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one of the most frequented places in the South Island....known for great Beaches,hiking the Abel Tasman Track.....and no worries about the weather.an enchanting, beautiful place.....not always tranquile, a lot of Kiwis choose the place for there own Holidays..but hey, I always say..mingle with the locals.the website belowe is terrific, with all the infos you need, and an Accommotation to boot
After I had seen a photo of Split Apple Rock I absolutely wanted to see this obviously huge rock. On the photos and postcards you see a man in the V-shaped gap of this apple-shaped rock broken in two pieces. I expected a huuuuuuge rock-sculpture.Well, it was still a very big rock - but I admit, I had expected double size LOL Still it was impressive.If you go on a boat trip from Kaiteriteri which takes longer than two hours - normally a guided tour including kayaking and/or walking, and also the sightseeing tours on bigger vessels - the first stop is at Split Apple Rock, and when the tour of the rock is done and everybody has taken his photos the trips continues. When I spent an hour on the beach there, about every five minutes a boat arrived, two kayak parties not included, and this was in the off-season in early November.You see those split rocks - just in other shapes and sizes -...
Tonga Island is the breeding island of the seals off the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park. The beaches of this island are made up of steep boulders with crevices and tidal pools where you can spot a lot of seals at certain times of the year. But also on the rocky parts of the other islands off the coast - like Adele and Fisherman Island - you will see seals almost certainly, mainly non-breeding males. On my last tour in November (2007) they were everywhere. Lying in the sun, swimming, playing.The seal tours are from Nov to May. The best time to swim with seals - if you dare, I don't - is Feb to May. If the animals - normally pups - interact with you totally depends on their mood, the tide, waves, water visibility, and feeding patterns. The higher the tides, the more lively the encounters. Pups sometimes climb onto kayaks - and obviously do not bite LOL The ones we met on our kayak...
Different in every part you will enjoy the fantastic scenery of the New Zealand native rainforest with huge fern trees, pass a real suspension bridge or have to walk over the beaches of golden sand and will have to cross some inlets (ask for the tides). The track runs for 50 km from Marahau along some lovely beaches like Torrent Bay, Bark Bay to Awaroa Bay and further north.Along the track you will find camping sites.It is a great walk through native bush and along lovely golden beaches. With the frequently running 'water taxis' it is also possible to walk a part of the track.
Although the smallest of all national parks in New Zealand, it has a lot to offer. Most famous is the Coast Track (total 50 km). This track runs from Marahau along some beaches to Awaroa Bay (with lodge) and further north.You can hike along this beautiful track for more days (along the track you will find camping areas) or just do a part. We took a “water taxi” from Kaiteriteri ( it is also possible from Marahau), disembarked on one of the beaches, walked along the track, enjoyed the golden beaches and picked up your "taxi" on another beach and returned to Kaiteriteri.Or just take a "taxi" to one of the golden beaches and enjoy the sun, the beach and the water.
Finally you can hire mountainbikes and go on freedom or guided trips in Marahau and bike in the Abel Tasman National Park. I had considered hiring a bike for biking in the Motueka area but got lured off this activity by the offer of a kayak trip and the walk to Split Apple Rock... I will try again next time ;-)But I can already say now that I would only hire a bike ($45 half day, $65 full day). The guided tours are just too expensive for my taste. For example, it costs $145 to get you 1000 metres up Takaka Hill from the base of the company in Marahau, and then your downhill and cross-country tour starts. It takes 4 to 5 hours and leads over the Rameka Track which is high on the to-do-list of Kiwis. But for someone who loves MTB on steep downhill trails and difficult terrain more than I do, it might be well worth the investment.Other options are combined adventure tours which - apart from...
You can also have a great view of Split Apple Rock for free - by walking down to the beach.At low tide you could access the beach from Kaiteriteri by climbing over the rocks of two bays. But I would not really recommend this. Although the rock is closer to Marahau you do not reach it on foot from there as you would have to cross the tidal mudflats at low tide - which is really, really dangerous.So... You have to drive on the coastal road from Kaiteriteri to Marahau, up and down and again up the hill until you see a simple sign to Tokongawa Drive. Correctly it would be spelled Toko Ngawa Drive - named after the bay it leads to. (The G in Ngawa is not pronounced.)You follow this Toko Ngawa Drive to a carpark. Split Apple Rock is signposted only after the first turn from the main road.Then a downhill track over steep staircases and boardwalks through native forest with a lot of tree ferns...
Click here for Part 1Depending on how many water taxi rides are included, the prices for the trips vary a lot. The cheapest option for a guided tour is the Split Apple Classic half-day tour ($80) which does not require any water-taxi ride. You will see and stop at this famous apple-shaped split rock near a beach between Kaiteriteri and Marahau on every trip, be it from the kayak or the water-taxi. The most expensive one-day option is the One Day Soul Food for $250. This includes two water-taxi rides and leads up to Mutton Cove in the very north of the Abel Tasman National Park. On most tours you will see seals, land on those circular-shaped red-golden beaches, have tea, milo or coffee with FROTHED milk!I did the One Day Royale with Cheese ($165). Due to the wind the trip started by water-taxi in Kaiteriteri, past the Split Apple Rock, we had stops for watching seals on the small islands...
Finally I went on a kayak trip in the Abel Tasman National Park. And as a super-athlete in athletics I thought I should go on a full-day kayaking trip - which somehow was the wrong decision as I normally do not paddle during the year although I once learnt it on the Danube. Although it was a great day out on the water five hours paddling was obviously too much for my right hand which gets permanently stressed by garden work, weightlifting in the gym, discus throwing and shot-putting, endless typing... To make it short: Although I did not feel the slightest muscular pain (while other participants of the trip could not lift their arms the next day) I got a very bad tendinitis, and was out of service (kitchen, cleaning, gardening LOL) for quite a while.So choose wise what you do - as there are endless possibilities about kayaking in this wonderful region. First of all, you can choose from...
Marahau is not just a great place to start a walk on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, take a water taxi or make a tour in a sea-kayak. It is also wonderful for birdwatching.If you leave the township towards the Coastal Track, just at the carpark, do not walk along the road but on the boardwalks through the wetlands, and over the beach at the start of low tide, you will spot a lot of sea, shore and wading birds, not just seagulls which you find everywhere in New Zealand. There are a lot of shags, pukekos, wekas and other rails, as well as white-faced herons, banded dotterels, white-fronted terns and many others. Already a lot of work has been done in the re-establishment of a wetland habitat for native fish and birds to provide a diversity of breeding sites and feeding areas. The project began in 1996 with local initiative, money and labour. A piece of Crown land by the Marahau Road was an...
DeLorenzo's Studio Apartments Nelson Nelson
1 Review and 40 Opinions Steer clear if you expect clean, ironed sheets. On turning bed down, we found un-ironed, and...
Riversong Cottages Murchison
8 Opinions
Flag Inn Alpine Lodge Saint Arnaud
1 Review and 34 Opinions The Alpine Lodge is hard to miss in St. Arnaud - the fact that it is the only Hotel there may have...
Reviews and photos of Nelson/Tasman attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Nelson/Tasman sightseeing.
Q: It seems to me there are quite a few tramping and kayaking options for someone with limited time. The question is: which is the...
A: For your walk you do not only have to choose the most picturesque parts but also consider that you have low and high tide sections between Totaranui and Awaroa Bay and...
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