Abel Tasman National Park

I wanted to visit Abel Tasman National Park, but I wasn’t sure what we should actually do with our day in the park, since there were lots of options from parking at the start of the Abel Tasman Track near Marahau and hiking from there or taking a water taxi to one of the beaches and hiking or kayaking.

Fortunately for us, the Abel Tasman Centre was right across the street from our campground and also where we were supposed to check-in for camping. So while checking in, I also asked for a recommendation on what to do the next day. The suggestion was to take a water taxi to Torrent Bay and hike to Bark Bay and catch a water taxi back to Marahau. There happened to be two seats left and so we grabbed them.

The next morning, we boarded our water taxi in the parking lot behind the Abel Tasman Centre and then we were towed into the water by a tractor, which was unexpected. Once we were in the water, the first thing we did was go slightly south to Split Apple Rock near Kaiteriteri, and then we headed north to Torrent Bay. The water was a bit rough, but it was okay.

Although the bay was pretty calm, it took a couple tries to get the ramp onto the sand, so that we could get off without stepping in the water.

Once we were back on land we headed north from Torrent Bay on the Abel Tasman Coast Track. It was an overcast day, which was probably a good thing as the track is fairly exposed.

The trail goes up and down, but it’s generally not too strenuous. About half way to Bark Bay, there’s a large swing bridge over Falls River.

The water was super blue and there were periodic views over bays and islands and sandy beaches.

We saw a several Weka and there seemed to be one wherever we stopped.

At one point we found a short steep trail down to a small beach, but the tide was very high so there was almost no beach, but we were able to find some rocks to sit on while we ate our lunch.

We arrived at Bark Bay with plenty of time to catch our water taxi. There’s a campground there, so there were lots of people hanging around. While we were waiting for our ride, I went swimming in the cold water, but I enjoyed floating in the waves for a little bit.