Just north of Nelson is Abel Tasman National Park, which is home to the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks”, known for its beautiful beaches and blue water. Beth had been wanting to get me on a multi-day tramp for some time, and this one seemed like it would be a good track to start on.
The Coastal Track heads north from Marahau, a small village that exists mainly as a launching pad to the park and the Coastal Track. There are all different options for doing the track. Some people just walk the first leg. Some people walk a couple of legs. Some people take a water taxi to somewhere in the middle and walk back.
We chose to do the entire track starting from the top (via water taxi), staying at four different huts along the way. Huts are cabins available to trampers, offering the bare minimum of a heater and a row of mattresses. All in all we would cover about 60km over five days. This pace would let us have a pretty relaxed trip, and also hit the tides correctly, as some parts of the track are impassable if the tide is coming in.
Lucky for us it is off season, as this is the most visited national park in New Zealand. In the summer months, the huts are at capacity and we would have been sleeping face to face with a large number of sweaty strangers. As it was, there were only a few people in each room, and we didn’t encounter too many loud snorers (or “snorkers” as some of our German friends say). We also lucked out with beautiful, sunny weather for all five days.
I’m going to go ahead and just put all five days in this one post. I don’t feel like spreading it over a week, and while there are lots of pictures, I’m not sure how much content I could really put on each day. Anyways, we are at Golden Bay now (North of Abel Tasman) and I want to get on to that before too long. Although, the weather has turned to crap now, raining the last couple of days. I am feeling like a real windbag, so here we go:
We got dropped off at Totaranui (pictured above) by water taxi. The beach was really beautiful, and my pack was pretty heavy. We had packed lots of canned food, and I was anxious to start eating it so things would get a bit lighter. Totaranui was the furthest point north in the park that the water taxi would go. We headed north to Whariwharangi, the furthest hut north. We would then walk the track south. Lots of people don’t go all the way up to Whariwharangi, but they are missing out on the most beautiful part of the track.
This is just one of many gorgeous bays that the track led us to. Unfortunatly, every beautiful bay was followed by a pretty serious uphill climb.
We got to our hut (pictured above) and were ready to get our packs off. The hut was an old farm house back in the day, and now featured a wood stove, and several rooms full of bunks. It was the most homey of the huts. There is no power in the park, so after dark (around 6pm) the only light we had was that of candles left by previous campers. We failed to pack any of our own.
We took our packs off, and backtracked an hour to Separation Point pictured here. Actually, it isn’t pictured here. The picture here is from Separation Point looking north. I’m not sure why it is called Separation Point, but there is a light beacon flashing to warn ships, I guess.
There were also a colony of fur seals like this one. After watching them play for a while, we headed back to our hut and watched the sun set on our first night in Abel Tasman National park.
Day 2
Waking up was pretty rough. All my muscles hurt and I definitely didn’t want to put my pack back on. Beth made me do it, and I was treated to the view above as
we backtracked to Tataranui beginning our journey south.
An hour later, I was in the groove and ready to roll, as you can obviously see by the photograph. I am outfitted in a new pair of stubbies (A kiwi term for short shorts which are all the rage over here).
We had to go hard all day, because we had to make it to Awaroa within two hours of low tide or we would be stranded. The Awaroa hut was on the other side of large estuary, impassable except within two hours of low tide.
Luckily Beth made it across. So did I. We met a couple at the hut who were not so fortunate. Their car was on one side, and they were on the other with no equipment or food as high tide came in. Oops.
Here is a view from the hut. This is where the most exciting event of the trip took place. I was about to make dinner on our one burner gas stove. However, instead of the butane canister firing into the burner like it is supposed to, it was firing butane into the air, and when I sparked the burner the stove became a huge fireball. I was in the hut with people all around staring hoping the thing wouldn’t blow, trying madly to get the fire out with no luck. Afraid the butane can would explode in the hut, I picked up the stove and ran for the door. In slow motion I saw someone fumbling for the knob and throw the door open for me as I tossed the stove down outside and finally got the flame out. My heart was pounding, and it didn’t help matters that this happened while the hut attendant was taking attendance for the night. Luckily for us the stove was okay, and I proceeded to cook dinner outside.
