Abel Tasman NP: Wainui Bay to Whariwharangi: 15th October 2021

 ...a journey completed in Abel Tasman NP...

I recently finished my annual pilgrimage to Abel Tasman National Park for this year. I ventured to the northern end of the park once again and walked from Wainui Bay to Whariwharangi Hut. From there I walked out to Totaranui and caught the water taxi to Anchorage. On the last day I walked from Anchorage to Marahau in a howling gale with sea fog and heavy rain and got thoroughly soaked. 

The Silver Surfer parked in Marahau Aquataxi carpark

I started in Marahau as this was going to be my end destination and so I could leave my car parked at the Marahau watertaxi carpark. That way I could walk off the track get into the car and make for home with the minimum of fuss and cost. 

The shorefront at Marahau in Tasman Bay

...ahhhh...lovely Abel Tasman NP...

I walked down to the bus stop near the end of the Abel Tasman Great Walk and took a shuttle from there to Wainui Bay over the other side of Takaka Hill. The shuttle driver was a nice chap (whose name I have forgotten) but we had a great talk during the one hour trip to the other end of the track. They had only just started running shuttle services for 2021 which is one reason I left this trip so late this year. 

View to the inland mountains of Abel Tasman NP

Lucky for me he was collecting ten people from the far end of the walk as the trampers who were meant to be on my shuttle had all cancelled. He said that they have had a mass of cancellations as most of the people booked to visit Abel Tasman were from Auckland or the Waikato and could not travel out of their home areas. 

Bloody Covid at work...it is ruining the economy of the country!!!

Walking down to the bus shelter at Marahau on day one

The new bus shelter at Marahau...next to the DOC carpark

Because the trip was over three totally different days I will cover it over three posts. So here is the first day where I walked from Wainui to Whariwharangi for only the second time in nearly 40 years. 

Wainui to Whariwharangi Hut, 6.7 km's (2 hours):

I have been wanting to cover this section of the track on the website for awhile and 2021 was my year. I really love this end of the park as it is a lot less crowded with awesome golden sand beaches and thick bush with great vistas out to sea. 

The Heaphy Bus drops me at Wainui Bay

I have previously walked this section of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track way back in 1993. At that time my girlfriend at the time and I walked in from Wainui to Whariwharangi and camped at the old campsite down by the beach. Then we walked out the next day back over the same track.

I also came up to this end of the Abel Tasman in 2019 when I tramped in from Totaranui and then back the next day. Both trips were awesome.....

Start of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track at Wainui Bay

The map and track information at Wainui

Map: Wainui Bay to Whariwharangi Bay

The first part of the day is along the foreshore of Wainui Estuary to the junction of the Coastal Track and the side tracks to Wainui Beach and Taupo Point. I have previously covered these side trips when Karen and I came up to Golden Bay for a holiday back in early 2020.

Maori Portal at the start of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

It was low tide when I started walking so all you could see was the wide expanse of mud and reeds that make up Wainui Estuary. The track is flat to start with and it is made of packed dirt and clay...it only starts to climb once you get past the turnoff. 

Wainui Estuary from the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

On the way to Wainui Beach, Abel Tasman Coastal Track

There is bush to the edge of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

From the junction is is six kilometres or roughly 1.5 hours walking to get to Whariwharangi Hut on the other side of the hills. From here to the apex of the climb you are alternating between thin forest and open hillside so make sure you are prepared for the conditions before you start the climb. It was hot and sunny so I had my sun hat, sunscreen and sun glasses on for most of the next hour. 

Track junction before the climb to Gibbs Hill, Whariwharangi Bay

Gibbs Hill and Whariwharangi Bay are to the right...

First view of Wainui Beach from the track

There is a sign just before the start of the climb warning trampers that they must have a pre booked bunk or campsite as they are often full. Especially over the summer months this park is literally heaving with people so there is no ability to arrive and expect to find free space. 

