Exploring Abel Tasman National Park

After two days in Nelson, while Sierra and Kyle finished up work, we headed to Abel Tasman National Park for three days (two nights) of backpacking.

Traveling from Nelson to Awaroa Beach

We all piled in the Bongo and drove to Marahau at the edge of Abel Tasman National Park. From there we took a water taxi to Awaroa Beach where we began our trek back to Marahau.

The coast in this part of New Zealand is extremely shallow so the water recedes significantly at low tide. Due to the drastically changing shoreline, the water taxis were pulled out to Sandy Bay by tractors and released into deeper water. Once in the water, our boat made several stops along the way to Awaroa Beach. Our first stop was a slight detour south to view Split Apple Rock in Towers Bay. Then we headed north for quick stops in Anchorage Bay and Onetahuti Bay before reaching Awaroa Bay. As we slowly approached Awaroa Beach, our captain spotted an eagle ray in the water and pulled alongside for us to get a closer look.

Trekking from Awaroa Beach to Bark Bay (8.8 miles)

We took a few minutes to relax on Awaroa Beach before donning our backpacks and starting our trek south along the Abel Tasman Coast Track. As we relaxed on Awaroa Beach, we were immediately greeted by seemingly harmless chicken-looking birds, called wekas. Wekas can't fly but they're sneaky and can run fast... especially with someone's lunch bag in their mouth!

After leaving Awaroa Beach, we hiked about 2.5 miles before stopping for lunch at Onetahuti Beach. The weather was perfect for hiking through the forest and taking a dip in they bay with its beautiful golden sand... though the water was a bit cooler than I prefer! Speaking of water, one of the best things about backpacking along the Abel Tasman Coast Track was the accessiblity of fresh water and toilets. We still filtered our drinking water but at least we didn't have to carry much before reaching the next bay and water source.

The trail is 2.6 miles from Onetahuti Beach to Bark Bay, our camp for the night. As we approached Bark Bay the trail offered a shortcut to the left during low tide. It enables hikers to cross a sandbar to access the campground. Fortunately, the tide was high when we arrived or we might have missed the beautiful views and waterfall as we approached and crossed our first suspension bridge on the hike.

We had hiked just over 5 miles since being dropped off by the water taxi at Awaroa Bay and we were ready to set up camp for the night.

Camping in Bark Bay

Our campsite at Bark Bay was on a sandbar with the bay on one side and a lagoon on the other. We shared the site with other campers but we managed to find a great location for all three of our tents around a shared table. As we set up camp, we kept an eye on the thieving wekas at all times!

We enjoyed a relaxing evening on the beach before eating dinner and a beautiful sunrise in the morning outside our tents. I woke relatively early and took a stroll along the beach then hiked about 20 minutes back to the swing bridge for some morning photos of the waterfall.

After eating breakfast we packed up our camp to continue our trek south. We almost made it out of Bark Bay without a weka theft. But, with all of our backs turned for a second, a sneaky bird ran off with our bag of leftover cheese!

Trekking from Bark Bay to Watering Cove (7.5 miles)

We enjoyed beautiful views as we continued south along the Abel Tasman Coast Track from Bark Bay. Not long after leaving Bark Bay, we crossed the Falls River Suspension Bridge then continued on to Torrent Bay where we stopped for lunch.

Because the tide was low when we reached Torrent Bay, we were able to cross the bay rather than take the high tide trail around it. That gave us some extra time to enjoy the beach at Anchorage Bay before continuing on to our campsite at Watering Cove.

Camping in Watering Cove

Our campsite at watering cove was nestled in the trees above the beach. After setting up camp, we enjoyed exploring the beach and even playing a game of Rummikub. The small secluded cove was beautiful with rock formations and small cliffs.

As we ate breakfast the following morning, it began to rain. We quickly packed up our soggy camp and hit the trail for the last segment of our hike.

Trekking from Watering Cove to Mārahau (8.4 miles)

Fortunately the rain stopped as we climbed up from Watering Cove. The sky was still cloudy but the remainder of our hike, past Coquille Bay to Marahau, was relativley dry. We snacked a little along the way but after two days of "camp" food, we were looking forward to a real meal. We picked up the Bongo in Marahau and headed to The Fat Tui for a late lunch.

Visit the Wheels Up for New Zealand 2026 page to follow my route, read blog posts, and view my photo album.