Anyways, we were very glad to finally be there, and fell asleep quite easily, as always seems to be the case. In general we went to bed around 8pm and woke up around 7:30am. I can get used to that.
Day 3
We began by tramping on the beach, with some of this strange red mossy stuff all around us. Lucky for us there was a detour on the track to a large lodge and cafe, where we paid exorbidant ammounts for the best muffins and coffee of our lives. This was the only commercial lodge or cafe on the track.
Another small tidal crossing
We passed Tonga Island, which is a breeding ground for fur seals. This part of the trek is a marine reserve, meaning no one can fish or anything here. The marine life is supposed to be fantastic, but it was a bit cold for snorkeling. I did do a bit of swimming, but that didn’t last long. The beaches were home to sand fleas, which are ichy little buggers that like to bite legs.
Here is Beth taking a photo of another small island. This is a pretty typical view from the track, as it winds up and down along the cost. Eventually we ended up at Bark Bay hut.
Day 4
Day four greeted us with this bridge, and lots of walking through the bush.
After a few hours of walking we arrived at Anchorage hut, where we would spend our last night in Abel Tasman National Park. This hut was the least homey, and had the most people at it. Many people hike to this hut, and then hike back the next day. Lots of people also Kiyak to the hut.
The hut was located on the beautiful beach shown above. We got to the hut rather early and spent a few hours relaxing in the sun before going in for the night.
Day 5
By day five we were ready to get back to town and take extremely long showers, but not before seeing a few more beautiful sights, like above.
These walkways were the last stretch home. After crossing over them we were at our lodge (called The Barn) and were in the showers immediately. People had written all sorts of things in the estuary sand with rocks. Here is one we liked:
All of these photos are wonderful! Your descriptions are great! I enjoyed reading and looking at everything. What a delightful, and at times exhausting, week the two of you had. The beaches are beautiful. Your hut looks neat. And I’d never have thought about needing to walk across a bay before the tide came in in order to get across. The different bridges are really neat, too. The rock drawing of the bird/New Zealand was fun. We’ll be interested in reading about your next adventures.
My New Zealand book contains a map of just Abel Tasman National Park. The map shows the Coast Track and the estuaries you had to navigate in low tide. How are you getting back to where you started? What’s your next destination? Are you traveling down the east or west coast of the South Island? And when do you expect to reach Queenstown?
We actually started near the top of the coastal track via water taxi, so we were able to hike back south to where we started. Right now we are actually in Greymouth (have been driving down the west coast). We should be in Queenstown in about a week. I have a couple of things to post from our trip down so far, but this is the first place I have been able to get internet.
Wow! what a trip! Thanks for all the description and the great pictures! You two must be keeping in shape. What a great way to spend 5 days. Glad Beth got you to go on a longer hike.
Did your stove ever work again? Or did you at least have the courtesy to cook outside after that? I assume there was water accessible at least at the huts. Sounds like a trip you’ll always remember. Are you in sight of the Southern Alps by now? P.S. dried food is a lot less heavy than canned.
Yeah we weren’t thinking w/the canned food. Oh well. The stove was also rather large. We found out later you can get these really tiny ones… will get one of those next time.
After the fireball incident, the stove worked fine. I just had the gas can in wrong. Luckily at the other huts it was all new people, so I could cook inside without scaring anyone (except maybe Beth).
8 Comments »
Comment by josh — June 2, 2007 @ 11:03 pm
Just north of Nelson is Abel Tasman National Park, which is home to the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks”, known for its beautiful beaches and blue water. Beth had been wanting to get me on a multi-day tramp for some time, and this one seemed like it would be a good track to start on.