...have you booked your hut/campsite...

As you climb up out of Wainui Bay the views get better and better...once clear of the forest you can see the distant mountains of Kahurangi NP and the coastline from Wainui to Farewell Spit is plain to see. The sea was a beautiful Azure blue colour and with the massive tidal range here the exposed sand flats stretched far out into the bay. 

Abel Tasman Point and Wainui Bay, Golden Bay

Wainui Estuary backs on to Wainui Beach

View to distant Kahurangi NP and Farewell Spit

It was hot thirsty work climbing up that hill..it is not too step as the track is basically a 4 W/D track but that pack was heavy with three days food and there was no breeze to dissipate the heat of the day...

You are in the sun from Wainui to Gibbs Hill..

Uarau Point from the Abel Tasman Coastal Track 

I stopped about a kilometer up the track for a break and I scoffed a snack and some water before setting out once again. I surely appreciated the odd patch of shade that the sparse trees afforded and usually stopped in the shadow to cool down a bit. 

..my first stop on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track...

You could see the track curving up the hills to a subtle saddle at the top of the ridge I was climbing. I could see the spot where it reached the top and headed down in Whariwharangi Bay so I could see how far I had to go....

You are heading over this ridge...Abel Tasman Coastal Track

View towards Golden Bay from the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

After an initial steep grade the track eased off in the middle reaches and it was a lot easier to walk without losing your breath. The track alternates between hard packed clay, gravel and grass and I would tend to stay on the up hill side as it makes for more even walking without a big camber to adjust for...

The Abel Tasman Coastal Track is an old farm track....

....climbing up out of Wainui Bay...

...the track is wide hard packed clay...

I stopped for lunch about 500 meters to the apex of the track as I was running out of energy by that stage. I had breakfast at 8 am that morning and had nothing really to eat since then...I needed fuel to keep moving. After a 20 minute stop for some crackers, brie cheese, pastrami and a drink I was refueled and able to head off to get myself to the high point for the day....

Almost to the high point between Wainui and Whariwharangi Bay

I saw my first of several slips just after setting back off along the track. One of the problems with this corner of New Zealand is its location close to Cook Straits. Weather from the Tasman Sea gets funneled through the narrow strait and they get significant falls of rain as a result. All that water combined with steep terrain and poor sandy soils means slips are common and widespread right over the Tasman/Golden Bay area. 

A recent slip on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

I just kept pottering along at a slow pace taking short breaks now and then to catch my breath and always slowly but inexorably climb to the top of the ridge. Every now and then I would stop to take some photos or film a vlog clip....

Jon climbing up out of Wainui...it was hot work!!!

There is more shady vegetation near the top of the climb...

Great view of Wainui Bay, Abel Tasman Point and Golden Bay

Eventually the crest of the ridge appeared and I found myself standing at the top of todays climb looking down the track to Whariwharangi Bay. It is 2.5 kilometers to the top of the ridge and it took me about 1.5 hours to cover the distance including my 20 minute lunch break. It was great to know that my climbing was done for the day...

At the top of the climb out from Wainui Bay

It is three kilometers to Whariwharangi Hut...Abel Tasman NP

The Abel Tasman Coastal Track heading to Whariwharangi Bay

There is a nice shady seat at the apex so you can sit out of the sun and have a rest before continuing on your way. If you are heading for Whariwharangi you just head straight ahead and start the descent down to the bay. 

If you turn right you will continue climbing to the high point of the area at Gibbs Hill. From there you can head down to Totaranui or inland to Pigeon Saddle and the Inland Track. I have never come this way so that might be an idea for a future visit...

Turnoff to Gibbs Hill, Pigeon Saddle and Totaranui

To the left is a short track to a view point high above Taupo Point with fantastic views of Golden Bay, Whariwharangi Bay and out to the Tasman Sea. You get a top view of Farewell Spit and even the North Island on a clear day but I visited it back in 1993 so decided not to partake. 

