New Zealand · South Island
Abel Tasman (Nelson)
A Great Walk along golden coves and granite headlands that you can walk, paddle or join by water taxi.
Abel Tasman is New Zealand's smallest national park, a run of golden-sand coves, granite headlands and clear green water along the top of the South Island, in one of the sunniest corners of the country. Its famous Coast Track, one of the Great Walks, follows the shoreline for around 60 km, and water taxis and sea kayaks let you walk, paddle or combine the two. Most visitors base in Marahau or Kaiteriteri at the southern gate, with Nelson an hour away.
Suggested stay
2–5 days
Language
English, Māori
Currency
NZD
Timezone
NZST (UTC+13)
Why you'll love Abel Tasman (Nelson)
The Coast Track A gentle, well-graded Great Walk that drops into a new golden cove every hour or two, with huts and campsites right on the sand
Paddle it Sea kayaks let you see the coast from the water, past granite islands, sheltered lagoons and the fur seals of Tonga Island
Your own pace Water taxis drop walkers at almost any beach, so a single day or a long weekend can cover as much of the coast as a full trek
Sunshine The Nelson and Tasman region is one of the sunniest in New Zealand, and the bays are sheltered from the worst of the west-coast weather
Best time to visit
Sep-Nov, Jan-Apr
15-23° days
41.271° S, 173.284° E
UTC+13 · Pacific/Auckland
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Weather & when to go to Abel Tasman (Nelson)
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Sep-Nov, Jan-Apr
Hiking prime Sep-Nov, Jan-Apr
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Abel Tasman (Nelson)
No bad season for weather. The busiest stretch is the summer school holidays from Christmas through January, when huts, campsites and water taxis book out. May-Aug is cooler with shorter days and thinner water-taxi timetables, but the track stays open and the beaches are close to empty.
Top things to do in Abel Tasman (Nelson)
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Abel Tasman Coast Track - walk the Great Walk
hiking scenic 👍 PopularAround 60 km of well-formed track from Marahau north to Wainui, usually walked in 3-5 days, through coastal bush and over headlands between beaches such as Anchorage, Torrent Bay, Bark Bay and Onetahuti. Huts and campsites must be booked ahead, and two estuary crossings, Awaroa above all, can only be waded near low tide.
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Sea kayaking the Abel Tasman coast
adventure nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedGuided and freedom kayak trips leave from Marahau and Kaiteriteri, from half-day paddles to multi-day trips camping on the beaches. Routes thread past Adele and Fisherman islands, into the lagoons at Torrent Bay and Bark Bay, and north to the seal colony on Tonga Island. Many trips pair a paddle one way with a walk back.
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Water taxi drop-off - a day on the Coast Track
hiking scenic 👍 PopularWater taxis from Marahau and Kaiteriteri run up the coast to the main beaches, so you can ride out to Bark Bay or Torrent Bay and walk back, or hop between beaches for a swim. The simplest way to see the park without carrying a pack or booking a hut.
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Tonga Island Marine Reserve - fur seals and snorkelling
nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedThe waters around Tonga Island, off Onetahuti Beach, are a no-take marine reserve where New Zealand fur seals haul out on the rocks and pups play in the shallows. See them from a kayak or boat, and snorkel the reserve's rocky shoreline in calm weather. Keep your distance from the seals.
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Split Apple Rock - the cleaved granite boulder
scenic 👍 PopularA round granite boulder split cleanly in two, sitting in the shallows of Tower Bay between Kaiteriteri and Marahau. It is the park's most photographed sight, seen from the water on most boat and kayak trips, and reachable at low tide from a short track to the beach.
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Awaroa - the people's beach and its tidal inlet
scenic nature wildlifeA wide golden beach and estuary midway up the park. In 2016 a crowdfunding campaign backed by tens of thousands of New Zealanders bought a private stretch of the beach and gave it to the park. The inlet behind it is the Coast Track's big tidal crossing, waded across the sand flats near low tide.
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Cleopatra's Pool - the rock-pool slide above Torrent Bay
nature wildlifeA short side track from the Coast Track near Torrent Bay follows the Torrent River to a clear, cold rock pool with a smooth natural rock slide worn into the granite. A favourite swim stop on the walk, and easy to reach on a water-taxi day.
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Totaranui and Wainui Falls - the quieter north end
scenic nature wildlifeThe northern end of the park is reached by road over Takaka Hill and through Golden Bay. Totaranui has a long beach and a large campground, and nearby Wainui Falls is an easy bush walk to a waterfall. Far fewer people make it up here than to the southern bays.
Best areas to stay in Abel Tasman (Nelson)
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Marahau
Walkers and kayakers $$Tiny gateway at the track's start
Explore hotels in Marahau →
Kaiteriteri
Families and beach days $$Golden-sand resort beach
Explore hotels in Kaiteriteri →
Motueka
Budget and road trips $Working market town among orchards
Explore hotels in Motueka →
Nelson
City comforts $$Sunny arts city on the bay
Explore hotels in Nelson →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Abel Tasman (Nelson)
Getting to & around Abel Tasman (Nelson)
Getting there
Fly into Nelson (NSN), then about an hour by road through Motueka to Marahau
Flight
Nelson Airport (NSN)
Domestic flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch land at Nelson, just south-west of the city. From there it is about an hour's drive via Motueka to Marahau or Kaiteriteri, by hire car or on the seasonal shuttle buses that meet walkers and kayakers.
