Abel Tasman: One-Day Itinerary

Try a walking/boat trip combo on the beautiful coastal track. Pack a picnic, your sunblock, and walking shoes and, if leaving from Nelson, hit the road by 8 am. Most operators will pick you up from accommodations; if you’re driving, there’s parking available at Kaiteriteri and Marahau beaches, the departure points for boat tours and water taxis. The drive across to the park takes around 80 minutes from Nelson, and around 30 minutes from Motueka.

Mid-morning, catch a big, modern catamaran or small, fast-water taxi along the coast to Bark Bay. On the way, if you’ve left from Kaiteriteri, you will pass Split Apple Rock, a giant granite marble in the sea that looks just like . . . a giant split apple. Farther up the coast you’ll pass sandy beaches like Apple Tree Bay and Coquille Bay before cruising past birdlife sanctuary, Adele Island. Then, the boat hits open water for a short stretch before rounding Pitt Head and calling into Anchorage, a beautiful sheltered bay with a DOC hut and campsite that looks across to neighboring Torrent Bay, with its few private holiday homes. Your boat will most likely drop off and pick up walkers, kayakers, and supplies here, then continue to Bark Bay, a little farther up the coast. Here is where you disembark. You’ll walk off the boat ramp onto the beach and be shown where to join the Abel Tasman Coastal Track for your afternoon’s walk back to Anchorage.

By now you’ll be ready for lunch. There are few more idyllic spots than the forest-lined beach and estuary of Bark Bay for a picnic. From here it’s an easy and scenic three-hour walk to Torrent Bay. The track climbs steeply at first, before ambling around several hillsides with pleasant outlooks through gaps in the trees. In summer you’ll meet plenty of other walkers. Follow the track as it descends to Torrent Bay, then continue on to Anchorage, which you can now see across the bay. Depending on the tide you can either cross the estuary or walk around the all-tide track to Anchorage. Pass through the DOC campground and relax on the beach until your boat arrives to return you to Kaiteriteri or Marahau, all in good time for a well-earned sundowner.