The Coastal Track heads north from Marahau, a small village that exists mainly as a launching pad to the park and the Coastal Track. There are all different options for doing the track. Some people just walk the first leg. Some people walk a couple of legs. Some people take a water taxi to somewhere in the middle and walk back.
We chose to do the entire track starting from the top (via water taxi), staying at four different huts along the way. Huts are cabins available to trampers, offering the bare minimum of a heater and a row of mattresses. All in all we would cover about 60km over five days. This pace would let us have a pretty relaxed trip, and also hit the tides correctly, as some parts of the track are impassable if the tide is coming in.
Lucky for us it is off season, as this is the most visited national park in New Zealand. In the summer months, the huts are at capacity and we would have been sleeping face to face with a large number of sweaty strangers. As it was, there were only a few people in each room, and we didn’t encounter too many loud snorers (or “snorkers” as some of our German friends say). We also lucked out with beautiful, sunny weather for all five days.
I’m going to go ahead and just put all five days in this one post. I don’t feel like spreading it over a week, and while there are lots of pictures, I’m not sure how much content I could really put on each day. Anyways, we are at Golden Bay now (North of Abel Tasman) and I want to get on to that before too long. Although, the weather has turned to crap now, raining the last couple of days. I am feeling like a real windbag, so here we go:
Map of Abel Tasman National Park
Day 1
We got dropped off at Totaranui (pictured above) by water taxi. The beach was really beautiful, and my pack was pretty heavy. We had packed lots of canned food, and I was anxious to start eating it so things would get a bit lighter. Totaranui was the furthest point north in the park that the water taxi would go. We headed north to Whariwharangi, the furthest hut north. We would then walk the track south. Lots of people don’t go all the way up to Whariwharangi, but they are missing out on the most beautiful part of the track.
This is just one of many gorgeous bays that the track led us to. Unfortunatly, every beautiful bay was followed by a pretty serious uphill climb.
We got to our hut (pictured above) and were ready to get our packs off. The hut was an old farm house back in the day, and now featured a wood stove, and several rooms full of bunks. It was the most homey of the huts. There is no power in the park, so after dark (around 6pm) the only light we had was that of candles left by previous campers. We failed to pack any of our own.
We took our packs off, and backtracked an hour to Separation Point pictured here. Actually, it isn’t pictured here. The picture here is from Separation Point looking north. I’m not sure why it is called Separation Point, but there is a light beacon flashing to warn ships, I guess.
There were also a colony of fur seals like this one. After watching them play for a while, we headed back to our hut and watched the sun set on our first night in Abel Tasman National park.
Day 2
Waking up was pretty rough. All my muscles hurt and I definitely didn’t want to put my pack back on. Beth made me do it, and I was treated to the view above as
we backtracked to Tataranui beginning our journey south.
An hour later, I was in the groove and ready to roll, as you can obviously see by the photograph. I am outfitted in a new pair of stubbies (A kiwi term for short shorts which are all the rage over here).
We had to go hard all day, because we had to make it to Awaroa within two hours of low tide or we would be stranded. The Awaroa hut was on the other side of large estuary, impassable except within two hours of low tide.
Luckily Beth made it across. So did I. We met a couple at the hut who were not so fortunate. Their car was on one side, and they were on the other with no equipment or food as high tide came in. Oops.
Here is a view from the hut. This is where the most exciting event of the trip took place. I was about to make dinner on our one burner gas stove. However, instead of the butane canister firing into the burner like it is supposed to, it was firing butane into the air, and when I sparked the burner the stove became a huge fireball. I was in the hut with people all around staring hoping the thing wouldn’t blow, trying madly to get the fire out with no luck. Afraid the butane can would explode in the hut, I picked up the stove and ran for the door. In slow motion I saw someone fumbling for the knob and throw the door open for me as I tossed the stove down outside and finally got the flame out. My heart was pounding, and it didn’t help matters that this happened while the hut attendant was taking attendance for the night. Luckily for us the stove was okay, and I proceeded to cook dinner outside.
