Abel Tasman Coastal Track: Day 1: Marahau to Anchorage

Jon returns to the sunny north...Abel Tasman NP!!!

I just completed my annual pilgrimage to the Abel Tasman National Park at the beginning of this month. every year I head north just of season to complete a section of the track. This year I walked the track in the opposite direction and headed from Anchorage to Totaranui. 

Main street of Marahau and the start of the trip

This time around I took a watertaxi to Anchorage on the first day as I have walked the section from Marahau before and did not feel like I needed to repeat it. 

Aqua Taxis make the park very accessible

The weather was good on the first and second day but awful on day three when I was walking to Awaroa from Bark Bay. It was raining cats and dogs and very windy especially when crossing Tonga Saddle. It was some of the worst weather I have encountered since the Paparoa Track and made the normally benign trip a bit taxing...

Rain and howling wind at Onetahuti Beach

As always the park was beautiful...one of the reasons I have been back so many times. I would spend a lot of time here if I lived up in Nelson as it really is quite spectacular. 

Looking along the beach at Anchorage towards the hills

It was another excellent trip to a beloved location and the action all started at Anchorage near the start of the track...

Marahau to Anchorage on a watertaxi...

As I said before I debated walking into Anchorage from Marahau but decided in the end that it was not necessary as I have walked this section four times in the past. There are some nice areas but a lot of it is on the fringe of the park where there is less native forest. I was also recently recovered from COVID and trying to take it easy...more about that later!!

Low tide at Marahau Inlet in the morning

 So I took a water taxi to Anchorage instead...I know its the cheats way but given how out of breath I feel on the subsequent days it was probably a good decision. 

View of the Abel Tasman NP from Marahau

The watertaxi's are an integral part of the Abel Tasman experience and make getting up and down the coast quick and simple. They also make it possible to do day trips to the park walking from one bay to another which is what most people are doing here at this time of the year. This is something I have yet to do...so an idea for the future perhaps!!!

The watertaxi I took to Anchorage at Marahau

The boat was called Te Maki= Orca (Killer Whale)

You start the trip from Marahau which is the base of operations for two of the three watertaxi companies. I always use Aquataxi Abel Tasman as they have smaller boast able to access every beach in the park. You launch from Marahau and make your way along the coast stopping at the beaches and bays in between. 

They also run nature cruises along the coast as well as scenic trips if walking is not your thing...

The watertaxi launches from the beach at Marahau

Your first stop is at Split Apple Rock just east of Marahau...the taxi sometimes picks people up on the nearby beach but really it is a visit to a well known tourist spot. You can sometimes see Fur Seals in this area and at certain times of the year Terns and Shags nest on the nearby cliffs. 

Split Apple Rock, Tasman Bay 

On a clear day you can see right across Tasman Bay to the islands and ridges of the Marlborough Sounds. They were clearly visible on the day I travelled and I could even make out Mt Taranaki and the lower parts of the North Island about 50 kilometers away over Cook Strait. 

Hills and islands of the Marlborough Sounds

Passing Coquille Beach enroute to Anchorage

We stopped at Adele Island on the way and saw about half a dozen Seals resting on the rocks and swimming just off shore. The breeding season has not yet started so it was mothers with last seasons cubs...the males and single females will start arriving in late September...

Seal watching near Adele Island in the Astrolabe Roadstead

Anchorage is the first stop for boats heading west to Totaranui so before you know it you will find yourself cruising into Anchorage and those beautiful golden sandy beaches. 

Distant view of Anchorage Beach

 That was more or less the extent of my travels on the day...I was staying at Anchorage that night and would be spending the rest of the afternoon and evening there. 

Arrival at Anchorage...

There were hardly any people at Anchorage which was very surprising as it was such a fantastic day. As the day progressed more and more day walkers arrived. Most of them were gone by 3 pm as multiple watertaxi's came to uplift people and take them back to Marahau and Kaiteriteri. 

Arriving on the beach at Anchorage

Looking east towards Pitts Head from the beach

I headed up to the hut to get myself a bed...I was the first overnight visitor to arrive and had my pick of the bunkrooms. July-September is the ideal time to visit the Abel Tasman as visitor numbers are low.

 I would plan to walk mid week if you can as that is when it will be the quietest. For most of the four days I spent in the park I was walking by myself about 95% of the time...

DOC sign at the entrance to Anchorage Campsite

The Coastal Track starts down on the beach

Prior to European settlers there were a number of permanent and temporary Maori settlements along this coast. There were various food sources here, fresh water and timber. The main settlements were around Marahau, Torrent Bay and Whariwharangi but food gathering occurred right along the coast. 

DOC have started to install information panels along the coast discussing the impact of Maori on the area. I noticed new ones at Anchorage, Torrent Bay, Medlands Beach and Totaranui. 

