Abel Tasman

Photo taken by: The Planet D (Flying Kiwi Traveller)

Tours in Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman - Tour Highlights

New Zealand’s smallest (22,530 hectares) and only coastal national park is also one of the most beautiful national parks in New Zealand.

A coastal paradise of golden sand beaches, crystal clear waters and native bush. The Abel Tasman track is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks which has you travelling through the native forest, alongside hidden bays and coastlines, over golden sand beaches and in and out of the many canyons. There's a great water taxi operation serviced by Aqua Taxis that take you in and out of the park if you want to walk one way you can water taxi out...easy!

For at least 500 years Maori lived along the Abel Tasman coast, gathering food from the sea, estuaries and forests, and growing kumera on suitable sites. Most occupation was seasonal but some sites in Awaroa estuary were permanent. The Ngati Tumatakokiri people were resident when, on 18 December 1642, the Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman anchored his two ships near Wainui in Mohua (Golden Bay), the first European to visit Aotearoa - New Zealand. He lost four crew in a skirmish with the local people and soon moved on.

Permanent European settlement began around 1855. The settlers logged forests, built ships, quarried granite and fired the hillsides to create pasture. For a time there was prosperity but soon the easy timber was gone and gorse and bracken invaded the hills. Little now remains of their enterprises.Concern about the prospect of more logging along the coast prompted a campaign to have 15,000 hectares of crown land made into a national park. A petition presented to the Government suggested Abel Tasman's name for the park and it was duly opened in 1942 - the 300th anniversary of his visit.

Time spent here while on a Flying Kiwi tour:

We spend 3 nights in this coastal paradise where we slow down and enjoy some amazing days.

Tours that take you here:

BOTH ISLAND TOURS:    SOUTH ISLAND TOURS:
Ultimate Explorer - 27 or 28 days       Summer Blast - 16, 17 or 19 days  
Total Aotearoa - 24 days  Wild West - 8 or 9 days
Reverse Traverse - 14 or 15 days  


Where we stay: 

Old MacDonalds Farm & Holiday Park – A happy peaceful area with all you need to enjoy three amazing days in this little paradise. It’s the gate to the Abel Tasman National Park, just beside the start of the Abel Tasman Coast Track.

- On-site shop
- Laundry $3 per wash (45min) & $3 per dry (45min)
- Wifi voucher $5 for 24h 10GB
- Cabin upgrade

Things to do:

The range of activities is huge as you’ll see in the next section. You’ll never get bored in Abel Tasman. Any stroll takes you to a beautiful place, to a nice experience. So keep on moving, go for a swim, visit the cafes in the community, enjoy the beautiful beaches and fell the sea winds!

Free Things to Do:

Kaiteri Relax on the beach at Kaiteriteri - voted one of the top 10 beaches in New Zealand!

  

Hiking Options:

Abel Tasman National Park tracks - Marvel at naturally sculptured granite cliffs and crystal-clear waters. Blessed with a mild climate, golden beaches and coastal forest, the Abel Tasman Coast Track has it all! You can book a water taxi to make the hikes one way. Here are some suggested routes:

- Anchorage to Marahau, 12,4km
- Anchorage to Cleopatra’s Pool to Marahau, 14km
- Bark Bay to Marahau, Low tide 21km, High Tide 24,1km
- Multi-day - Onetahuti to Anchorage, Low Tide 14,7km, High Tide 17,8km & Anchorage to Marahau, 12,4km (the hut and campsites must be booked)

Cycle Options:

Kaiteriteri MTB Park –There are trails for all abilities in this exciting Recreation Reserve.

Tasman’s Great Taste Trail - Follow the trail to the Bike Park entrance and the easy rider trail will take you to the beautiful Kaiteriteri Beach, from here you can explore more trails in the bike park or just chill on the beach, grabbing a refreshment before you tackle the remaining ride into camp. It’s a 34km ride.