On the night prior to your tour we will deliver a gear bag to your hotel/motel reception. This is the bag you will use for your overnight luggage for the tour. It is a black sports bag with a plastic liner and is yours to take away after the tour. 

Please pack into this the items you will need each night at the lodges.  Any excess gear can be stored for you at the walk office on the day of departure.

On the morning of your first day, you will be picked up from your accommodation, or if you have a car, you will be directed to safe parking. Day Packs can be borrowed if required, and excess luggage can be safely stored. There is a safe in the office for use if you need to store valuable items.

Lodges operate on a tab system so any payments for drinks etc are settled at the end of the tour.

Please Note: This tour is very flexible, with a number of options available to take optimal advantage of weather conditions for your walking comfort.  

• The trip direction may be reversed in some cases, with an earlier pick up in Nelson and Motueka. 
• Walking each day is optional. Some people prefer to take the ferry between lodges. This flexibility is perfect for couples or groups who are visiting the park together, but wish to do different things.  Please discuss options with your guide before each day’s departure.

Board the comfortable Vista Cruise to travel the length of the golden Abel Tasman coast from Kaiteriteri north to Totaranui, relaxing on the viewing decks and enjoying refreshments from the cafe.

From Totaranui, walk through mature native forest and along secluded beaches to the breathtaking expanse of Awaroa Inlet where you’ll reach Meadowbank Homestead – a faithful recreation of the Wilson family’s original home on the ‘finest site in the bay’.

Approximate times

• Scenic drive to Kaiteriteri – 1 hour from Nelson, or 20 mins from Motueka
• Cruise Kaiteriteri to Totaranui – 1 hour 40 mins
• Walk Totaranui to Awaroa – 2.5 hours (7km/4.5 miles) including tidal crossing; maximum elevation 100m/340ft

Trip details

Pick up in Nelson or Motueka

Please note that Wednesday departures and some low season departures have an earlier start. 

Meet your guide at our Motueka office for a welcome briefing with time for last-minute luggage organisation, before departing to Kaiteriteri by coach.

Vista Cruise departs Kaiteriteri.

Arrive Totaranui to walk to Awaroa Inlet. Either walk, if the tide is out, or take a boat ride across the stunning expanse of the largest inlet on the coast.

Enjoy a warm welcome at Meadowbank Homestead at Awaroa, right on the edge of the inlet. Freshen up with a hot shower in your ensuite room while your hosts prepare a delicious evening meal. Local beer and wine is available for purchase at the in-house bar. 

Accommodation: Meadowbank Homestead at Awaroa

Meals included: lunch, afternoon tea, dinner

Relax over breakfast overlooking Meadowbank’s gardens and the beautiful waters of Abel Tasman’s largest tidal estuary. Your guide will help you create your perfect day whether you want to be active in Awaroa’s beautiful surrounds or just savour the comfort and tranquillity of Meadowbank.

Optional activities

• explore Awaroa estuary on foot (up to 4 hours) or kayak (up to 2 hours; tides permitting)
• visit early European and pre-European historical sites
• unwind on the beach
• relax and enjoy the comforts of Meadowbank Homestead

Accommodation: Meadowbank Homestead at Awaroa

Meals included: breakfast, morning & afternoon tea, lunch, dinner

Your walk today follows the coastal track through cool native forest and reaches golden sand beaches, perfect for swimming. Wake up to another relaxing breakfast in Meadowbank’s lovely surrounds then choose how much walking you want to do; your guide will arrange boat transfers to suit your needs.

Approximate times

• Walk in 3 sections of 2 hours each
• Awaroa to Onetahuti and Tonga Quarry –6km/3.5 miles; maximum elevation 85m/280ft
• Tonga Quarry to Bark Bay (Medlands Beach) – 4km/2.5 miles; maximum elevation 120m/400ft
• Bark Bay to Torrent Bay – 7km/4.4 miles; maximum elevation 105m/340ft

Depart Awaroa for the scenic walk to Onetahuti, which features a beautiful boardwalk and bridge designed by the ocal iwi (Maori tribe). Stroll along the golden sands and enjoy refreshments supplied by your guide.

Before climbing the low saddle out of Onetahuti, explore the site of Tonga Quarry and hear stories of the unusual granite features and historic relics. Descend to Bark Bay via the Waterfall Trail featuring views of the cascade from a sturdy swing bridge.

Relax over lunch at Bark Bay where there’s a shelter, picnic tables, filtered drinking water and modern toilets. Rest in the shade, explore the bay or refresh with a swim. After lunch, you’ll walk the most varied section the coastal track as it winds through verdant gullies of mature beech forest, fern grottos and groves of fragrant manuka framing coastal vistas. Cross the swing bridge at Falls River and continue to Torrent Bay.

Arrive at beautiful Torrent Bay with its village of beachfront holiday houses including our Torrent Bay Lodge where your ensuite room and evening meal awaits.

Accommodation: Torrent Bay Lodge

Meals included: breakfast, morning & afternoon tea, lunch, dinner

Your guide will happily help you choose what to do today, whether you want to head off on adventures or just relax at the beachfront lodge.

 Optional activities

• walk through breathtaking virgin forest up to the waterfalls on Falls River
• kayak or walk around the estuary and visit the peaceful grotto of Cleopatra’s Pool
• walk to the golden expanse of Anchorage beach and picturesque Te Pukatea cove visiting historic Maori sites at Pitt Head along the way
• unwind on glorious Torrent Bay beach
• relax and enjoy the comforts of the lodge

 Accommodation: Torrent Bay Lodge

 Meals included: breakfast, morning & afternoon tea, lunch, dinner

Wake up to golden light over the water and perhaps a coffee on the deck before breakfast. Today’s walk follows the easiest section of the coastal track from Torrent Bay to Marahau, with panoramic views across Tasman Bay to Nelson. This is a day rich in history, too, as your guide recount stories of how major landmarks were named by early explorers.

Approximate times

• Walk 4–5 hours (depending on tides) – 13– 6km/8–10 miles; maximum elevation 110m/360ft
•  Scenic drive from Kaiteriteri – 20 mins to Motueka or 1 hour to Nelson

 Meals included: breakfast, morning tea, lunch

Trip details

Depart Torrent Bay Lodge. The tides will determine whether you walk around the inlet taking in views overlooking Anchorage Beach, or take the fun short-cut across the inlet to reach the main coastal track.

Stop for lunch at a sheltered beach with views over the Astrolabe Roadstead to Adele Island.

Finish your leisurely walk at Marahau, at the end of coastal track, where a driver will meet you for the return journey to Motueka via Kaiteriteri where you’ll collect your overnight luggage from the boat 

Those returning to Nelson will be dropped off back in the city centre around 5:30pm.

                                                   This tour is operated in conjunction with another operator.