Seis días le dan a Nelson una noche, a Abel Tasman dos y a Golden Bay tiempo suficiente para justificar cruzar la colina Tākaka. La ruta funciona mejor cuando el transporte acuático reemplaza algunos kilómetros por carretera y la costa final sigue siendo flexible.
Nelson a Marahau
Utilice Nelson para comprar suministros y pasar una noche en la ciudad, luego haga una pausa en Māpua o Motueka antes de Marahau. El tráfico en verano es lento y los campamentos cerca del parque nacional se reservan con anticipación.
Reserve taxis acuáticos, campings y cabañas a través del operador correcto o del sistema DOC. Las mareas afectan a varios cruces de vías costeras, por lo que el horario del día debe comenzar con la tabla de mareas.
Sobre la colina Takaka
Reposte combustible en Motueka y cruce la colina a la luz del día. El camino es empinado, sinuoso y agotador para vehículos grandes, con hielo invernal o posibles daños por tormentas.
Takaka constituye la base práctica para las decisiones sobre alimentación y clima. Te Waikoropupū Springs tiene estrictas restricciones de contacto que protegen su agua, y cada barrera debe tratarse como no negociable.
Bahía Dorada al norte
Pūponga y Farewell Spit se encuentran más lejos de los servicios de lo que parecen. Únase a un recorrido autorizado donde el acceso está restringido y evite conducir sobre la arena de las mareas.
Pase la última noche cerca de Tākaka si le sigue un ferry o un vuelo. Cruzar la colina y llegar a Nelson o Picton bajo presión de tiempo elimina la calma que hace que valga la pena visitar Golden Bay.
Abel Tasman is a booking exercise
The coastal track campsites and huts are booked rather than turn-up, and they sell out for the summer season well in advance. Water taxis run from Marahau and Kaiteriteri and are the standard way to combine a walk with a return, which also has to be booked.
Decide the shape of your walk before you book anything: one-way with a taxi pickup, a day walk from Marahau, or a multi-day with hut or campsite nights. Each has different booking requirements and they interlock.
Tidal crossings are not optional timing
Two sections of the coastal track cross tidal estuaries at Awaroa and Torrent Bay, and they are passable only around low tide. Missing the window means a long wait or a high-tide alternative track, and people are caught out on this regularly.
Get the tide table when you book and plan the day around it rather than around distance. The estuary crossings dictate your start time, not your preference.
Tākaka Hill and Golden Bay
The road over Tākaka Hill is steep, winding and slow, and it is the only route into Golden Bay. It takes longer than the distance suggests and is a real workout in a campervan, but the bay on the other side is worth the effort.
Te Waikoropupū Springs are among the clearest freshwater springs measured anywhere and are culturally significant to Ngāti Tama and Te Ātiawa. The water is not to be entered, and the boardwalk keeps you off it.
Farewell Spit and the far north of the island
The spit is a wetland of international importance and vehicle access beyond the first section is restricted to a licensed tour operator. Wharariki Beach, reached by a twenty minute walk across farmland, is the more accessible highlight and frequently the better one.
Check the tide for Wharariki, because the arches and the seal pups in the rock pools are only reachable at lower water. The walk crosses private farmland, so keep to the track and close the gates.
Nelson and the Great Taste Trail
Nelson has the highest sunshine hours in the country and a substantial arts and food scene, and the Great Taste Trail is a mostly flat cycle route linking wineries, breweries and cafes between the city, Māpua and Motueka. Bike hire and shuttle services make a one-way day easy.
The Saturday market in Nelson is one of the better ones in the country and worth planning around. Māpua wharf, on the trail, has a cluster of good food and a passenger ferry across the estuary.
Nelson also works as the restock point before Golden Bay, since the shops beyond Tākaka are limited and everything has to cross the hill. Do the big shop here rather than in Motueka.
When to go
Abel Tasman is at its best from December to March and is correspondingly full, with track sites booked months ahead. Shoulder season gives you the same coast with availability and cooler water.
Nelson has the highest sunshine hours in the country, so even outside summer the odds of good weather here are better than most of the South Island.
Lugares a lo largo del camino
Llévalo a la carretera
Guarda las paradas. Planifica todo el viaje.
Cree una ruta ordenada a partir de lugares guardados, calcule la distancia y mantenga adjuntas fechas, notas y tareas pendientes.