I’ve always been embarrassed that I have not seen enough of this beautiful country, so this year with all other overseas plans cancelled, we decided there was no time like the present! We were lucky enough to head to the top of the South Island over these Christmas holidays, and spent time in 3 parts - the Marlborough Sounds, Abel Tasman and the Wakamarina River. What an amazing part of the country!
Here is our itinerary, including the secret little spots we stayed that were amazing!
10 Days Explorer Trip - Marlborough Sounds & Abel Tasman
Wellington to Picton
An early start and 4.5hr drive to the ferry in Wellington and a fantastic crossing on the Interislander. We then stayed the night just outside of Picton in the cutest little cabin, highly recommend!
Accommodation Manuka Manor Rustic Cabin Retreat
Picton to French Pass, Marlborough Sounds
We headed off after a cooked breakfast to French Pass, which is at the top of the sounds. After some research, I had seen there were some great small walks at Peloras Bridge (we did the 1hr Circle track) and at Elaine Bay, which was about 3/4 of the way there. Peloras Bridge was worth stopping and seeing, and the walk was lovely with a suspension bridge crossing included. Very pretty spot. Elaine Bay was absolutely stunning, our first look at the beautiful bays of the Marlborough sound. We did the Piwikawakawa track which I would recommend, the views were beautiful the whole way along and the walk was easy grade, taking about an hour and a half return.
French Pass / Elmsie Bay (2 Nights)
French Pass is the gateway to D’Urville Island and a step back in time. The road out is not for the faint hearted, but it only added to feeling as remote as we were. The scenery along the road is amazing, be prepared to stop a lot to take it in! Elmsie Bay is a gorgeous wee bay filled with kiwi baches, a beautiful beach, wharf and happy kids running around. We were welcomed by a pod of dolphins swimming right up close in the bay, and it didn’t take long for Aiden to put on his togs and run out to swim with the dolphins with the other kids. What an amazing experience for him.
We stayed at French Pass Beach Villas, in the most beachfront apartment they had. It was perfect for us, Aiden was on a mattress on the floor - usually it’s just for couples. It had a little kitchen, outdoor patio and outstanding views out over the ocean. It was pricey, but worth it. We stayed in this magical place for 2 nights over new year and loved the relaxed pace and how abundant it was with sea life. We saw the dolphins daily, stingray, a massive school of krill and fish right off the wharf.
French Pass to Motueka
We decided to stay in Motueka the night before we started our Abel Tasman adventure. It’s only 20 mins or so away and has good facilities there. We took the day to get there, stopping in Nelson for a little tiki tour and lunch by the river. We then drove to Rabbit Island on the recommendation of our waiter, which we loved. Aiden had a swim, I waded and the water was beautifully warm. Next stop was Mapua, another recommendation, a pumping little seaside wharf with some cute shops, cafes etc.
We finally made it to Motueka and stayed in a cute, very eccentric little spot, it was perfect for one night.
it was called Cabins on Tudor Bed & Breakfast.
Abel Tasman
I will confess I found organising the Abel Tasman portion very confusing, so hopefully this helps anyone else wanting to plan a trip there.
We decided to not camp along the way, as this girl likes her home comforts so I set about trying to find accommodation, which was the biggest challenge. There are very few places to stay IN the park. Unless you find somewhere private, the only spot I found was Awaroa Lodge. It’s an amazing little oasis in the middle of the bush, but it cost us. We were visiting over peak time, so we paid top dollar at $470 a night. That’s the most I have ever paid to stay anywhere and it took me a few days to accept that I wasn’t going to find anywhere else and we decided as it was a special trip for us, we would splurge. The price also included an epic full menu breakfast each day. It needs to be said - the food at this place is outstanding.
Price wise, we stayed in peak times - I think other times of year it is much more reasonable. Staying here meant water taxi’ing in and out (which you need to book in advance, we used Aqua Taxi), or walking in and out. So here is the breakdown of how we coordinated 3 days walking.
