Huts of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

 ...an overview of huts on the Coastal Track...

Having just finished walking the Abel Tasman Coast Track I thought it might be useful to compare and contrast the different huts you will strike on this track. There are four huts on the Coastal Track at Anchorage, Bark Bay, Awaroa and Whariwharangi and each is very different from the others. 

Sign at the entrance to Anchorage Campground

Lets start at the eastern end of the park with Anchorage Hut...

Anchorage Hut:

I started my last trip from the palatial Anchorage Hut at the eastern end of the Coast Track. I was here for my fifth visit to the current hut.  The previous hut was a copy of Bark Bay Hut that was showing its age and more or less at the end of its life.

Anchorage Hut from the campground

Anchorage Hut was built in 2014 to replace the previous hut at the (what was then considered crazy) price of $1.2 million dollars. Various outdoor groups went mad about the waste of money, extravagance etc...

Times have certainly changed...in 2022 that is not an over the top price it is just how much huts cost!!!

For example 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 and Waiau Hut cost over $500 000 when they were built in 2020. 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. 

Sign on the side of Anchorage Hut

The huge veranda is a feature of Anchorage Hut

The huge veranda and deck is the key feature of Anchorage Hut...they give the hut a great expanse of outdoor space. On a warm sunny day you will often find people lazing in the sun here or eating lunch/dinner at one of the picnic tables. It certainly gives you many more options when staying in the hut. 

Shady deck with tables at 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 is a sink with potable water at both ends of the veranda and water taps inside the kitchen area. 

Veranda in front of bunkrooms...Anchorage Hut

The hut has a number of 8 bunk 'cells' instead of the usual one big room (...to house them all...) so I usually choose 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. 

Inside a bunkroom at Anchorage Hut

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: the kitchen

Anchorage Hut: the living area

Anchorage Hut more of the kitchen

Great views from inside Anchorage Hut

Anchorage Hut is very nice but I am not a fan of the set up of the bunkrooms...eight bunk cells are fine if every group is eight people strong but you usually 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 and no sense of ownership. 

Hut Details: Anchorage Hut: Great Walk, 34 bunks, wood burner, filtered water tank, wood shed, flush toilets;

Bark Bay Hut:

Bark Bay Hut is my favorite hut on this track, the location is great and I always enjoy my stay there. It is the oldest hut on the track but in a lot of ways has the most character. These mid 1980-90's wooden Lockwood/Fraemoh's huts are just full of charm...that deep orange color of the wood inside is very appealing. 

Bark Bay Hut: Abel Tasman NP

Bark Bay has three bunkrooms: 34 spaces on sleeping platforms/bunks, a large communal living area, it is fully insulated and double glazed, tapped fresh water in the hut, flushing toilets and it even has a cold water shower for the more hardy folks out there.

There are two 12 space bunkrooms inside the hut with two levels in a sleeping platform configuration. This is the best way to jam the maximum number of people into a limited space. When the huts are eventually replaced I am sure they will be filled with individual bunks as that is the most common configuration now. 

One of the bunkrooms at Bark Bay Hut

There are two main tables in the hut with seating for about 15-20 people at one time and bench seating right around the inside of the living area. If the hut was totally full this would probably feel like a very crowded space. 

Benches on tables so I can sweep the floor...Bark Bay Hut

Dining tables inside Bark Bay Hut

Bark Bay Hut and Awaroa Hut have smaller six bunk rooms on the outside of the huts. These were once the living quarters for the resident hut wardens and can be seen on similar huts in Nelson Lakes NP, Abel Tasman NP and Kahurangi NP. As the number of visitors increased they were reconfigured as the easiest way to add bunks to huts which were becoming too small. 

The wardens now have small stand alone 4 bunk huts near the main hut.

Bark Bay Hut...the exterior bunkroom

Both Bark Bay and Anchorage Huts have solar powered LED lights in the living areas, they automatically come on at dusk. Whariwharangi has lights in the living areas only.  Awaroa is the only one still using candles though you have to bring them yourself as DOC do not supply them.

Living space inside Bark Bay Hut

Bark Bay Hut is my favorite hut along this track as I feel it has more of a genuine kiwi air to it than the other two huts. It could be a large serviced hut anywhere from Fiordland to Northland. I have talked to other Kiwis who have walked the track and they mostly agree with me.

