Abel Tasman recommendations

Hello,

We are a couple from Spain visiting New Zealand in September. We would to do Abel Tasman coast track, and since we will spend around 3 weeks, we think a 3 day unguided walk will be fine.

Basically the huts on the track mark the places where you could spend the night. We would like to finish the track in Totaranui and do some of the side tracks that are recommended (like Cleopatra pool and Falls River) which add some extra time. Do you recommend taking a water taxi from Marahau to somewhere? Also, we think that going to huts would limit us, and camp sites seem more authentic. It is possible to rent a tent for 3 days in Nelson or nearby? Finally, it is worth to spend another day kayaking? If so, which is the best area?

Thanks in advance.
Salva.

We were in Marahau in April and walked a single section of the track - it's very beautiful. There are at least two water taxi companies in Marahau and they will drop people on/off along the track as you request. We booked in advance because we only had the one day. For tents, I don't know but you could contact the Nelson tourism office by email and if they can't help they may be able to refer you to someone who can. For kayaking and hiking, there are a number of tourism providers (who have online websites) who offer either or both. We saw kayakers on the water and it looked great. Also check the Abel Tasman bus as you might find that useful as well.

Not sure why you'd ask Nelson Tourism about camping in ATNP - best to go straight to the DoC booking site and see where the camp sites are. I camped at Awaroa, which is gorgeous. The water taxi brought my pack & tent in for me as I stayed in DoC huts at the other stops. I don't know what you mean by "more authentic" - DoC huts are an authentic part of the Kiwi tramping experience, even though at places like Anchorage, they are being up-scaled to meet the demands of tourists ;-(

I thought Nelson would be the mostly likely place from which to hire tents, not about the actual camp sites. The water taxi guys might also know.

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