Carved Maori figure at Anchorage Campsite

I was back at the palatial Anchorage Hut for my fifth visit....it really is one of the best DOC huts I have visited while tramping. The previous hut was a copy of Bark Bay Hut that was showing its age and far less salubrious...this is an excellent replacement.

Anchorage Hut (2014), Abel Tasman NP

The main window in Anchorage Hut

Anchorage Hut was built in 2014 to replace the previous hut at what was then considered crazy price of $1.2 million dollars. Various outdoor groups went mad about the waste of money...my how times have changed!

The new Mintaro Hut down on the Milford Track cost over $4 million dollars in 2021. Even the much smaller 12 bunk Casey Hut II cost over $500 000. That is why it is imperative that we look after these huts as DOC does not have the resources to replace a multi million dollar hut every year. 

There is a large veranda on the front of Anchorage Hut

The site is well set out with a toilet block at both ends of the accommodation and plenty of outdoor seating for when the weather is good enough to sit outside and enjoy it. There are a couple of picnic tables and a big deck that I have seen people sunning themselves on in the past. 

Watch the local Weka though...they are thieving bastards!!!

Deck and picnic table at Anchorage

The hut has a number of 8 bunk 'cells' instead of the usual one big room (...to house them all...) so I chose the second cell from the living area. This was the third time I have stayed in that particular cell and I think it is ideally placed to access all the facilities at the hut. 

There are four outside bunkrooms at Anchorage Hut

Anchorage Hut is very nice but I am not a fan of the set up of the bunkrooms...they are eight bunk cells which is fine if every group is eight people strong but means you end up sharing with other people. I don't mind this but it does make it a bit awkward as you feel like you are imposing on them. If it is one big bunkroom there is more anonymity. 

Anchorage Hut: interior of the bunkrooms

 I had a bunk-room cell to myself as there were only four of us staying in the hut that night. 

My companions for the next couple of nights were a couple from Tasmania called Bruce and Ali and a Filipino-American woman called Mahalee. Hey guys if you are reading this I hope you are well!!!

Anchorage Hut: the bunkrooms have these awesome cubicles

After lunch I tided my gear away and went for a walk around the hut site...this is a well thought out hut with piles of space, nice surroundings and some cool features. They have filtered water taps for drinking water, a large and spacious living area and even a USB compatible charge station for I-pads and cell phones.

Anchorage Hut: Interior of kitchen area

The living space at Anchorage Hut

Anchorage Hut: lots if information inside

The view from inside the living area has to be one of the best from a DOC hut in New Zealand. You can well imagine a multi billion dollar resort plonked on this beach if it had not been preserved as a National Park. 

One of the best hut views in New Zealand

Sign on the outside of Anchorage Hut

DOC have placed a handy brush near the hut entrance so you can clean that really abrasive sand off your boots before you enter the building. The sand looks lovely but it is actually ground down crystals of quartz rock so it is like sandpaper on your feet and anything else it has contact with.

Boot cleaning brush at Anchorage Hut

Ohhh man...look at that...a full wood shed is a mighty fine sight...!!!

So many materials for the budding, intermediate and expert pyromaniac to indulge in the dark arts of firemaking. It was mostly Manuka so it was a bitch to get going but once it starts burning it throws out a ton of heat. 

Lovely full woodshed at Anchorage Hut

I went for a walk down through the completely empty campsite here at Anchorage. It makes a real change from the last time I was here in 2021 when there were about 20 odd people camping here. There were a trio of DOC guys working down at the campsite but no Hut Warden. 

View towards the campsite at Anchorage

There are sites for over 70 tents in the campsite with two big kitchen shelters, tables, fire-pits and ablution blocks. This area gets super busy over the summer with hordes of tourists, day trampers, yachting folk and people spending their summer holidays camping here for a couple of days.

Some of the facilities at the Anchorage Campsite

Campsite cooking shelter at Anchorage

I saw a lot of Kaka on this trip...over ten sightings of them and I even saw a flock of about 7-8 of them at Bark Bay the next day. They have started to spread out through the park and I saw individual birds from Pitts Head right out to the Totaranui Campsite. There are over 50 individual birds living here now and they are a wonderful sight to see. 

Wild Kaka live in Abel Tasman NP

Once I had organised myself and sorted out the hut I made myself some lunch. I was using my MSR Windburner on this trip as I wanted to try it on its first multi day tramping trip. It works a real treat. 

I discovered that both of my lighters and my MSR piezo ignitor were not working so it was lucky that I always carry a back up box of matches. I have replaced all these items now...

I was using the MSR Windburner on this trip

I had crackers, tuna packets and Babybel cheese for lunch on this tramp. That is my 'go to' standard now and the cheeses are good for 3-4 days as they are wrapped in a wax covering. Those Sealord tuna packets are tasty...I especially like the Peri Peri, Ginger and Sesame and Tahitian ones. I have Miso soup and tea as accompaniments.

