Explore the Sandy Beaches of Abel Tasman.

Despite this incident, the bay and the whole northwest region of the island will be named after the famous Dutch adventurer.

The park Abel Tasman was founded in 1942 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the country.

With its 225 km², it's the smallest national park in New Zealand. The beech forest that covers the granite hills extends to the edge of the sea. For thousands of years, erosion has carved the coast and spawned the islands and lagoons. It is an earthly paradise inhabited by dolphins and sea lions.

With 180,000 visitors a year, Abel Tasman National Park is the most popular tourist destination of New Zealand.

One can say that the park has the best climate in the country,, orange sandy beaches and a transparent turquoise sea.

Hiking and sailing are the only ways to explore the coast.

The park has no inner road. This may seem like an inconvenience, but this is the price to pay to preserve nature.

Fortunately, there are many solutions to explore the park and find accommodations nearby, and it's up to you!

Holidays in the Abel Tasman Park can be fully customized. A kind of freedom somewhat confusing at first. To give you all the keys to a successful stay, I will share with you all advices and itineraries I discovered during my trips to the land of the kiwis.

The trail you can follow through ferns is accessible to everyone. The rivers are spanned by bridges, sometimes suspended, but without the slightest danger. Constantly marked, the path's altitude never rises above 150 m and the risk of being lost is nonexistent.

Between two stages of the journey, the half-moon bays allow to rest in the sun. The orange color of the sand, unique in the country, comes from the granite iron oxide minerals. The only weak point is the water temperature which remains a bit cool even in summer.

Swimming or not, opportunities to marvel abound. For example, a tree grows on top of an isolated rock of Tinline Bay Beach.

At Tokongawa Point, the famous “Split Apple Rock” looks like a sliced ​​apple. Elsewhere, some blocks of granite carved by the wind look like a kiwi bird or an ostrich.

Note: If you like these kinds of curiosities, I suggest you read my article on Cathedral Cove.

For all these reasons, I consider that Abel Tasman rivals Polynesian vacation or even Bay of Islands on the North Island. Everything fits perfectly and time is running at full speed. You will understand once there, it is very difficult to break away from this place.

You are not required to follow the full path ! You may catch water taxis to travel and return from wherever you want. In other words, you could get a map, choose an itinerary and book a shuttle to the place where you want to start.

Whether you have few hours or several days to spend, there is always a hike adapted to your fitness and your personal tastes! But to enjoy the park, there is an even more efficient way to travel in full autonomy!

And I must emphasize the pleasure of winning isolated beaches, paddling below arches carved into the rock. Stopovers at campsites and shelters coastal allow you to play Robinson Crusoe in New Zealand , far from the worries of your everyday life.

Those among you who have never practiced this kind of transport will have questions to ask for sure!First, one must realize that we are dealing with “sea kayaks”.

These are real small unsinkable boats with useful watertight compartments.

Forget about the sinking: this boat cannot sink during your trip !

You won’t be left on your own! Local companies only rent kayaks for two paddlers and you’ll feel less tired a the end of the day.

For a first experience, you should always book a guided tour.

Before going to the water, you'll only learn the basics of kayaking. The guide clearly explains how to install yourself, adjust the shims for the feet, use the rudder, and, of course, the paddling process.

The kayak extraction is done by putting hands behind the back and pushing on the hull.

You will repeat the movement on the beach and you'll be surprised how easy it is.

You wear a life jacket and you paddle at a short distance from the coast. With a calm sea, it is virtually impossible for the kayak to capsize.And if the weather is bad, your guide would cancel the activity and refund you anyway...

The only “challenge” is to board. The rear passenger pushes the kayak in the sea while the teammate plants his oar into the sand to give him time to board. Nothing like bobsledding, I assure you! Store your stuff (cameras and sandwich...) in the sealed compartment, and let the adventure begin!

To land on a beach is even more simpler. You'll just have to paddle fast until you reach the beach. Really easy ... and I have not even spoken of the best part, since the kayak will allow you to reach the marine reserve of Tonga Island!

For this reason, we can't set foot on Tonga Island, the main island of the park. But you can get pretty close (65 ft) to observe the animals.

The fur seal colony that has taken up residence on the island enjoys the sun liying on the rocks. These splendid animals may also be encountered at various places in the park, mostly at Separation Point (on the granite promontories) and at Pinnacle Island.

Sea lions are very curious and often wander near swimmers or kayaks. They stare at you with their big expressive black eyes. It might happen that one of these creatures is emboldened to the point of climbing on the kayak, and you'll just have to keep calm and enjoy the show!

