Itinerary
Day 1 – Marahau to Anchorage (Approx. 4 hours/12.4km)
Pick up from your accommodation (or nearby) in the Nelson area at approx. 7.15am. Road transport to Marahau arriving at the AquaTaxi base there at 8.30am. Here you will be met for your full briefing, collect your lunches for today, check-in your bags for luggage transfers and then head off. The walk today is 12.4kms and passes through regenerating forest, beside beautiful golden sand beaches while paralleling the Astrolabe Roadstead – the waterway with Adele and Fishermans Islands defining it.
Enjoy walking along the beaches – Apple Tree Bay being a favourite, before gaining some altitude (approx. 100m) with magical views over all of Tasman Bay, before dropping into the perfect beach of Anchorage.
Accommodation options for your first evening:
Spend the night in Anchorage in our 'Comfort Camping' site, where you’ll be welcomed into the camp and offered a soft drink and some nibbles. Dinner & breakfast will be prepared by our camp guide and you’ll spend the night in your own luxury tent (large enough to stand up in) large air mattresses with full bedding provide a restful sleep (breakfast and dinner included). The site doesn’t have hot showers – there is only a cold outside shower, but the location is simply stunning. A glow worm cave tour in the evening, with a stroll along the beach with the moonlight shimmering in the water is a great way to complete your day.
Alternatively, you would take the water taxi back to Marahau for the evening and stay here in a B+B and enjoy dinner in one of the local restaurants (additional cost applies for dinner). You would then take the water taxi back to Anchorage the following morning.
Day 2 – Anchorage to Awaroa Inlet (Approx. 8 hours/23.5km)
Today is a long but rewarding day in the heart of the park. Cross Torrent Bay Inlet before heading inland, emerging to the coast again at Medlands then Bark Bays. See the historic Tonga granite quarry – long since abandoned – with Tonga Island out to sea, a great place for a swim. Soak up the beauty of Onatahuti Beach with Awaroa Lodge soon reached. This elegant eco lodge is a perfect place to relax with its picturesque views of wetlands and native bush.
Day 3 - Rest day at Awaroa Lodge
A chance to rest in the wonderful Awaroa lodge and have a day to relax. Alternatively perhaps join a guided sea kayaking tour - see details above
Day 4 – Awaroa to Totaranui (3 hours walking – 8.1kms)
Depart Awaroa and make your way across the huge Awaroa Inlet to Pound Gully. The track winds through virgin New Zealand forest before emerging to yet another golden sand beach – Waiharakeke Bay. Up and over another headland and soon we see the beach of Totaranui stretching out in the distance. This is the pick- up point for your water taxi journey back to Marahau to complete your Abel Tasman experience by sea. Once back in Marahau we transport you back to your Nelson accommodation, arriving there around 6pm.
Please note - Part of the track is tidal and the tides (and accommodation availability) indicate the direction of the walk and this may change from the itinerary above, according to the tide timetable of the dates you choose for your walk.
Departure Dates:
Available daily year round (Winter itineraries may vary slightly) - Subject to availability at the time of booking.
