The Abel Tasman

We stand on a golden sand beach as our water taxi slowly backs away, turns north and speeds away from us up the coast. Behind us stands a lush forest of Beech trees and ferns. The day is clear and in the distance, across the Tasman bay, you can make out the peninsula northeast of Nelson. There is a warm breeze and rays of sun reflect sharply off of the gorgeous blue water out in front of us. Amanda and I are all smiles as we turn north and head into the forest looking forward to three full days trekking through paradise.

Trekked November 2014

New Zealand was Amanda and I’s first big international trip and I had read about the Abel Tasman in a Backpacker magazine about a year before. The article had mentioned beautiful white sand beaches and amazing backcountry huts. I will always remember this 36 km (23 mile) trek as a spark that eventually led to our international trekking addiction. For anyone looking to get their feet wet trekking in another country, there is no better place to do so than in New Zealand and the Able Tasman should be on the highlight list for a country that sets the standard for trekking.

            We started, as most will, in Auckland. This city is worth a couple of days to get your feet under you, especially after what will likely be a very long flight. Make sure to get out to Waiheke Island and make a stop at Goldie Estate to try some amazing wines. The island is great for biking around and you can certainly make a day of it. If you have a little more time, make your way up to the northern coast. The beaches on the east side of the north island are jaw dropping and most definitely worth the trip. If you have time you can make your way down the north island eventually arriving in Wellington or, if you are strapped for time take a flight to the north end of the south island. No matter how you choose to get there, you will want to get to Nelson, New Zealand as a jumping off point for the Able Tasman. Nelson is an adorable coastal town about an hour south and east of the park that is well situated to get you set up for your trip. Amanda and I stayed at Paradiso Hostel northeast of city center. It is an excellent place to stay with great rooms, a swimming pool, and lots of friendly advice/beta for your trip to the Able Tasman. They can also help you schedule bus trips to Marahau where you can catch a water taxi into the park’s interior.

Day 1: Bark Bay to Awaroa Hut

Date: 11/2/14

Distance: 13.5 km (8.5 Miles)

On November 11th Amanda and I woke around 6 am, dropped some extra luggage in the storage area at Paradiso and boarded a bus out front of the hostel. From there we stopped and picked a few more people up in the tourist district of Nelson before heading north towards Marahau where we had chartered a water taxi by Able Tasman Water Taxi services. One of the astounding aspects of this area of New Zealand is the variety of landscapes here. Nelson lies in a kind of delta with fields and little beaches, but this land quickly rises away from the water and gives way to sharp hills with a start mixture of flora. Once in these hills, pine forests that could be right out of the Pacific Northwest fight for space with landscapes that belong on a Hawaiian post card. It’s like New Zealand took all the best landscapes of the world and stitched them together to make one gorgeous country.

            The bus eventually lumbered into the small coastal town of Marahau where we offloaded at the front office of Able Tasman Aquataxi. This outfit is pretty much the only game in town, but they are excellent. Their website is full of awesome planning tools and their boats can secure drops and pick-ups pretty much anywhere up and down the Able Tasman coast. After finishing some payment details and buying some last minute bug repellant we were loaded onto another, smaller bus and shuttled about 10 minutes away to the beach. From there we boarded some boats towed by tractor into the surf of Tasman Bay and pushed off into the ocean. Our destination for the start of our trek was Bark Bay, about a 1-hour ride north of Marahau with one stop at Anchorage bay. We arrived at Bark Bay around 10 am and, after a quick photo shoot, started hiking north. Our goal was to get to the Awaroa Lodge that day, a distance of ~13.5 km (8.5 Miles). Side note, a map really isn’t too necessary on this trek. The government of New Zealand marks things out really well, but if you do want a map I would suggest “The Abel Tasman Coast Track and the Inland Track” by NewTopo. This is a great map with plenty of info for your adventure. The trail, like most coastal trails, has a lot of up-and-down to it as you twist and wind through the hills above the numerous beaches. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the funny little Weka birds along the way as well as the illusive but gorgeous Pukeko’s that frequent the beeches and trails throughout the park.

