The Abel Tasman Track in New Zealand is one of the best hikes in the world.

Why? hiking guidebook 2006 travel guidebook 2006	World > Australasia > New Zealand > Abel Tasman Coast Track One of the best hikes in the world is the ABEL TASMAN COAST TRACK Note: You can improve this page by e-mailing comments, recommendations and links in the appropriate sections below. Thanks for your help! Note: DOC updated their website in 2007 and, as a result, many OLD web links break. Beach lovers hike this Track year round! It's the most popular Track in the country, 30,000+ hikers, campers & kayakers / overnight each year. AT A GLANCE ABEL TASMAN NATIONAL PARK 51km (32.6mi) plus sidetrips 5-days, 4-nights shorter alternatives relatively easy hiking the easiest of the Great Walks great for kids Mar-May best months, though you can hike year round huts and campsites must now be booked year round. No more first-come, first-served. WHY WE LIKE THIS HIKE You only need browse some of the photo trip reports (at the bottom of this page) to know why. unlike most Kiwi tramps, the Coast Track is open all year white sand beaches, aquamarine lagoons, picture perfect bays it's as much beach holiday as trek sunny & dry weather — for New Zealand normally very few sandflies (unlike the Heaphy Track) the pleasure of leaving the crowds behind at Totaranui — then the reward of seeing Separation Point, the most dramatic viewing point on the Track wading fascinating estuaries at low tide a highlight for us were the wading estuary birds, pukeko, shags & herons option to kayak and hike on the same trip seal colonies at Pinnacle and Tonga islands spotting a little Blue Penguin no need to carry a pack — you can hire a water taxi to shuttle it to your next night accommodation combine the Abel Tasman Coast Track with the Abel Tasman Inland Track for a much longer circuit ... add a comment here tourism.net.nz ecard CONSIDERATIONS You need a tide table for planning your trip as two estuaries are only passable at low tide: Onetahuti & Awaroa. Before you choose your huts or campsites, read this page carefully: Abel Tasman Coast Track Tide timetables - DOC click for larger map in a new window - DOC Estuaries at Torrent and Bark Bay have all-tide tracks around them. tides can vary 4m (13ft) or more likely you will be wading waist deep through estuary water Christmas through January this area is packed with Kiwis on holiday though it is the best weather in New Zealand, be prepared to get very wet on this hike huts are often full and noisy. Bring earplugs. we prefer tenting to sleeping in huts. Getting bookings for tents spots are far easier too. bring a water filter, just in case a possum drowns in the hut drinking water supply possums may steal your food at night fishing is normally not allowed, check restrictions unlike the Milford Track, there are no stoves nor lights in the huts on Abel Tasman. Bring a light camping stove & fuel. mobile phone coverage is unreliable if you don't like crowds, hike in the winter with more solitude, calmer seas, and no biting insects ... add a comment here numbers of walkers at Torrent Bay - DOC ROUTES There are only 4 huts on the Coast Track. The standard route defaults to 5-days, 4-nights — one night in each hut — starting at Anchorage. Do not hike in the opposite direction! The Track will feel very crowded. The standard route is laid out in Lonely Planet Tramping in New Zealand . This is a nice, relaxed pace with plenty of time for exploration. Motueka.net.nz Fit hikers can certainly cover the distance in fewer days, especially if you tent instead of staying in huts. (We prefer tenting anyway.) The majority of hikers skip the last day, catching a water taxi back from Totaranui. We recommend you continue through to Wainui via spectacular Separation Point. If you are short on time, it is easy to hike any section you wish by utilizing water taxis. You could even day hike out of a base camp at Marahau or Totaranui. Or even Nelson. The entire Track is great. But if you have only 1-day, hike Totaranui - Wainui (13km, 5+ hours). ... add a comment here GUIDED HIKE Abel Tasman - New Zealand Holiday Book Abel Tasman - HikingNewZealand.com Abel Tasman - Kahurangi Walks Abel Tasman - Abel Tasman Tours ... add a recommendation here Most hikers do the Abel Tasman independently, but guided hikes, kayak tours and combo hike/kayak tours are very popular. GETTING A RESERVATION TO HIKE INDEPENDENTLY Procedures and costs have changed over the last few years. Be sure you have the up-to-date information. You need purchase two things: hut/campsite tickets & a Great Walks Pass since Oct 2005, huts and campsites must be reserved year round bring your hut/camp confirmation letter/ticket on the trail with you (as evidence in case of dispute) you can pay only with credit card online registration begins 9AM (NZ time) July 1st, 2006 alternately, contact a DOC office to make a booking by phone, fax, mail, email, or in person ... add a comment here Booking information - DOC 64 3 546 8210 in Nelson Online booking for Abel Tasman Coast Track - DOC email GreatWalksBooking@doc.govt.nz If you are travelling solo or two hikers together, it is worth inquiring about last-minute vacancies. Or, if you cannot get a booking for the date you want, try