Sarah WallockPublished December 2019.
Backpacking in Abel Tasman is my favorite thing I have done in my 8 months in New Zealand, hands down!
After hiking 13km with blisters on our feet, Nick and I arrived at the most incredible beach; it happened to be the wrong beach. We then swam 30 meters to the south end of the cove. It was high tide and we were holding our packs above our heads. Wow, what a day it had been!
Our kayak guide was meeting us at Observation beach. The map didn’t specify that there were two sides of the beach. This resulted in some major confusion. We were so tired from hiking that the thought of walking for 10 minutes straight up a hill to reach the other side of the beach was out of the question. So, while the ocean was crashing aggressively against the shore lined with sharp rocks, we submerged ourselves and attempted to make the crossing. After scraping my legs in three different spots and bleeding from my knee, I vetoed the mission and we headed back to land. A kayak guide from another company offered to help us out. He kayaked our packs to the other side while we swam alongside him. He was a lifesaver.
The kayak group spread out along the shore. One could only reach this cove from a offshoot from the main trail. The entire beach, the eyes of 15 strangers, stared at us as we emerged out of the sea from our swim. In our minds, we strode out of the water like mermaids or Greek gods who had just overcome a 29km journey. In reality, we hobbled out like exhausted, malnourished swamp-creatures and one of us, was literally bleeding. There were smiles from ear to ear though! A picnic of sandwiches, brownies, fruit, and coffee was awaiting us. Eating fresh food after backpacking was so delicious. The kayak crew was understanding of our wrong-beach struggle, or at least they pretended to be.
Day One: Water Taxiing, Hiking, & Sleeping at Bark Bay Hut
On our first day in Abel Tasman, we took the water taxi from Marahau to Awaroa. I’ve attached a diagram below from the Department of Conservation. It was super helpful for us when planning our trip and it illustrates the route we ultimately did.
Awaroa was absolutely breathtaking. It was a great place to start our hike. From Awaroa, we headed south to Bark Bay hut. We stopped to admire Onetahuti Bay and Tonga Quarry.
After a very quick 2.5 hours, we arrived at Bark Bay and relaxed. Everyone told us that the walk from Awaroa to Bark Bay would take 5 hours. Even the sign in the park said “3 hours” from Awaroa Lodge to Bark Bay. Each resource we checked had a different time estimate. There must’ve been some miscommunication in the Department Of Conservation literature, because our 2.5 hour stroll with stops along the way did not equate to a 3, or 5 hour journey. Anyway, after watching the sunset over the ocean and falling asleep to the sound of native Kaka parrots, we readied ourselves for the next half of our journey.
I particularly enjoyed the trail section from Awaroa to Bark Bay because it was so much quieter and the beaches were more remote. Yet, the hike from Bark Bay to Observation Beach had diverse landscapes and more tourists, which offered a nice change.
Day Two: Hiking, Kayaking, & Ocean Swimming
Our hike south from Bark Bay began with a steady ascent and stream crossings, including over swinging bridges. Then we stumbled upon Torrent Bay, quite possibly my favorite part of the whole park. Torrent Bay was incredibly beautiful and had a small community of homes owned by millionaires.
There were around 20-30 massive homes in this little stretch of national park. These were built there before it was officially a national park. Not a bad life! It was sweet to see a community. I was perplexed by how casually and nonchalantly people were walking their dogs, going out on their boats, and having family picnics. Enjoying these activities in such an incredibly special place.
From Torrent Bay, we ventured off to Cleopatra’s Pool, which is the one part of the park I would say is not worth the hype.
From our short detour, we headed through Anchorage, the “capital city” of Abel Tasman and over to Observation Beach. Below pictured is the beach in Anchorage. I wouldn’t say I would head back to Anchorage as it was so popular with boats and groups of people. It is a popular spot for yachters and I would be more much inclined to go back to a more remote beach like Onetahuti.
Finally, we got to kayak back to Marahau, the town of the outskirts of the national park, with Abel Tasman Kayaks. I was skeptical at first because of the high price and length of the trip, but I heard so many good things that we booked it anyway. It was so worth it! We loved kayaking around the marine sanctuary where there were baby seals and native birds. And just being out in the ocean was the way to do it! If we had simply hiked, we wouldn’t have experienced all that Abel Tasman has to offer. I am so thankful for this experience and I am buzzing to do another backpacking trip in Abel Tasman and discover more hidden coves.
