Abel Tasman in Winter

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My buddy Dan and I completed about 3/4 of the Abel Tasman Track from Awaroa to the southern entrance of the track at Marahau. We walked 4 hours the first day and 7 the second day. We spent one night at the Bark Bay hut. It would have been nice to do the whole thing, but we were short on time because we had so much to see.

Walking Conditions

Dan had arrived from the States the evening before, but we left Nelson the next day because we wanted to get out there and start the tramp while the weather looked clear. In mid-July the high temperature each day was around 13 Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit), which made it possible to hike in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. Still, some sections of the track that see no sun were pretty chilly and I had to wear gloves at times. The trail was really well maintained and wide in most sections. It's a little more technical in some of the high tide routes, like the one at Anchorage, but they are currently widening that as well. There isn't much vertical and it's easy walking overall. At night it typically dipped to around freezing.

Equipment

We both wore running shoes and carried about 15 pounds (7-8 kg). The huts have good, clean mattresses so there's no need for a sleeping pad. You definitely need a winter coat, waterproof rain gear, and a sleeping pad. Don't forget to have materials to get a fire going in the wood-burning stove, though I was able to get it going with embers left by whoever was there before us. There is filtered water in the huts. You need a stove to boil water for food (burners are not supplied on this track), but since we were just staying for a night, we took dry food and a meal I'd cooked the day before.

Logistics

It was easy to arrange it all at the Tasman Bay Backpackers in Nelson - they were really helpful in explaining the route and giving opinions about it. They also arranged the shuttles and the water taxis for us. We made all the arrangements the night before.

We arranged for the shuttle to pick us up at the hostel at 7:15 AM and it was an hour and a half trip to Kaiteriteri, which is fifteen minutes south of Marahau and where the water taxis leave from. During peak season the vessels are pretty big but our speedboat barely fit the ten passengers. Everyone else on our boat was going on day hikes from nearby beaches, which looked like a nice option as well. Like everything else in New Zealand, the boat didn't just go from point A to point B. Instead, we traveled up estuaries, stopped to watch seals in an island, etc. The water is perfectly blue and pristine.

The Route

We got dropped off after an hour and a half at the southern side of the estuary in Awaroa Bay mainly because we wanted to avoid dealing with the tidal crossing there. The tidal changes along the track are enormous- the water extends over a mile inland during high tide, so it's only possible to cross the basin during low tide. That in itself isn't that big of a pain, especially since it would have been early in the morning; but still, it really limits how far you can go the day before because you have to spend the night at the Awaroa hut, adding a day to the trip.

We ate lunch on the picturesque beach and even this time of year I got a few bites on my legs that nagged me for a bit a week afterwards. Then we headed south toward Bark Bay.

The first section isn't the most scenic because the track cuts through a village and eventually enters a relatively wooded area, so there aren't many views of the sea. But even the wooded areas are pretty - ferns and palms and waterfalls border the trail and the vivid blue of the water is never far away. The birdsong is plentiful as well.

And that just made the opening to Onetahuti even better. Just before the beach is a bridge that is perfect for a rest and a snack, as there aren't any bugs above the water. The beach itself has plenty of driftwood and starfish.

Bark Bay and the Hut

The "hut" is just off the beach. It started to rain once we arrived and as expected, we were the only ones at the hut. We had reserved it the day before on the website and it showed that 0/34 of the beds were taken. No one stopped by to check, but we found out later that the site host goes back and forth between there and the Anchorage hut. The photos below make it clear how comfortable it is, though I wouldn't want to be there with 32 others in peak season. The beach itself isn't one to lounge around on, but it's beautiful nonetheless. It was the perfect place to view the Milky Way at night - the view was pretty spectacular.

But it was cold outside so we mainly stuck around the stove. There was wood inside and in a shelter in the back, and someone was even kind enough to leave us some dry kindling. Most of the wood was too thick for the small stove, so we had to split it with an axe out back.

Since the bedrooms were colder and since no one else was there, we brought two mattresses to the main room and slept comfortably. I didn't even have to sleep completely inside my sleeping bag and slept for 10 hours without a problem.

Day 2

The estimated hike time to get to Marahau was 7-8 hours, and we had to get there by 4 to get the bus back to Nelson. We didn't leave till 9 but we still got there an hour early. We walked fairly fast but did stop for a quick lunch with a gorgeous view from the hill above Anchorage.

We thought that two days was plenty. The views are somewhat repetitive so unless you have unlimited time in New Zealand, it might be best to do a day hike or a single night and then move on. But in the winter, the Abel Tasman is probably the most accessible of the Great Walks on the southern island.

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Photos

Holes in rocks
The boat stopped at a few spots like this on the way.

Awaroa estuary from above
It's clearly impassable at high tide.

Bark Bay hut bedroom
We dragged two mattresses to the main room (much warmer) since no one else was staying there.

Piwakawaka
Its other name, "fantail," is easier to remember.

Sand bar
The winter sun was so low that it was hard to get good photos.

Invasive Species Sign
These signs are posted throughout the track. We heard quite a lot of birds, so it must be working to some degree.

Anchorage low tide crossing
The red marker on the far side is what you walk toward during low tide. It takes 15 minutes. Instead, we had to walk an hour and a half on the high-tide route. But we were there to walk.

Onetahuti / Tonga Beach
An astute observer would notice that I'm walking in the wrong direction for a photo op. It's blurry anyway.