My lunchtime position in the living space at Anchorage

Lunchtime...tuna on crackers at Anchorage Hut

There were plenty of damn Weka around Anchorage to vex me...they kept trying to pinch stuff off the table the cheeky buggers. I love them really as they are tough little birds and their antics are amusing but I wish they were not so larcenous.

Waldo the Weka on the hunt for good eats!!!

People feed them at the camp sites so they are always looking for a hand out or to pinch your gear when you are not looking. Always stash your gear out of reach in Weka country...inside the hut, in a zipped up tent or higher than three feet off the ground.

The weirdest thing I have seen them steal is a pair of pink panties on the QCT. I heard shouting and looked out in time to see said pervert Weka running off into the bush with a very irate German woman chasing it. It must have liked the color...

Enjoying a brew outside Anchorage Hut in the sun

I spent about an hour preparing some firewood and kindling for later use. I chopped up some of those Manuka logs into smaller bits and prepared some dry branches and tinder to start the fire with. There was no paper at the hut so I had to improvise with Manuka bark and some dry grass I found in the immediate area. 

It worked well...

Fire starting supplies inside Anchorage Hut

Someone had placed these branches out to dry on the beach

Anchorage Hut...fireplace set up and ready for action

Making tinder out of dry Manuka bark!!!

Look at that awesome sandy beach...the Abel Tasman is all about the beaches really and while it was far too cold to swim at this time of the year I still did see a few hardy people enjoying the ocean. The Tasmanian couple both went for a dip at Anchorage and Mahalee went for a swim at Totaranui. 

I walked in up to my knees and thought...NOPE...not gonna happen!!! Still too damn cold for a swim regardless of how lovely it looks on a sunny spring day...

View right along Anchorage Beach from near Pitt Head

Small stream separating Pitt Head and Anchorage Campsite

Good view to the mountains inland from Anchorage

At 3 pm I went down to the beach and got a prime spot to watch the water taxi's coming in to collect the day trampers. I sat down on the beach for over an hour enjoying the view and snoozing in the warm afternoon sun. The Wilson and Aquataxi boats collected about 7-8 people from the beach in total. 

Sun on Anchorage Bay in the late afternoon

I was talking to a Canadian guy on the beach for about half an hour. He was here for a conference and thought he would chuck in some walks while he was here. He was a nice guy but I was a bit concerned with his lack of gear. He had no bag, water bottle, jacket or even food...only what was in his pockets. 

This is not what I would carry if I was day walking in the park...what would happen if you got lost or hurt yourself...very foolish!!! 

One of several watertaxi's that arrived at Anchorage

After this I went for a wander down to the far southern end of the beach. There was a enormous amount of birdsong coming from Pitts Head so it is obvious the pest trapping program is going well up here. 

I saw Tui, Bellbirds, Silvereyes and a couple of Kaka in the trees. If you do nothing else while at Anchorage you must go for a walk on Pitt Head just for the plentiful bird life. 

Pitt Head was alive with birdsong in the late afternoon

The outgoing tide exposes sand flats...Anchorage Beach

I was getting artistic with the camera down on the beach...I really like the ripple effect of the sand. The tides cause little ridges and the sun was reflecting through the water in a attractive way. 

Very nice!!!

Sand ridges and sunlight on water at Anchorage

A piece of drift wood in the waters of Anchorage Bay

I passed a decent night at Anchorage and it was warm and cosy in the hut that night. I was carrying freeze dry meals on this trip as I was trying to go as light as possible. They are ok for a couple of nights they just wouldn't be so great if you were walking for 10+ days. 

They would wreck utter havoc on your innards...

Anchorage Hut: dinner that night...

BTW...if you are up here and need to go out to answer the call of nature at night stop and admire the stars before heading back inside.

WOW...!!!!

It is amazing...I went out at about 2.30 am to have a look and saw so many stars in the sky and the Milky Way was clearly visible as it was a dark, clear night.

Access: From Marahau walk north to Anchorage on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track. Alternatively take a  watertaxi to Anchorage and walk back out to Marahau. 

Track Times: 12.5 km's or 4 hours from Anchorage to Marahau on the Coastal Track. About 40 minutes by boat.

Hut Details: Anchorage Hut: Great Walk, 34 bunks, wood burner, filtered water tank, wood shed, flush toilets; DOC campsites at Te Pukatea Bay, Watering Cove, Observation Beach, Akersten Bay, Apple Tree Bay, Coquille Beach and Tinline campsite

Miscellaneous: All huts on the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk are on the DOC Great Walk booking system and must be booked for overnight visit. Hut Warden in residence from late November to late April each year. Campsites are located at most bays and must also be booked year round. 

You Tube link: Anchorage to Marahau also Marahau to Anchorage