Kayaking the Abel Tasman National Park: a Multi-day Kayak Trip from Marahau, New Zealand

New ZealandPacific

Jun 30

Written by Cristina Barraclough

Kayaking to Campsite at Te Puketea Beach in Abel Tasman National Park // Photo by Emma Novak

Multi-day Sea Kayaking: Part 2

Part 2 describes a more accessible trip I took during Level 2 that is suitable for a range of abilities: exploring the famous Abel Tasman National Park by kayak. With its renowned golden beaches and range of Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites it is a sea kayak classic.

In this article with you I will share ideas for a rewarding, beautiful, yet relatively easy to execute, overnight kayak.

After a season of working as a Sea Kayak Guide in the Abel Tasman National Park, it was about time I did my own overnight trip there. It’s been around two years since I last did a multi-day kayak in the National Park: an epic three day trip from top to bottom: Golden Bay to Marahau.

Marahau is considered the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park. Selecting a commercial operation to rent the gear from makes equipment planning a lot easier as you can rock up without having to find a roof rack, load kayaks onto it, tie it down and all that fun stuff.

Another big bonus, especially for beginner kayakers, is that a guide will brief you on weather conditions, emergency protocols in the area and check your kayaking skills and can give you a few additional tips before you depart.

Although there is less light in winter, the upside is less park visitors, boats and wind.

***Kayaking at Sunrise, Abel Tasman National Park // Photo by Emma Novak***

Launching from Marahau at low tide via the tractor – if you haven’t seen this sight, you should – we had the whole bay to ourselves.

I had roped in three friends I bonded with during lockdown and post lockdown: a local dude I had tramped with a few days prior, an old school acquaintance from the UK, and a colleague’s lockdown housemate.

Adventures bond people together and paddling across the bay cracking jokes and telling tales - it was as if we had already known each other for a long time.

Abel Tasman is famous for its colony of New Zealand fur seals, kekeno in Maori. After a break on the beach to stretch our legs and soak in the surroundings of being on an empty, pest-free island brimming with bird song, we paddled to the northern tip of Adele to witness the female seals and pups.

In winter, the pups are especially active and playful! However, maritime law dictates a distance of 20m to ensure that these amazing creatures continue to reside there and grow their population.

***Fur Seals (Kekeno) playing // Photo by Emma Novak***

With smiles all around from the team, we paddled directly to the ‘mad mile’. It was a calm, glassy day with a gentle swell. The three others looked at me sceptically as they found it hard to believe this could be a mad mile.

Sure enough though, earlier in the season, some kayakers disregarded instructions, which led to one kayak being split in two and the others - stranded. Luckily the paddlers were ok...

Tucked into the mad mile is the beautiful, secluded Te Puketea beach. Fondly named Te Puke (prounouced: puc, not puke).

***Reaching Camp at Te Puketea Beach // Photo by Emma Novak***

Content with the prime ‘real estate’ location of our pitched tents (our DOC camp passes purchased prior to the trip), we set about preparing dinner in the dimming light - to a view that felt like a dream.

Foraged mussels in garlic and lots of oil was the winning dish of the night. Despite that the mussels took longer to prep than we expected.

The wine was cracked open whilst we waited, or should I say the goon bag was slapped (kiwi slang).

As the night went on the full moon took pride of place in the starry velvet sky and even donned a rainbow ring of light around it. A beautiful natural phenomenon. It cast shadows on the light sand and on the floor of the native bush forest. Under the moonlight we feasted, discussed light topics and delved deeper into philosophy and laughed about the state of the world in all its weirdness.

Sunrise on the water is majestic for me. After being reminded of this on the D’Urville Island kayak trip, I was set on doing it the morning we woke up at Te Puke. The troops were easy enough to rally.

You can leave all your camp gear setup as is (beware of wiley weka birds trying to steal your gear). As dawn breaks launch your kayak into the bay and float on the fluid colours of the sea’s surface as they reflect the golden hues of another glorious breaking day*.

***Serene Sunrise on Water // Photo by Emma Novak***

The return journey was via the eastern side of Adele to see more seals - much to the joy of my fellow three kayakers.

Lastly, a headwind decided to rear its head for the final stint back across Marahau bay. This particular stretch always seems long and the unexpected headwind made it feel all the longer. But hey, that’s what an adventure in the great outdoors is, plus an added workout meant more post-trip beers, right? Arriving at high tide made for an easy end to the day.

After piles of gear were stowed into the car ready to depart Marahau, we sat in the sun and took the time to appreciate the experience: taking it in turns to do a shout-out and share our highlights.

All too quickly another adventure was over. More days on the water were beckoning and already future paddling plans had begun to brew.

Where to rent Kayak gear (or do guided trips) in Abel Tasman National Park?

Marahau commercial sea kayak operators is the one I used - Gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. You can find their website here: Marahau Sea Kayaks.

What to bring on a multi-day kayak trip:

You can find a good list of gear and equipment to bring in this article here: Backpacking Essentials and Safety Tips

And you might also be interested in: Top 10 Travel Items for Backpackers and Digital Nomads.

*Disclaimer: these are not definitive list, but rather guides. There will be other stuff you need and it is your responsibility to research, particularly if you are uncertain or need clarification. Furthermore: This is not a definitive guide, there are many things you need to know for sea kayaking trips, especially overnight trips, rather this article is an inspiration combined with some information to get the ball rolling. The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only. Undertaking sea kayaking is strictly at your own responsibility and risk, another option is to go guided.

*Note: you must wait til light to paddle. Night-time kayaking is completely different as it has a set of maritime regulations. Fishing: With taking any kaimoana (food from the sea in Maori) check the law and legal quota.

About Cristina: I did a degree in Business Management with English Literature at University of Exeter. Since graduation, have spent the last four years working and travelling abroad. Working as a Sea Kayak Guide has taken me to Norway and New Zealand so far.