Ferry
Picton
Cook Strait ferries from Wellington land at Picton, a scenic drive or coach of about two hours from Nelson
Coach
Nelson
Intercity coaches link Nelson with Picton, Christchurch and the West Coast, with connecting services on to Motueka
Getting around
Water taxi
Scheduled boats from Marahau and Kaiteriteri to the main beaches; book ahead in summer and check the tide-dependent pickup points
TBC
Sea kayak
Guided or freedom hire from Marahau and Kaiteriteri; freedom rentals usually have a northern limit and require a briefing
TBC
Walking
The Coast Track itself links every beach in the park; plan tidal crossings using the tide tables posted at huts and the park entrances
Free
Car
The easiest way between Nelson, Motueka and the gateways, and the only practical way to reach Totaranui and Golden Bay
TBC
Shuttle bus
Seasonal shuttles run from Nelson and Motueka to Marahau and Kaiteriteri, timed around the water taxis and kayak trips
TBC
Day trips from Abel Tasman (Nelson)
Golden Bay and Te Waikoropupu Springs
Full dayBay and spring waters
Over the winding Takaka Hill road lies Golden Bay, a relaxed, alternative-minded corner around the small town of Takaka. Just outside it, Te Waikoropupu Springs are among the clearest fresh waters ever measured, sacred to local Maori and viewed from boardwalks. Stay longer for Wharariki Beach and Farewell Spit.
Getting there
car
About 1.5 hours by car from Motueka over Takaka Hill
Nelson Lakes National Park
Full dayAlpine lake park
Lake Rotoiti sits under beech-forested mountains at St Arnaud, with its famous jetty, lakeshore walks and the climb up the Mt Robert ridge for views over the lake. A cool, alpine contrast to the coast.
Getting there
car
About 1.5 hours by car from Nelson to St Arnaud
Nelson and the Great Taste Trail
Full dayCycle trail and wineries
The Great Taste Trail loops through the Tasman countryside between Nelson, Mapua and Motueka, past orchards, vineyards and craft breweries, with Mapua's wharf a favourite stop. Hire bikes and ride a section, or spend a day in Nelson's galleries and cafes.
Getting there
car
About an hour by car or shuttle from Marahau to Nelson
Takaka Hill
Half dayMarble karst country
The marble uplands of Takaka Hill hide caves, sinkholes and strange limestone gardens. Walk through the forest to the lip of Harwoods Hole, a vast vertical shaft, or stop at the lookouts over Tasman Bay and the Abel Tasman coast.
Getting there
car
About 40 minutes by car from Motueka
A little history of Abel Tasman (Nelson)
Maori lived along this coast for centuries, fishing, gathering shellfish and growing crops in the sheltered bays; Ngati Tumatakokiri held the area when Abel Tasman's two ships anchored in Golden Bay in December 1642, the first Europeans known to reach New Zealand. A clash with a Maori waka left four of his crew dead, and he sailed on without landing. In the 1820s-30s Ngati Rarua, Ngati Tama and Te Atiawa moved into the region, and their descendants remain its iwi today.
Dumont d'Urville charted the coast in 1827. European settlers later logged the forests, quarried granite, farmed and built boats in the bays, leaving much of the land scrubby and burned. Conservationist Perrine Moncrieff led a campaign to protect it, and the park opened in 1942, three centuries after Tasman's visit. The regenerating bush, marine reserve and Great Walk have since made it one of the best-loved corners of the country.
Abel Tasman anchors in Golden Bay; a clash with Ngati Tumatakokiri kills four of his crew and he sails on without landing
Dumont d'Urville charts the coast, naming Adele Island and the Astrolabe Roadstead
Abel Tasman National Park opens on the 300th anniversary of Tasman's visit, after a campaign led by Perrine Moncrieff
Tonga Island Marine Reserve is created off the park's central coast
A crowdfunding campaign buys a private stretch of Awaroa beach and gives it to the park
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Everywhere
Wifi
Limited
Power
Type I
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+64
Mobile network & SIM card
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FAQs about Abel Tasman (Nelson)
▸ When is the best time to visit Abel Tasman?
Jan-Apr and Sep-Nov are the best months, with settled, sunny weather and warm enough water for a swim in late summer. December is busy from Christmas onwards. May-Aug is cooler and quieter, with shorter days and fewer water taxis, but the track stays open all year and the park is at its most peaceful.
▸ Do I need to book the Abel Tasman Coast Track?
Yes, if you are staying overnight. Huts and campsites on the Coast Track are Great Walk sites booked through the Department of Conservation, and summer dates fill early. Day walkers do not need a booking, but water taxis and kayaks should be reserved ahead in the busy months.
▸ Can you see Abel Tasman in a day?
Yes. The classic day is a water taxi up the coast to Bark Bay, Torrent Bay or Anchorage and a walk back to Marahau, or a half- or full-day kayak trip, often combined with a walk. A day gives you a real taste of the coves; the full track takes 3-5 days.
▸ What are the tidal crossings on the Coast Track?
Several estuaries on the track can only be crossed near low tide, and Awaroa Inlet is the one that shapes everyone's plans: it can only be waded for a few hours either side of low water, with no high-tide route. Check tide times before you set off and plan each day around them.
▸ Is Abel Tasman good for families?
Very. The track is gentle and well graded, the beaches are sheltered and the water taxis mean children can walk short sections between swims. Kaiteriteri's calm beach and holiday park make an easy base, and guided kayak trips take younger paddlers in double kayaks.
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