Walk New Zealand's Abel Tasman National Park

Welcome to Nelson! Tucked on the shores of Tasman Bay, Nelson is your jumping off point for your walking adventure through Abel Tasman National Park. Meet your group and local leader at your 6pm Welcome Meeting. If you plan to arrive in town earlier, you can explore a bit of Nelson on a scenic town walk and a stop at a local winery or brewery. The evening, after the welcome meeting, is free to see more of the town. Perhaps join your fellow travellers for dinner, or rest up for the hiking days to come.

Today you’ll get your first taste of the most classic hike of Abel Tasman, the Coast Track. Grab breakfast at your accommodation or head out to a nearby cafe before jumping in your private transfer (approximately 1 hour) to the rural village of Marahau which is the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. Hop aboard a water taxi that will sail you past the unusual Split Apple Rock – a unique geological formation that, according to Maori legend, was split in half by two feuding gods. See if you can spot the colony of fur seals as you cruise past Adele Island. You’ll disembark at Anchorage, where you’ll begin your walk along the Coast Track, with picturesque rest stops along the way, such as at the golden sand beaches of Apple Tree Bay where you'll tuck into your picnic lunch. Your walk will lead you back to Marahau, where you’re free to relax for the evening. Maybe grab your group for a dinner of woodfired pizzas at the cosy Park Cafe before retiring to your cabin for the evening. (B/L)

This morning climb aboard another water taxi for a cruise over to the beautiful Bark Bay, a strip of tree-lined land with a beach on one side and a tidal estuary on the other. Today’s hike will take you through groves of manuka trees, past the historic Tonga Quarry and out onto the shores of Onetahuti Bay, one of the longest beaches in the Abel Tasman, a great place for lunch. Finish your hike at the paradise-like Awaroa Bay – a place so beloved by locals that New Zealanders purchased it in a 2016 crowd-funding campaign to prevent it from falling into private ownership. In the evening, relax by the indoor fireplace or outside in the garden bar at your secluded, no-road-access lodging. (B/L)

Take the water taxi from Awaroa to Totaranui for a scenic hike along sandy beaches and rocky headlands. Here, nature is strictly in charge. The Northern Loop from Totaranui takes you up Gibbs Hill Track, to Whariwharangi Hut, then Separation Point, and Anapai Bay. There are sharp contrasts in vegetation between dry ridgecrest kānuka associations and the lush valley forest seen on the gentle descent into Anapai Bay. Anapai is one of the National Park’s loveliest bays, its beach divided into two by rocky outcrops with considerable contrast of shapes between the harder rock at the northern end of the beach, and the softer, more deeply weathered granite to the south. Explore picturesque beaches and native forest as you work your way back to Totaranui from where you'll be catching the Watertaxi back to Marahau. (B/L)

Enjoy some free time this morning in Marahau, before hopping back on your private transfer back to Nelson. Your Abel Tasman tour finishes on arrival in Nelson and you are free to depart at your leisure or spend more time exploring the surrounding area. (B)