whilst watching the sun set.
Day 3: Onetahuti – Anapai Bay Campsite (16.6km)
Be prepared for more wet feet on your third day!
Check it’s open first, but if you want a little luxury in the way of food and drink whilst you’re in the park, take the path to Awaroa Lodge. We enjoyed cooked breakfasts, coffees, wine and beers like we had been deprived for weeks!
Not only was it a welcome rest from hiking, but actually ended up being quite the shortcut to Awaroa Inlet.
Check your tide times
The tide crossing was another favourite part of our trip.
Hold fire and wait for the first people to attempt the water crossing. We saw many turn back around and some simply just walk through the water at shoulder height!
After we watched a few successful groups make it we set off ourselves. We still waded through water up to our hips, but at least saved our bags from getting wet!
When we eventually arrived at Anapai Bay, there was just one other tent on the other side of the site to us. We almost had the whole beach to ourselves for the night.
Beware of the Wekas!
The weka birds at this campsite deserve a special mention. They were irritating at the previous campsites and we saw several poor hikers have their food stolen. However it wasn’t till we arrived at Anapai that they really hit me where it hurt. They stole my Dairy Milk Caramel bar that I’d been saving to enjoy on our final night!
On our final morning, we were treated to one of the best sunrises I have ever seen. It was just one of the many reasons why Anapai is the Abel Tasman’s best campsite you just should not to miss.
Back to Nelson
When I was first doing my research for this trip I got a little confused as to how the final part of our trip would work. To be clear, water taxis will only pick you up from as far as Totaranui due to strong water currents beyond this point. This meant we had to cut the final part of our trip a little short, but you could definitely add in an extra day to complete the final part of the track.
As you can also drive to Totaranui campground our plan is to head back and complete the final section also known as the Gibbs Hill Track. This part is meant to be the quietest and perhaps the most beautiful section of the whole walk. It also holds some other stunning Abel Tasman campsites worth checking out.
Until next time though, we took the short walk (3.65km) back to Totaranui to pick up the water taxi provided by Abel Tasman Aqua Taxis ($51 per person). It was actually a lovely way to finish the trip and see just how far we had travelled over the last few days. We were dropped off at Kaiteriteri and had organised a taxi to pick us up and take us back to Nelson.
Next time, I would use our lovely kayak company to shuttle us back to Nelson for half the price of our rather grumpy taxi service.
The best burger and hazy in town!
A final shout out to Burger Culture for providing the most sought after post-hike feed. The boys are still reminiscing about the haziest hazy IPA they have ever tasted, and how unreal the burgers were. If you’re staying in Nelson, are keen for a quick bite and a cold beer, swing by. You won’t be disappointed!