Anyways, we were very glad to finally be there, and fell asleep quite easily, as always seems to be the case. In general we went to bed around 8pm and woke up around 7:30am. I can get used to that.
Day 3
We began by tramping on the beach, with some of this strange red mossy stuff all around us. Lucky for us there was a detour on the track to a large lodge and cafe, where we paid exorbidant ammounts for the best muffins and coffee of our lives. This was the only commercial lodge or cafe on the track.
Another small tidal crossing
We passed Tonga Island, which is a breeding ground for fur seals. This part of the trek is a marine reserve, meaning no one can fish or anything here. The marine life is supposed to be fantastic, but it was a bit cold for snorkeling. I did do a bit of swimming, but that didn’t last long. The beaches were home to sand fleas, which are ichy little buggers that like to bite legs.
Here is Beth taking a photo of another small island. This is a pretty typical view from the track, as it winds up and down along the cost. Eventually we ended up at Bark Bay hut.
Day 4
Day four greeted us with this bridge, and lots of walking through the bush.
After a few hours of walking we arrived at Anchorage hut, where we would spend our last night in Abel Tasman National Park. This hut was the least homey, and had the most people at it. Many people hike to this hut, and then hike back the next day. Lots of people also Kiyak to the hut.
The hut was located on the beautiful beach shown above. We got to the hut rather early and spent a few hours relaxing in the sun before going in for the night.
Day 5
By day five we were ready to get back to town and take extremely long showers, but not before seeing a few more beautiful sights, like above.
These walkways were the last stretch home. After crossing over them we were at our lodge (called The Barn) and were in the showers immediately. People had written all sorts of things in the estuary sand with rocks. Here is one we liked:
Comment by Clara — June 3, 2007 @ 12:36 pm
All of these photos are wonderful! Your descriptions are great! I enjoyed reading and looking at everything. What a delightful, and at times exhausting, week the two of you had. The beaches are beautiful. Your hut looks neat. And I’d never have thought about needing to walk across a bay before the tide came in in order to get across. The different bridges are really neat, too. The rock drawing of the bird/New Zealand was fun. We’ll be interested in reading about your next adventures.
Comment by Clara — June 3, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
My New Zealand book contains a map of just Abel Tasman National Park. The map shows the Coast Track and the estuaries you had to navigate in low tide. How are you getting back to where you started? What’s your next destination? Are you traveling down the east or west coast of the South Island? And when do you expect to reach Queenstown?
Comment by josh — June 3, 2007 @ 1:21 pm
We actually started near the top of the coastal track via water taxi, so we were able to hike back south to where we started. Right now we are actually in Greymouth (have been driving down the west coast). We should be in Queenstown in about a week. I have a couple of things to post from our trip down so far, but this is the first place I have been able to get internet.
Comment by Clara — June 3, 2007 @ 2:01 pm
Thanks for explaining. I’m going to my book to check out Greymouth. Enjoy the rest of your drive.
Comment by dad — June 4, 2007 @ 10:27 am
Wow! what a trip! Thanks for all the description and the great pictures! You two must be keeping in shape. What a great way to spend 5 days. Glad Beth got you to go on a longer hike.
Comment by dad — June 5, 2007 @ 5:17 am
Did your stove ever work again? Or did you at least have the courtesy to cook outside after that? I assume there was water accessible at least at the huts. Sounds like a trip you’ll always remember. Are you in sight of the Southern Alps by now? P.S. dried food is a lot less heavy than canned.
Comment by josh — June 5, 2007 @ 12:58 pm
Yeah we weren’t thinking w/the canned food. Oh well. The stove was also rather large. We found out later you can get these really tiny ones… will get one of those next time.
After the fireball incident, the stove worked fine. I just had the gas can in wrong. Luckily at the other huts it was all new people, so I could cook inside without scaring anyone (except maybe Beth).
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