The Abel Tasman is a 60km coastal track in the Nelson/Tasman region and is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. Expect to see lots of bush, gorgeous golden sand beaches, and plenty of Weka (keep an eye on your food!)
This hike is often considered one of the easier Great Walks because of the lower elevation. Being a coastal walk, though, it does come with its own challenges and requires extra planning. We had to cut our hike short because we didn’t plan properly for the tides, so learn from our mistakes!
The Abel Tasman has a lot more options in terms of huts/campsites than the other Great Walks. Although it’s a one-way track (not a loop), there are water taxis that come out to multiple beaches along the track. This makes it possible to complete small sections if you don’t want to walk the whole thing. You can also book shuttles to the beginning and end of the track to get you to and from Nelson.
The track consists mostly of bushwalking, which often looks down to the ocean, and beach/sand walking. Some of the beach walk sections have longer detours if the tide is in, but not all, so this needs to be planned for. It’s also worth noting that there was some rain during and on the days prior to our trip, and there was a fair bit of mud in some areas, so some sections may take longer in bad weather.
Tidal elements to think about
We originally had planned to hike the track in four days, booking Anchorage, Bark Bay, and Awaroa hut, but when we checked the tidal times a week before the trip, we had to adjust our plans. We had planned to finish at Wainui car park and shuttle back to Nelson to catch a flight home that evening, with plenty of buffer time, or so we thought. The tide wasn’t due to be out enough for walking until 2 pm, which meant we’d be finishing the track at 8 pm at the earliest, missing our shuttle and our flight. We re-booked the shuttle for the beginning of the track and booked a water taxi to pick us up from the nearest beach from Awaroa hut. We’d walked other Great Walk tracks previously and had skipped huts, but we hadn’t truly considered the tides here. With the shorter lengths in between huts, it’s tempting to skip some, but they’re spaced out for a reason. Unless you’re camping, it’s best to pace it out, since you book huts well before tidal information is out.
The Abel Tasman is a beautiful track with gorgeous beaches. I’ll definitely be back one day to complete the last section we missed. The coastal bush walk, side tracks to water holes, and golden beaches make this hike a special one. The extra planning for tidal crossings is part of what makes this hike different and fun. One final tip – don’t forget the bug spray!
Are you planning a trip to hike the Abel Tasman? Or maybe you’ve already completed this Great Walk? Let me know in the comments what your favourite part of the hike was or what you’re most looking forward to!
Check out my other New Zealand Great Walk posts
