The Abel Tasman Coast Track, New Zealand
The Abel Tasman Coast track was awesome. It is about 52km in length from top to bottom, taking about three or four days to complete.
You can do the track overnighting in huts and campsites along the way. Or you can decide to only do part of the track.
After doing our own research we decided to do two different parts of the track. For those who are concerned about their fitness, or don’t like the idea of carrying all your stuff with you then breaking the trip into day outings is the best option. It also means if you are strapped for time then there is still no excuse to miss out on this beautiful, unspoilt wonderland.
To get to your drop off point you need to book a water taxi – we did this in advance to ensure that we would get a place at a time that suited us. The water taxis run between set locations and you do have the option of catching a return taxi if you decide that lying on the golden beach is more your style than exploring the coast. Also check out your taxi drop off point. One of the places we were dropped off had a lovely restaurant – however, we were unable to enjoy the food because we had opted to walk and needed to make sure we didn’t get caught by the incoming tide.
What you need to know as a day tripper
The average day trip took us six hours – though this did include a lot of stops, swim breaks and snack times.
The terrain changes a lot, it is not all about strolling along golden sands. In some places we climbed up steep mountain sides using rope ladders, we walked through thick forested areas, in other places we walked through bush and we walked on lonely beaches where we saw no one the whole time we were there.
It is free to do the track as a day tripper. However, if you choose to stay overnight in the park you will need to obtain a Great Walks Pass and tickets to the overnight hut.
The best is to catch a taxi out and then walk back rather than walking out and catching a taxi back – if you miss the last taxiyou then you will be walking back as well! Also note you will have to book and pay for the water taxi. In peak seasons the taxis fill up quickly – if you haven’t booked it could mess up your itinerary.
Watch the tides. There are two esturaries to cross, one at Onetahuti and the other at Awaroa. You can only cross them within 3 hours and 1 ½ hours, respectively, before or after low tide. Don’t try and cross these estuaries at any other time unless you enjoy the idea of being swept out to sea!
Also don’t cross the estuaries barefoot – we did and it was painful. There are plenty of sharp shells on the mudflats that can catch you unawares and have you bent over in pain.
It was incredibly peaceful. I was so glad that we had organised to do only part of the
Track as it meant we had all day to meander along, soaking up the beauty. We could sit and relax anywhere we wanted to, eat anywhere, play on the beach, take a dip in the sea…
Having to get to a particular point in a set time would have spoilt the experience.
This has got to rate as my favourite spot in New Zealand.
We also only did half day walks. This article triggered my memory of the golden sands, turquoise sea. It was beautiful and I would love to have spent more time there. Next time I would like to do the kayak trip and then camp out.
would also love to do a two or three day kayak trip of this area. I think the experience of exploring the coastal region by water and then camping for the night must be awesome. There wouldn’t be any light pollution so the stars must be something else.
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