Rear entrance to Bark Bay Hut...firewood preparation ongoing

There is a separate ablutions block to the rear of the hut with sinks, flush toilets and even a cold water shower. You also have a full drying line so you could hang your cloths to dry in sunny weather (no pegs though). 

Bark Bay Hut: outside toilet and sinks

Lovely Bark Bay Hut is the one I am going to miss the most when I eventually get too old to tramp along these golden shores. I can still visit for a day trip if I have the financial resources to allow this...

Hut Details: Bark Bay Hut: Great Walk, 34 bunks, wood burner, filtered water tank, wood shed, flush toilets

Awaroa Hut:

Awaroa Hut is a classic Lockwood design and is mostly wooden with that beautiful caramel color to the wood from all the varnish used on it. These are my favorite type of DOC huts! It has a large central living space and two 10 bunk interior bunkrooms. There is also the standard 6 bunk exterior bunkroom which was converted from the old hut wardens quarters. 

Awaroa Hut, Abel Tasman NP

From the hut and veranda you have marvelous views out into the Awaroa Inlet this is an awesome vista to enjoy once you finish your days walking. 

Looking across Awaroa Inlet from the hut

View to the mouth of Awaroa Inlet

For the majority of trampers this will be the last hut they visit on the Coastal Track. Only those heading for Wainui via Whariwharangi Bay will have another hut to stay in...

...it takes 30 minutes to cross Awaroa Inlet...

One of the interior bunkrooms at Awaroa Hut

The other internal bunkroom at Awaroa Hut

The exterior bunkroom at Awaroa Hut

I like the set up of the living area in this hut but it could really do with another table as there is only one in the hut at present. When the hut is busy and full there are not enough seats for everyone...

Awaroa Hut: the living space

Awaroa had the driest firewood of all the huts and it really warmed the space up later in the evening. At one stage it was so hot we had to open all the windows to let some heat out...

Awaroa Hut: the kitchen and wood burner

This is the fifth time I have been to this hut now and it is a lovely hut in a very attractive spot. It is my second favorite on this track.

Hut Details: Awaroa Hut: Great Walk, 26 bunks, wood burner, filtered water tank, wood shed, flush toilets.

Whariwharangi Hut:

Whariwharangi Hut is both the oldest hut on the Coast Track and also one of the oldest DOC huts in the country. An old farm cottage converted to a new role it is a quirky place to visit and is certainly worth the effort of walking to the western edge of Abel Tasman NP. 

Classic view of Whariwharangi Hut

You can approach the hut from two directions...along the coast from Totaranui or over the bulk of Gibbs Hill from the Inland Track and Wainui Bay.  

From Wainui you climb up and over Gibbs Hill before descending down to Whariwharangi Bay. You eventually 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 so 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

The Totaranui Route arrives at the front of the hut through the attached campsite. Its past life as a farm cottage is very obvious. It looks a bit like the house from Little House on the Prairie...

Whariwharangi Hut (1905), Abel Tasman NP

It is a two story structure with the living space, kitchen and two small bunkrooms on the ground level and two larger bunkrooms on the top floor. The hut is surrounded by a large clearing and this is backed by thick native bush. 

The farm cottage lines of Whariwharangi Hut are clear

Cooking benches inside Whariwharangi Hut

Whariwharangi Hut is a lovely old farmhouse built in 1905 that was used from then to the late 1950's when it was 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. 

Whariwharangi Hut: downstairs front bunkroom

Upstairs bunkroom at Whariwharangi Hut

Whariwharangi Hut: the other upstairs bunkroom

There are two large tables in the downstairs living space with tabletops created out of thick slabs of Rimu. They are beautiful artifacts.... 

Brew time at Whariwharangi Hut!!!

There are a lot of information panels in this hut as it is a historic place and they detail the history of the area, the 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...

A narrow and very steep set of stairs lead to the upper level. Care is needed when descending these stairs at night as a fall would mean serious injury...

Stairs to upper level in Whariwharangi Hut

There is a small bunkroom with two bunks next to the living area and this is where I have had my pit on both occasions I stayed overnight. 

Jon's pit set up in Whariwharangi Hut

I enjoyed the antics of the resident Weka population...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

There is the usual separate ablution block to the rear of the hut with sinks, toilets and a cold water shower. This is the standard set up for all of the huts in Abel Tasman NP. Even some of the huts on the Inland Track have this set up.....

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

Bit of a late afternoon snack at Whariwharangi Hut

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. I have been here three times now and I am sure it will not be my last.

