What an amazing walk! We were so lucky to snag perfect weather for most of the trip with only one day of light rain. If you ever get the chance to do this one you absolutely must!

Day 1: Nelson > Bus to Marahau > Aqua Taxi to Totaranui > Walk to Mutton Cove Campground

It took a fair bit of planning to come up with an itinerary that would let us stay at our chosen campsites and still make the low-tide crossings. In the end, we decided to catch a boat from Marahau to “the end” and walk back towards Marahau. It turns out this was a great choice, as we got to see the coastline from the boat and get a glimpse of everything we had in store for the next few days.

It was low tide, which meant they had to launch the boats way out on the sandbank using tractors. It was a wild start to the trip and something different to get us into adventure mode, with a couple of quick stops to see Split Apple Rock and do some seal spotting.

We’d done a bit of research, and a lot of the comments said this was a pretty flat walk with undulating hills, which kind of made it sound like you could just walk it in sneakers or whatever. But to be honest, I’m glad I had my boots. There were a few muddy sections and definitely some steep hills, although these were mostly detours around landslips and damaged track.

Arriving at Totaranui, we jumped ashore and got our shit together before starting off down the road towards Mutton Cove, about 6 km (1.5 hours) away.

Straight away, I knew this walk was going to be something special. The water looked amazing, the weather was perfect, and I was in good company.

Arriving at Mutton Cove, we locked in some “prime real estate” right by the shore and got to making some lunch. It was around this time I learned about weka.

A few people had mentioned weka and how they steal your food, but after spotting one on the trail, I was a little underwhelmed by this oversized quail. The way everyone was carrying on, I was expecting an emu-sized beast with the beak of a kea. What I wasn’t prepared for was how persistent they are. They would stalk and hunt for any packet or ziplock bag left unattended. Jenna, my Kiwi companion who I assumed would have some experience dealing with these little guys, was pretty much useless in managing the situation and almost lost an entire bag of trail snacks. The poor little weka was running for his life with the biggest haul of his career when he tripped over his own face and was forced to leave his prize behind.

Day 2: Mutton Cove > Awaroa Hut > Onetahuti Bay 18k (~6hr)

This was the one part of the trip that we had to time right in order to catch the low tide and make the crossing over Awaroa Inlet to Awaroa Hut. We’d both agreed that Tevas were required for this trip, and this turned out to be a good choice, as we ended up making a couple of low-tide crossings that would’ve been too deep for boots and not much fun in bare feet (lots of sharp rocks and shells). This particular crossing was timed perfectly, and we had a clear run across to the hut and then on to Onetahuti Bay.

Day 3: Onetahuti Bay > Te Pukatea Bay 19km (~6.5hr)

The only rainy day of our trip but it was actually kinda nice to have a little rain on this section, it really made the moss stand out and everything just looked so green! All the streams and waterfalls got a little top up too. Another sneaky low tide crossing at Torrent Bay shortened our day drastically which was definitely welcomed.

“The best part of the Abel Tasman was the water, but also when the water wasn’t there” – Jen probably

We didn’t hang long at The Anchorage as it felt really busy and there was way more people than we were really in the headspace for so we continued on to Te Pukatea Bay, a beautifully secluded campsite with just a few spaces and nowhere near as busy as The Anchorage.

Day 4: Te Pukatea Bay > Marahau 12km (~4hr)

It was our last day, so we psyched ourselves up for a swim. We knew we’d regret it if we came all this way and didn’t swim. It was freezing, but totally worth it.

This last section climbed up over the bay with some impressive views back over the park. The weather had come good again and we were treated to some pretty spectacular photo ops. Eventually, the track dropped back down into Marahau, where we finished up at the Park Cafe and treated ourselves to a hot meal and some cold beers. Not the most challenging walk, but absolutely one of the most spectacular and I would do it again in a heartbeat

“Separation Point? Well, I guess this is goodbye then.”