Sei giorni danno a Nelson una notte, Abel Tasman due e Golden Bay abbastanza tempo per giustificare l'attraversamento della collina di Tākaka. Il percorso funziona meglio quando il trasporto via acqua sostituisce alcuni chilometri stradali e la costa finale rimane flessibile.
Nelson a Marahau
Usa Nelson per i rifornimenti e per una notte in città, quindi fermati a Māpua o Motueka prima di Marahau. Il traffico estivo è lento e i campeggi vicino al parco nazionale prenotano presto.
Prenota taxi acquei, campeggi e rifugi tramite il corretto operatore o sistema DOC. Le maree influenzano diversi attraversamenti della strada costiera, quindi il programma della giornata dovrebbe iniziare con la tavola delle maree.
Sulla collina Tākaka
Fai rifornimento a Motueka e attraversa la collina alla luce del giorno. La strada è ripida, tortuosa e faticosa per i veicoli di grandi dimensioni, con possibili danni dovuti al ghiaccio invernale o al temporale.
Tākaka costituisce la base pratica per le decisioni sul cibo e sul clima. Te Waikoropupū Springs ha rigide restrizioni di contatto che proteggono le sue acque e ogni barriera dovrebbe essere trattata come non negoziabile.
Baia d'Oro a nord
Pūponga e Farewell Spit si trovano più lontani dai servizi di quanto sembri. Partecipa a un tour autorizzato in cui l'accesso è limitato ed evita di guidare sulla sabbia delle maree.
Trascorri l'ultima notte vicino a Tākaka se segue un traghetto o un volo. Attraversare la collina e raggiungere Nelson o Picton sotto pressione toglie la calma che rende Golden Bay degna di essere visitata.
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.
Luoghi lungo il percorso
Portalo in viaggio
Salva le fermate. Pianifica l'intero viaggio.
Costruisci un percorso ordinato partendo dai luoghi salvati, calcola la distanza e mantieni allegate date, note e cose da fare.