You will find that these creatures so clumsy on land are instead incredibly agile in the water.

I had the opportunity to join a tour that allows to dive amid sea lions in the company of an experienced guide. It is an experience that marks you for life!

If you see a tall figure below the surface, do not panic! This is not the Taniwa sea monster from Maori legends. You're dealing with an orca (the whale killer), that crosses the bay in spring season (between November and December). Not to worry, it does not attack humans...

Speaking of whales, I never had the chance to spot one during my kayak sessions. However, some travelers reported their presence (probably whales from Kaikoura).

Note: If you have the opportunity to take a picture, please share your trophy with Kiwipal!

On the other hand, you have far more chances to spot dolphins. They often swim around water taxis and perform spectacular leaps to impress the passengers on board.

When you'll be back on the coast, the little blue penguins may return from the beach. Keep your distance because they are very shy, unlike the cormorants flying over your head, trying to spot some delicious fishes.

All of these species can be admired during your water taxi trip. But to me, nothing replaces the kayak! Suffice to say that with all these emotions (and the paddling), you'll sleep well tonight...

It reminds me that we should discuss the accommodation.

You must take your sleeping bag, a camping gas stove and food for the whole trip. The insect repellent and sterilizing water pills are essential. The campfire atmosphere on the beach under the stars is unmatched, but this “spartan” solution may not be suitable for everyone.

Another option is to stay on the border of the national park. The major city nearby is called Motueka (nicknamed “Mot” by the locals). It welcomes up to 20,000 visitors during the high season when seasonal workers are looking for fruit picking jobs.

Motueka is the main gateway to the national park, but it's not necessarily the best place to stay.

Only 18 km further north, Kaiteriteri (“Kaiteri” for the locals) is a very nice popular town with beautiful beaches. And it is also the starting point for many excursions in the area.

But in my opinion, Marahau is definitely the ideal base camp if you plan to explore the Abel Tasman Park during your trip to New Zealand.

The incessant ballet of tractors on the beach, carrying piles of kayaks is crystal clear.

We are only 300 m from the beginning of the great Abel Tasman Coast Track. The majority of water taxis and tour operators are also based there.

I recommend Ocean View Chalets on the hills of Marahau. Not only because the booking of individual chalets is affordable, but mostly because the view of the bay is magnificent. At night, you may even follow a quick walk in the forest to admire hundreds of fireflies in the bushes!

Further north, a route round the park through the mountains reaches the town of Takaka, founded during the gold rush of 1850.

Today, the city has become the sanctuary of a population of artists and hippies who enjoy a life without stress.

The hills of Takaka are famous to welcome every year the biggest rave party of the country and the festivities go on for four days with backpackers from the world.

Unless you travel off-season, you will have to share this paradise with many Kiwis from Wellington. and the whole planet.

To avoid the crowd, it is better to plan your visit at the end of the summer season (february), when school holidays ends.

My trick is to start hiking north by taking a water taxi. The majority of travelers stops at Totaranui camping, but the track continues to Wainui and is often deserted.

Spring or autumn can be considered as great alternatives because the climate in the park is mild all year round (you may even consider winter).

You will come across fewer people on the trails, and the noise of the water taxis will be more discreet. I also find these seasons to be less windy than summer.

Perhaps the ideal solution is to combine kayaking, hiking and farniente on the beaches during your trip. If you have only one full day to spend, you may opt for an extended kayak tour followed by a hike between Bark Bay and Torrent Bay.

The water taxis will carry luggage and kayaks from one beach to another. This way, you may hike with a lightweight bag, containing some sandwiches, water bottles and swim suits.

If you tend to get seasick easily, then the 2h30 photogenic hike between Torrent Bay and Bark Bay is actually your best option.

Otherwise, the general opinion (which I share) represents the best kayak itinerary to be located between Awaroa and Marahau where the lagoons are a pure enchantment.

But the path along the coast is not the only hike available in the park. Another one called the Abel Tasman Inland Track is in fact a three-days mountain forest hike.

If you confuse the two hikes (as a friend of mine did last year), do not expect to enjoy the beach... It is a rough path that requires training and equipment.

As always, it's a challenge for me to stay focus when I write a post about New Zealand. Because it's just so difficult not to mention Golden Bay and Farewell Spit, the two wonders bordering the Abel Tasman park ! But we'll discuss these topics somewhere else later if you don't mind.

Do not hesitate to send pictures of your stay in New Zealand: we would be happy to publish the best ones on Kiwipal.

And if you have any questions, our dear Ben will be happy to answer them! He is our hiking expert guide, a friendly guy and also the mascot of Kiwipal.