The Abel Tasman Coastal Track

So, I finally did one of the Great Walks in New Zealand. The track follows the coast line in the Abel Tasman national park.

Abel Tasman coast track profile

Now, you have to plan this walk well in advance. DOC has three huts along the track, so you can neatly split the walk into 4 days of approximately 4 hours walking. But for the holiday season the huts fill in. Fast. We booked one day after the bookings opened for this season, and already couldn’t book all 3 huts along the track any more. So we skipped the Anchorage hut, making it a three day walk for us

So, what do you do if you don’t want to carry all your luggage over the track? You have your big packs dropped off and picked up by the water taxi at the huts. Or, at least nearby, more about that later. This is handy for us, since we have to carry more than what we need for just these 3 days.

Day 1: Marahau to Bark Bay

We start our walk in the town of Marahau. The sun is shining, it’s going to be a beautiful day. The bus drops us off by 9 o’clock, 8 hours to go!

Stus Lookout

A few times we got company from some birds.

Another family on a walk

Torrent River bridge

At Anchorage we have to go via the high route, adding about one hour to our trip.

Anchorage Bay, seen from the high tide route

 
Just after Anchorage we come across Torrent Bay village. This is one of the places along this track which was once planned to be a village. Now there are mostly holiday homes here.

On the swing at Torrent Bay village

By the evening we arrive at Bark Bay hut, with sanitary and kitchen. Hidden away outside in the bush is a shower. Time for an ice cold shower in the open air. There’s drinking water supply at all huts, but it’s recommended to bring equipment to treat or filter water anyway, just in case.

Day 2 Bark Bay to Awaroa

Another beautiful day today. At first sight it looked like we would have a very early start today, as the map shows a tidal crossing at Onetahuti Bay. But just over a year ago a high tide route around the crossing was built, so we don’t have to worry about being late.

Onetahuti Bay

In Awaroa you have some options as of how to walk. Either you follow the DOC track to a lookout point, or you take a lower track via the Awaroa Lodge. We have to take the latter, to pick up our bags from the beach. And as we are there anyway, we get a break from the middle of nowhere experience, and go to the café for lunch. After the lodge it’s almost an hour walk with all our luggage to the hut. We first pass via the organic garden and the airstrip, before following the coastline to the hut.

Time again for an ice cold shower, with view on the water of the inlet this time. We get our cooking gear out for dinner, while a couple of others make the trip to the Lodge and come back with pizza.

Day 3: Awaroa to Totaranui

Today the weather is overcast, with rain expected during the day. The walk to Totaranui should be a short 2.5 hours, but first we have to make the return trip to the Lodge to drop off our luggage. In case you’re wondering, the camera stayed safely in the bag today.

The Awaroa inlet is a tidal crossing. At low tide it’s mostly dry (except for the river of course). At high tide, it’s a wide estuary, and you can’t cross. So don’t be late this time.

Just before Totaranui part of the track was closed because of a slip. The diversion climbs up to over 150m before descending back to Totaranui. We arrive just in time to avoid the rain. The boat then brings us back to Marahau. At Tonga Island it stops to let us view the seals on the island. Then it’s time to return to Nelson, where we can have a hot shower again.

Tomorrow we will get on the bus along the west coast, to Franz Josef.