            About 3 hours of slow and distracted hiking brought Amanda and I up and over a headland to Onetahuti Beach. Be wary of the downhill sections, Amanda and I both slipped and fell on the granular, dirt trail on our way down. As you come into Onetahuti beach you will come alongside the Onetahuti Beach Campsite. If you plan on tent camping instead of staying in the huts, as we did, Onetahuti is a great spot. It did not seem very popular and the individual sites themselves are amazing. The beach is beautiful, aside from the sand flies, which are incessant. Amanda and I stopped here for about an hour to take in the beautiful blue water and eat but the flies eventually got too us and we soon carried on. We exited Onetahuti Beach on the north side and made our way up over another headland via the “Tonga Saddle.” Elevation gain is about 100 meters. Just past the saddle is a turnoff for the Awaroa lodge and complex. For those looking for a more high-end experience can turn off here. Another 30 minutes or so will take you off of the headland as you descend to the Awaroa hut just west of the lodge. It’s subtle, but walking through this area is really neat. The ocean cuts little sandy inlets up into the headland that you walk through on your way to the hut that made me feel like a kid again playing on the beaches south of Monterey. Finally, the hills ultimately give away to the Awaroa hut.

Amanda arrived around 5 pm, 7 hours after starting at Bark Bay. This time included a lot of distractions and stops for pictures. The Abel Tasman is like that, a lot of super fun distractions and side trips with manageable distances between accommodations making for some super fun and lazy trekking. Once we arrived at the Awaroa Hut Amanda and I picked out two adjacent bunk beds and unpacked our small travel bags. Another side note, if you do this trek in New Zealand’s summer the nights are hot so you don’t need anything heavy to sleep in. We found the REI Travel Sacks were perfect for this trek and I often found myself sleeping outside of it. The lodge itself is amazing, as most lodges in New Zealand are, and was separated into a bunk-porch and a kitchen area. Keep in mind, there are no individual sleeping quarters so if you are looking for some privacy, hit the lodge. Later that evening, Amanda and I made some dinner in the kitchen. Funny side note, the predominant cooking method for most people hiking along the Abel Tasman is the Jet Boil, which are generally pretty quiet. As an American traveling abroad I typically use my MSR stove because I know I can get diesel fuel pretty much anywhere in the world. If you use a stove, which is several orders of magnitude louder than a Jet Boil…people will notice, especially when you turn it off and the world is plunged once again into silence. Along those same lines, you can absolutely get Butane for a Jet Boil if you are interested in taking your own. Later that night, after dinner, Amanda and I walked out onto the Awaroa Inlet until dark before heading to bed.

Day 2:             Awaroa Hut to Whariwharangi Hut

Date: 11/2/14

Distance: 16.9 km (10.5 Miles)

Amanda and I woke at around 8 am the next morning and again fired up the MSR Jet Engine to heat up some breakfast. At around 9:30 AM we were dressed and ready to head north. Our destination for today was the Whariwharangi Hut, which would take us up and around Separation Point.

            Stepping out of the door our first main attraction would be crossing the Awaroa Inlet. Keep in mind that this should be done at low tide to avoid higher water and major currents. From the inlet the track ascends back into the hills across the back end of Cave Point before tracking parallel to the coast past Ratakura and Skinner Point before descending back down to the ocean at Totaranui beach. Amanda and I stopped here to take some pictures and eat a quick lunch as well as admire another amazing campground. On our way up the beach we caught a glimpse of a Pukeko in one of the camping spots just before ascending again into the forest. From Totaranui Beach the trail ascends over another headland, drops briefly to Anapai Bay and then makes it’s way back up into hills before arriving at Mutton Cove Campsite. At Mutton Cove the trail splits. The right track will take you out to Separation Point and the left will cut across the point before descending to Whariwharangi and the hut. Amanda and I chose to forgo the hike out to the point until the next day and head strait for the hut. Another hour and a half brought us down to Whariwharangi beach and another 15 minutes got us to the hut.

The Whariwharangi Hut was smaller than the Awaroa hut but no less accommodating. Amanda and I dropped our bags and put our feet up for a bit before making some dinner. After dinner we took a short hike and ran into a little Weka zooming through the underbrush. As night fell we chatted with some fellow trekkers from Germany before heading to bed.