putting in a request with Trek Watch who will notify you if a spot becomes available. Or help you find trekking partners. LOGISTICS If you sign on with a guided trip, logistics will be organized for you. This section is for independent hikers. The most convenient international airport is Christchurch, though you could fly to Wellington and catch the ferry to the south island. Public transportation is superb in New Zealand. No need to rent or buy a vehicle, though many hikers do. Consult an up-to-date guidebook. most hikers travel through the Backpacker town of Nelson, which is well worth a stop closer to the trailhead is Motueka, still a large enough town to outfit your hike rent gear, if needed, & purchase supplies in either Nelson or Motueka ... add a comment here The Abel Tasman Coast Track is accessible by road at 4 places, each with carpark: Marahau, the southern gateway, 67km from Nelson Wainui, 21km from Takaka Totaranui, 32km from Takaka Awaroa estuary, 31km from Takaka Marahau is the most convenient for most drivers & it has secure longterm parking. the hike itself is lovely & leisurely — when it is not raining if you have trouble carrying a pack, consider having it shuttled by water taxi each day to your next hut or campsite. (Packs sit unattended for hours at a time.) your hiking start time some days may be decided by the tides. Several estuary crossings are tide dependent. At the end of our hike, we took a boat back from Totaranui to Marahau. Water taxis shuttle Marahau to Kaiteriteri, via Anchorage, Torrent Bay, Bark Bay, Onetahuti, Awaroa and Totaranui. It is easy to hop a boat almost anywhere along the coast. ... add a comment here LOCAL INFORMATION Abel Tasman Coast Track - DOC Nelson i-Site Visitor Centre ph: +64 3 548 2304 Motueka i-Site Visitor Centre, ph: +64 3 528 6543 Golden Bay i-Site Visitor Centre, ph: +64 3 525 9136 Abel Tasman National Park - DOC Abel Tasman Coast Track Tide timetables - DOC ... add a recommendation here BEST TRAMPING GUIDEBOOKS Lonely Planet Tramping in New Zealand - Jim Dufresne, 2006 Trailblazer New Zealand - The Great Walks - Alexander Stewart, 2004 Walking the Abel Tasman Coast Track - Philip Holden ... add a recommendation here Lonely Planet, succinct & easy to use, is the standard against which all other New Zealand tramping guidebooks are measured. But check out the new kid on the block, the Trailblazer Guide, as well. BEST TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS Lonely Planet New Zealand - 2006 Rough Guide To New Zealand - 2004 Turtleback New Zealand - Kate Poole, 2003 Fodor's New Zealand - 2006 ... add a recommendation here Lonely Planet is the most complete & has the best maps. If you bought Fodors, for example, you would quickly find you needed to buy a real guidbook the first time you wanted to find a hostel, restaurant or bus. OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS The Story of Abel Tasman National Park - DOC Classic Walks of New Zealand - Craig Potton, 2000 Straying from the Flock - Alexander Elder, 2005 The Whale Rider - Witi Ihimaera A Land Of Two Halves - Joe Bennet, 2005, travelogue Kiwi Tracks: A New Zealand Journey - Andrew Stevenson ... add a recommendation here BEST MAPS Abel Tasman (Parkmap 273-07) 1:50,000 No detailed map is essential. The well tramped path is clearly signed. But check your route as you go with other hikers. We did miss the shortest route at one juncture. Online: Abel Tasman Coast Track - Ken Akiba Abel Tasman Track maps & profile - David Briese Motueka.net.nz Track map Pacific Island Travel Track map ... add a recommendation here BEST WEB PAGES After this page, the best links are: Abel Tasman Coast Track - tramper.co.nz Abel Tasman Track - i-NEEDtoKnow.com Abel Tasman National Park - wikipedia Abel Tasman - BackcountryNZ.com The Great Walks - DOC The Great Walks - wikipedia National Park Walks, Kayaking, Boats & Lodges - Wilson's Experiences Abel Tasman - Nelson Lakes Shuttles Rollo's Tramping Gear in Nelson Motueka Sportsworld Tramping Gear in Motueka Abel Tasman Kayaks (Ocean River) Kaiteriteri Kayaks - kayak & hiking packages Southern Exposure Sea Kayaks Kiwi Kayaks Marahau Sea Kayaks The Sea Kayak Company The Barn - inexpensive accommodation in Marahau close to the trailhead Awaroa Lodge - luxury accommodation on the Track Abel Tasman Air - flight seeing ... add a link here BEST PHOTOS & TRIP REPORTS Abel Tasman Track - David Briese, 2004. Wettest Dec in 60yrs! Abel Tasman Track trip report - i-NEEDtoKnow.com Abel Tasman Track - McCharles, 2003 photos Abel Tasman Track - Bjoern Dingwerth, 1999 Abel Tasman Track - MuellerWorld, 2002 Abel Tasman Track - Mike Gardner Abel Tasman photos - BackcountryNZ.com Abel Tasman Track - Matthew Allton, 1994 Abel Tasman Track - Ian Fiske, 1999 Abel Tasman Track - Scott Yost, 1996 Abel Tasman Track photos - elcaseo, 2002 Abel Tasman Track - itessier.club.fr Abel Tasman Track - Kevin Gong, 2002. Day hike. Abel Tasman National Park Photo Disc - Skylark Abel Tasman tag - in flickr ... add a link here MOVIES, VIDEOS, DVDs Abel Tasman Coast Track - VHS, NZvideo.co.nz The Lord of the Rings - Peter Jackson The Whale Rider - Witi Ihimaera Globe Trekker - New Zealand - host Ian Wright, 2004. Our favourite travel video series. add a recommendation here