Go have a look for yourself...

The climb up to Gibbs Hill...Abel Tasman NP

The track from the apex to Whariwharangi Bay is steep but not difficult walking and it will take you 30-45 minutes to cover the three kilometers from here to the hut door. 

On the Abel Tasman Coastal Track heading to Whariwharangi Bay

This side of the ridge is a bit steeper...

It is shady on the Whariwharangi side of the ridge...

You make quick progress down this side of the ridge as the track follows the contours of the spurs down to the bottom of the valley that backs Whariwharangi Beach. There is a long section where you are walking through tall Manuka trees which give you dappled cover from the sun beating down. 

Manuka trees along the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

...you walk under the Manuka for nearly 15 minutes...

There are only two places on the way to the hut where you can see out to the coast and neither of them is all that spectacular. The forest has grown up along both sides of the track and covers any possible views you might get. What you can see is a sliver of blue sea at the far end of the valley and little else...

One of two views of Whariwharangi Bay from the track..

The last 500 meters of downhill track is a series of switch backs which take you down the last part of the ridge side to the flats below...you are nearly on flat ground again!!!

...the last downhill section is switchbacks...

Nearly at the bottom of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

There was some graffiti scratched into the moss of a bank I happened to pass...it is difficult to know how old these are...4 hours or 40 years...either is totally possible!!!

Etched graffiti on a track side bank...Abel Tasman Coastal Track

The second of the two views lets you see a small portion of the beach and the line of knurled Pine trees that run along the back of it. This is where the campsite used to be way back in the 1990's before the hut was refurbished and the campsite relocated next to it. 

You can just see Whariwharangi Beach from this point

You eventually find yourself back on flat terrain about a kilometer away from the hut and spend the last 20 minutes of the walk making your way through the dense bush. This is the nicest section of this end of the Coastal Track as it is the only bush track you walk along the whole day. 

Back on flat ground for the last kilometer to Whariwharangi Hut

There were a lot of native birds up this end of the valley and I passed several groups of both Tui and Bellbirds singing in the canopy above me...

I smelt wood smoke coming through here so I knew I was closing in on the hut....

Walking through a grove of Mahoe close to Whariwharangi Hut

Some of this bush is almost tropical in nature with big Ferns, Cabbage Trees, flaxes and high grass...I thought the bushes below would not look out of place in SE Asia, on some Pacific Atoll or a remote tropical island...

Semi Tropical plants along Abel Tasman Coastal Track

...you could almost be in a jungle along here...

There is a clearing about 300 meters from the hut where you can look back up the ridge to the track and the point where you cross over from one side to the other. the track climbing back up to Gibbs Hill was very visible and you could see quite a lot of effort would be required to crawl your way to the top of the 400+ meter peak. 

You are in the middle of a big swamp at the head of this valley and small streams and rivulets run alongside and past the track. I saw both Weka and Pukeko along here. 

View back to the ridge you have crossed from Wainui

Regenerating forest in the valley behind Whariwharangi Bay...

You are close to the hut when you walk over the small footbridge over the Whariwharangi Stream that is running down the valley. Its not much of a waterway but provides drainage for the valley head after heavy rain in the area. 

Bridge over Whariwharangi Stream, Abel Tasman NP

Whariwharangi Stream in all its glory....

I arrived at Whariwharangi Hut just short of two hours after setting out from Wainui Bay. It is a lovely walk and one that more people should get to enjoy. Probably less than 10% of the people who walk the Abel Tasman Coastal Track make it this far north...more should make the effort as it is one of the nicest sections of the whole track.

Last thirty meters of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

At last you break out into the clearing at the back of the hut and get your first glimpse of the old lady. It is an elegant structure for a farm house far away from anywhere and it must have been a fine sight when it was first constructed...