Day 1: Marahau to Anchorage Bay
Drop bags to Water taxi in Marahau by 9am, then start walk to Anchorage Bay (12.5kms / approx 4hrs). Bags were sent to Awaroa ahead of us. The walk was spectacular and relatively easy, we were picked up by our Aqua Taxi at 1.45pm and taken to Awaroa, which meant we had most of the afternoon to enjoy there. We swam at the absolutely INCREDIBLE Awaroa beach (look up the history of this amazing spot!) and had pizza for dinner at the Pizzeria.
Day 2: Bark Bay to Awaroa (skipped Anchorage to Bark Bay)
We caught our Aqua taxi at 10.30 to Bark Bay, which ended up going on a big tour of all sorts of places (not planned) so we didn’t get there until after 12pm. We weren’t too concerned as we had all day to make our way back to Awaroa lodge. This day was a harder walk, with several uphill sections, most notably just outside of Bark Bay. This was our favourite day though, although more challenging the track was quieter, the scenery amazing and lots of cheeky little Weka and wonderful bird life. We made it back to Awaroa in time for a cold cider at the Pizzeria and a game of outdoor chess, followed by an incredible dinner at the restaurant.
Day 3: Awaroa to Totoranui
We had planned to walk for 3 days (walk Awaroa lodge to Totoranui and then water taxi back, 7kms) but we instead decided to spend the day at Awaroa beach. We knew we would be leaving the next day and hadn’t allowed time to just relax and spend time at the beach - and I’m so glad we decided to do this. We spent the most amazing morning at the beach, swimming multiple times, building dams in the estuary and bathing in the 24 degree sun (with plenty of sunscreen of course!!). It was one of the best days in recent memory. If you stay at the lodge, make sure you allow some time to do this.
Day 4: Awaroa to Marahau
We opted for a late aqua taxi at noon, which got us back to Marahau at 1.30pm. We then drove to Canvastown for the remainder of our trip.
Abel Tasman Tips:
1. The first step is deciding which portions of the walk you want to do. I found this map handout from DOC particularly handy.
2. Decide whether you want to carry all of your belongings and sleep in the doc huts or campground along the way, or whether you want to water taxi in and out. Doing it the later adds significant cost, but for us was worth it. Once you have this decided, you can look for accommodation either in Kaiteriteri or Marahau or stay in the park like we did, at Awaroa Lodge.
3. Make sure you book any water taxi’s in advance.
4. Take your own fixings for lunch & snacks.
Abel Tasman to Canvastown
This drive took a few hours, ending on the Wakamarina River just a few minutes out of Canvastown and 15 mins from Havelock. We had booked to stay at Fossickers Hut, the accomodation I was most excited about on this trip. I found this hut through Canopy Camping, a website I love to peruse when I’m wanting to escape somewhere amazing. This little hut is back to basics, off grid, simple living at it’s absolute finest. Fossickers Hut has been beautifully handcrafted by it’s owners Craig & Jodie. Everything is second hand or has been made. Consisting of a wooden 1 bedroom hut with mezzanine sitting in a perfect spot above the river surrounded by native bush, with an outdoor camp kitchen with everything you need (gas cooker, hot water, lighting etc). There is also an outdoor bath, shower & composting toilet. We spent our days swimming in the crystal clear waters of the river (where Aiden learned to kayak!), playing board games, eating, relaxing, and more eating. Take everything you need to this spot and don’t leave for total relaxation. We thought we might go for a drive to the sounds, but decided instead to stay immersed in this magical place.
This is where we saw out the end of our holiday. On the last day, we drove past winery after winery to Picton which is only an hour away and caught the ferry at 2.45pm.
This was the perfect itinerary for us, with adventure, activity, lots of incredibly scenery and nature an of course, relaxation.
Helpful Sites:
https://www.nelsontasman.nz