People who love the outdoors have been attracted to the Abel Tasman National Park for generations. It encapsulates the magic of natural New Zealand with stunning views, world famous golden beaches, the unique New Zealand forest and bird life. But there is more….
The Abel Tasman Coastal Track meanders along the western side of Tasman Bay and long before humans showed up in New Zealand our wonderful forest and bird life reigned supreme.
This sheltered coastline then provided the Maori people with a haven and a plentiful food supply, and more recently hardy European settlers made this area their home.
Today, as New Zealand’s smallest National Park, we can all enjoy the natural beauty of this still remote part of New Zealand’s pristine wilderness. The track is open all year round and it is blessed with a wonderful mild climate as the reigning ‘Sunniest place in New Zealand’ with the most sunshine hours recorded this year.
Abel Tasman Track Facts
- The Abel Tasman Coastal Track is 60km long, running between Marahau and Wainui Inlet.
- It takes 4 days to walk the whole track.
- Most people walk the most popular part of the track in 3 days from Marahau to Totaranui.
- The track is well-serviced by water taxis up until Totaranui. This means you can walk each day with just a day pack, while your overnight bag is delivered to your next stop.
- There are many side tracks, offering all sorts of greater exploration – to beaches, bays, pools and viewpoints to enhance the experience.
- As a National Park of New Zealand, the Abel Tasman track is a walkers-only track.
The track is very well formed, being mostly benched and very well maintained, the gradients by and large are gentle with few steeper parts, and most creeks and rivers are bridged. There are tidal crossings across the inlets behind some of the beautiful sandy beaches however, and here we are governed by the tides (all but 1 have high tide tracks). We do recommend that you bring wet shoes (sandals or croc type) for crossings small streams and shell beds within these tidal inlets. Wet shoes, crocs or neoprene types are great for crossing the tidal inlets (bare feet are not recommended as we walk over some shelly patches).
The Abel Tasman Coastal Track is suitable for just about everyone, as the days are very achievable distances. We recommend a reasonable level of fitness; after all you still have to walk over 41kms over 3 days/60kms over 4 days. Hiking shoes are very good for walking this track, and hiking boots will serve your feet well too.