Six jours donnent à Nelson une nuit, à Abel Tasman deux et à Golden Bay suffisamment de temps pour justifier la traversée de Tākaka Hill. L'itinéraire fonctionne mieux lorsque le transport fluvial remplace certains kilomètres de route et que la côte finale reste flexible.
Nelson vers Marahau
Utilisez Nelson pour vous ravitailler et passer une nuit en ville, puis faites une pause à Māpua ou Motueka avant Marahau. La circulation estivale est lente et les camps proches du parc national réservent tôt.
Réservez des bateaux-taxis, des campings et des refuges via le bon opérateur ou le système DOC. Les marées affectent plusieurs traversées de voies côtières, le programme de la journée devrait donc commencer par l'horaire des marées.
Au-dessus de la colline Takaka
Faites le plein à Motueka et traversez la colline en plein jour. La route est raide, sinueuse et fatigante pour les gros véhicules, avec des dégâts causés par le verglas ou les tempêtes en hiver.
Takaka constitue la base pratique des décisions alimentaires et météorologiques. Te Waikoropupū Springs a des restrictions de contact strictes qui protègent son eau, et chaque barrière doit être traitée comme non négociable.
Baie d'Or au nord
Pūponga et Farewell Spit sont plus éloignés des services qu’il n’y paraît. Rejoignez une visite autorisée dont l'accès est restreint et évitez de conduire sur le sable de marée.
Gardez la dernière nuit près de Takaka si un ferry ou un vol suit. Traverser la colline et atteindre Nelson ou Picton sous la pression du temps supprime le calme qui fait que Golden Bay mérite une visite.
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.
Lieux sur le chemin
Emportez-le sur la route
Enregistrez les arrêts. Planifiez tout le voyage.
Créez un itinéraire ordonné à partir de lieux enregistrés, calculez la distance et conservez les dates, les notes et les tâches en pièce jointe.