The big clearing to the rear of Whariwharangi Hut

Whariwharang Hut (1905), Abel Tasman NP

I was pleased to get to the hut after an afternoon walking in the hot sun and was delighted to find I was the first person there for that day and therefore had first pick of bunks....

At Whariwharangi Hut:

Whariwharangi hut is a lovely old farmhouse from the turn of the 19th century that was used from then to the late 1950's and then abandoned. It became a derelict until it was renovated in the early 2000's to become a Great Walk hut for the Abel Tasman Coastal Track. It is a marvelous old building with a ton of character. 

Whariwharangi Hut: in the living area

The carved dining table at Whariwharangi Hut

There are four bunkrooms in the hut: the two upstairs hold four and eight respectively while the two downstairs hold two and six for a grand total of 20 bunks. I snaffled the two bunk room which is the same place I stayed when I was last here in 2019. I don't mind sharing but my snoring sometimes keeps people awake and furious.....and potentially murderous of a night!!!

Whariwharangi Hut: downstairs front bunkroom

Upstairs bunkroom at Whariwharangi Hut

Whariwharangi Hut: the other upstairs bunkrom

After giving the hut a good clean out and chopping some wood for the fire I had a bit of a clean up myself and then sat down to a well deserved brew, soup and some afternoon tea. I had the hut to myself for nearly two hours before the next people arrived from Wainui. Later in the day a young couple and a bigger group arrived from Totaranui for a grand total of 13 in the hut that night. 

Brew time at Whariwharangi Hut!!!

There are a lot of information panel in this hut as it is an historic place and they detail the history of the area, flora and fauna to be found at Whariwharangi Bay. The area was farmed from the 1890's to the 1950's but it became uneconomical after that time and the forest slowly re-claimed the valley. It was incorporated into Abel Tasman NP in the late 1960's. 

Information panel inside Whariwharangi Hut

Whariwharangi Hut: there is a potted history of the area...

I passed a pleasant evening in company with my hut mates and I had a talk to most of them at one point or another over the time. We were all Kiwis and all but myself and a couple from Christchurch were from the Tasman District. I would be in the park all the time if I lived up here. There is a lot to do and see and even though I have been in the park nearly ten times so far I still have places to visit...

Stairs to upper level in Whariwharangi Hut

Jon's pit set up in Whariwharangi Hut

I enjoyed the antics of the resident Weka population over the afternoon...there are plenty of them here and they are interesting to watch. they spend most of their time either scavenging like the thieves they are or fighting with each other. One even sauntered into the hut when one of the other people left the door open. 

Cheeky buggers...they are the lovable rogues of the New Zealand bush.

The pathway to the toilets, Whariwharangi Hut

Whariwharangi Hut: flushing toilets with paper supplied....

Bit of a late afternoon snack at Whariwharangi Hut

... isn't my partner Karen lovely....

Tucking into a pre dinner soup at Whariwharangi Hut

Whariwharangi is a great spot and worth a visit if you have never sampled its wares. This is my third visit to the hut now and I am sure it will not be my last. I can recommend the short walk in from Wainui Bay...it took me about an hour to climb up to the saddle along the track and forty minutes to descend to the hut. That is not so much effort to enjoy such a lovely remote feeling location. 

Access: Make your way to Takaka in Golden Bay and then head past Pohara to Wainui Bay and the start of the track. 

Track Times: 6.7 km's or 1.5-2 hours from Wainui Bay to Whariwharangi Hut on the Coastal Track.

Hut Details: Whariwharangi Hut: Great Walk, 20 bunks, wood burner, filtered water tank, wood shed, flush toilets; DOC campsites at Whariwharangi Bay, Mutton Bay, Anapai Bay and Totaranui.

Miscellaneous: There is a relatively secure carpark at Wainui Bay. The hut is on the DOC Great Walk booking system, must be booked for overnight visit. Hut Warden in residence from late November to 30th April each year. Alternate access is from Totaranui.

You Tube Vlog:  Wainui Bay to Whariwharangi Hut