This is one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand, and because it’s a National Park it is protected from commercialism. There are no roads, and no five star accommodation. The two most popular forms of transport are on foot and by boat, and most people camp out in the numerous camping grounds which are well kept and have the necessary amenities, all funded by camping fees and the Department of Conservation which employs wardens to look after the camp sites among other duties.

I had the good fortune (and good planning by others) to spend five days camping in one of the larger bays in the Abel Tasman over the New Year. Our journey began in Christchurch at six o’clock in the morning and took us through the Lewis Pass and up the inland route to the Nelson area before turning off and heading up to Motueka. Just north of Motueka is the very popular holiday place Kaiteriteri, the first of the golden beaches this area is famed for. We headed north from there to Marahau which is literally the end of the road, and the beginning of the Abel Tasman National Park track.

Being blessed as we are with two young boys (aged five, and two and a half), walking the track was not an option, especially given the number of bags we had. I have walked part of the track before and can recommend it for most ages. It has been walked by so many people it is more of a people sized highway, it is not particularly demanding and is more of a stroll than a tramp. However it takes you through beautiful lush bush, across golden beaches and gives fantastic views of the coastline all the way. Quite often you have a choice of walking some parts along the beach or staying on the track higher up the hills, though beach access can be dependent on the tides.

So instead of walking we took the option of catching a boat. There are three companies running a boat ‘taxi’ service, two operating out of Kaiteriteri and the one we used called Aqua Taxi which operates out of Marahau. For the price of NZ$20 an adult (they kindly let the children on for free) we got the four of us and all our baggage in to a speed boat which was sitting on a trailer pulled by a tractor. This took us to the beach where the tractor backed the boat into the water, and we were away. I was very impressed with the service and professionalism of Aqua Taxi. I would recommend anyone planning to use one of the water taxi services to book in advance though, especially in holiday season as they are very popular.

The boat took us up the coast giving us a great view of the bush covered hills, and all the little bays with their little golden beaches along the way. We didn’t see any dolphins, though we were told they can be seen there quite often, but we did see a lot of humans in kayaks. I have not tried this mode of transport myself but I have friends who did it another year who just raved about it. In fact some of the people we were camping with had tried to hire kayaks this time but they were all booked out, so that’s another thing to book well in advance. One of the advantages of kayaking is being able to pull into any of the many little bays that the track bypasses and even at such a busy time of year you might have the bay to yourself for a night.

Anchorage Bay

Our stop was at the first of the big bays, called Anchorage. This bay boasts a long stretch of beach, and an excellent camping ground about one minute's walk inland, giving the shelter of the bush. Anchorage is usually the first camp for people walking north from Marahau, and the last for those walking south. It is also popular because many of the bays are marine reserves and cannot be fished in, but Anchorage is not one of those, and while we were there some of the people we were camping with became hunter gatherers. They had no luck with the fishing, which our friendly warden blamed on commercial fishing in the area, but came back with several varieties of shell fish including mussels, oysters, crab and paua.

We spent a lot of our five days at the beach and walking in the bush. One walk was over the hill to a nearby bay called Te Pukatea Bay. This is a small, crescent shaped bay and beach surrounded by bush, where we discovered an interesting cave with two entrances which was only accessible at low tide when we happened to be there. The only creatures on the beach were some kayakers and some shags, and around the rocks some seals. The walk there and back took us through some beautiful bush with huge silver ferns, beach trees, pungas, pohutakawa, cabbage trees and palms.

Bush walk - beech tree centre, silver ferns left.

We ended up staying at Anchorage for four nights at the discretion of the warden who I must say does a fantastic job, is very relaxed and friendly and obviously enjoys his job. Give that man a raise! People planning on visiting this area should know that there are camping fees (NZ$7 /adult/night) which should be paid in advance. You can do this at DOC (Department of Conservation) and also at visitors centres and the motor camp at Marahau. You need to hang your ticket somewhere visible on your tent. You are also supposed to stay no longer than two nights at any camping ground. I think our warden partly took pity on us because we all had so much gear.

I have also heard, and certainly saw on our boat trip in, that there are many privately owned baches which can be rented. Again these are well booked in advance but it would be worth it. I imagine they would be advertised in Nelson and Motueka newspapers.

The high point in accomodation though is Awaroa Lodge. Awaroa is one of the more northern of the large bays and is a haven for the weary traveller. While we didn’t get there this time, I have been there before and it is amazing for a place with no road access. They have their own little airstrip and most of the building materials were flown in by plane and helicopter. There is accommodation ranging from camping to hostel to hotel type units which are very nice! I was careful to say at the beginning of this article that there is no 5 star accommodation. That’s because this is probably around three star which is pretty amazing in the middle of a National Park. Then there is the Awaroa Lodge itself which has a fully equipped kitchen and restaurant. The food when we were there was excellent, including a wide variety of seafood dishes. Did I mention the bar? Truly this oasis has to be experienced to be believed.

One of the interesting geographical features of the Awaroa Bay is the Awaroa Inlet. This is a vast flat estuary area which has the fastest moving tides I have ever seen. At low tide it is completely dry and you can walk across it, and this can be a good short cut for those on foot. But beware! Once the tide starts coming in your time is running out. You can actually see it coming towards you across the mud flats and while it may only get to ankle depth in places, it can get to chest height in others. Many are those who have been fooled by the apparent shallowness only to regret it halfway across.

So that’s the Abel Tasman. Beautiful bush, clear water, golden beaches. If you don’t have a lot of time then use a water taxi. Otherwise it’s an undemanding walk or paddle between bays in one of the most beautiful and protected parts of New Zealand.