Abel Tasman National Park

Hike the Abel Tasman Coast Track

The Abel Tasman Coast Track is 60km long stretching along the stunning coastline of Abel Tasman National Park. The hike starts on the outskirts of Marahau, the town at the southernmost tip of the national park and heads along the coast ending in Wainui. Along the way, you'll encounter wildlife, pristine beaches, incredible views and lovely huts and campsites to spend the night.

The Coast Track is commonly divided into the following sections which you can take 3-5 days to hike, depending on which sections you'd like to combine:

• Marahau to Anchorage - 12.4km
• Anchorage to Bark Bay - 11.5km
• Bark Bay to Awaroa - 13.5km
• Awaroa to Whariwharangi Bay - 16.9km
• Whariwharangi Bay to Wainui to Totaranui - 9km

Abel Tasman Aqua Taxis operate drop-off and pick-up services to all these spots so you can hike just one-way and be returned to Marahau via water.

I hiked from Marahau to Bark Bay which took me about 5 hours with a lunch break. Personally, I felt the trail itself wasn't very exciting; it's well maintained and easy to follow but there's hardly any viewpoints except for a couple overlooking beaches between Torrent Bay and Bark Bay. It's mostly just rainforest. I think my favourite part of the day was taking the water taxi back to Marahau! Abel Tasman is much more beautiful from the water so I highly recommend exploring it that way instead - kayaking is very popular around here.