Six days gives Nelson one night, Abel Tasman two and Golden Bay enough time to justify crossing Tākaka Hill. The route works best when water transport replaces some road kilometres and the final coast remains flexible.
Nelson to Marahau
Use Nelson for supplies and a city night, then pause in Māpua or Motueka before Marahau. Summer traffic is slow and camps near the national park book early.
Reserve water taxis, campsites and huts through the correct operator or DOC system. Tides affect several coastal track crossings, so the day's schedule should begin with the tide table.
Over Tākaka Hill
Fuel in Motueka and cross the hill in daylight. The road is steep, winding and tiring for large vehicles, with winter ice or storm damage possible.
Tākaka makes the practical base for food and weather decisions. Te Waikoropupū Springs has strict contact restrictions that protect its water, and every barrier should be treated as non-negotiable.
Golden Bay north
Pūponga and Farewell Spit sit farther from services than they appear. Join an authorised tour where access is restricted and avoid driving onto tidal sand.
Keep the final night near Tākaka if a ferry or flight follows. Crossing the hill and reaching Nelson or Picton under time pressure removes the calm that makes Golden Bay worth visiting.
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.
- Track sites and huts book out early
- Water taxis need booking too
- Decide the shape before booking
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.
- Tākaka Hill is the only way in
- No entry to the Pupu Springs water
- Allow well over the estimated time
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.
- Book December to March far ahead
- Shoulder season is much easier
Places along the way
Take it on the road
Save the stops. Plan the whole trip.
Build an ordered route from saved places, calculate the distance and keep dates, notes and to-dos attached.