The campsite at Whariwharangi Bay....needs a mow!!!

 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 location. 

Hut Details: Whariwharangi Hut: Great Walk, 20 bunks, wood burner, filtered water tank, wood shed, flush toilets. There is a  DOC campsite at Whariwharangi Bay co-located with the hut. 

All four huts are on the DOC Great Walk booking system and must be booked for any overnight visit. There will be a DOC hut warden in residence from 1st October to 30th April each year. There are tidal crossing's at Awaroa Inlet and Onetahuti Bay with no high water track so check tide charts before booking your huts. 

Campsite cooking shelters:

One of the standout features of the Coastal Track are the cooking shelters at the larger of  the campsites along the coast. They are open sided but have all the facilities for cooking your meals you would find in a DOC hut.

 Lets have a look at some of these shelters...

Anchorage:

The campsite at Anchorage is huge and will hold 100 tent when it is full. Because of the size the cooking shelter is the largest along the coast. It is an enclosed structure with seats, benches, sinks and piped water. There are picnic tables nearby and seating around the outside of the shelter. 

Anchorage campsite cook shelter

These shelters allow you to cook your meals out of any bad weather which makes the whole process of camping so much easier. Without a shelter you either cook in your tent's vestibule or outside. 

The interior of the cook shelter at Anchorage

Seating and tables at the Anchorage cook shelter

I've never camped at Anchorage so I have yet to use this shelter but if I was staying here you can be assured that I would be cooking inside it. Karen and I have been thinking about bringing a bigger tent up here over the summer and camping for a couple of days. 

Bark Bay:

The cooking shelters at Bark Bay, Onetahuti and Totaranui are all the same pattern. They are 3 meter by 3 meter buildings with a central bench with water and sinks. The inside of the shelter is lined by seating and stainless steel benches for cooking on. 

Unlike other Great Walks no gas cookers are provide...so bring your own!!!

The cooking shelter at Bark Bay Campsite

The cooking shelter would be the hub of social activity at these campsites...people would stand around talking, cooking, eating and hanging out with each other. 

Sign on the outside of Bark Bay Shelter

The Bark Bay and Onetahuti shelters have recently been painted with a rather garish lime green color. It is an interesting choice but it actually works really well here. 

Lime green color inside the Bark Bay shelter

I have used the Bark Bay shelter to boil water for coffee one time when I was waiting for the sun to rise. It worked well keeping the cold early morning wind off me...

Onetahuti Beach:

Onetahuti Beach is halfway between Torrent Bay and Awaroa and is usually a stopping point for all tramping parties walking between the two places. This is a great lunch spot and in the summer the golden sandy beach is an excellent spot to swim. 

Respite from the rain at Onetahuti Shelter

The campsite and shelter are located on the eastern edge of the beach just before you start the climb up and over to Tonga Bay. It is to the same pattern as the Bark Bay and Totaranui shelters...

Onetahuti shelter is next to the campsite

I have stopped here at least 6-7 times now and it is my lunch spot when I am walking from Awaroa and Anchorage. I usually spend from 20-30 minutes here every time I walk along the Coast. 

At Onetahuti Shelter back in 2017

Onetahuti shelter has the same amenities as Bark Bay and Totaranui

The campsite at Onetahuti is at risk from rising sea levels so it remains to be seen how much longer the cooking shelter will remain. In the meantime is provides a vital place of respite when the weather is less then stellar...as it was on my last visit.

Totaranui:

Totaranui has a massive campground with several different cooking shelters but the one I am looking at is the Great Walk shelter near the DOC office. 

Totaranui GW Cooking shelter, Totaranui Campground

I have camped at Totaranui a couple of times and I always use this shelter for meal preparation and as a place to get out of the tent. It is built to the same pattern as Bark Bay and Onetahuti which is one of the nicest designs I have seen anywhere in the country. 

...the shelter is for Great Walk trampers....

When I am waiting for the Aquataxi back to Marahau I usually sit in this shelter to get out of any wind, sun and rain. It is only 50 meters from the watertaxi pick up point so it is a short walk to get to the boat when it arrives. 

Jon having lunch at the Totaranui Cooking Shelter back in 2020

You have to watch your gear at this shelter as the area is full of Weka and Pukeko both of which will steal any gear you leave laying about. They cannot reach the benches so make sure anything you take out of your pack is on top of them.

Interior of the Totaranui GW Cooking Shelter

I personally think that the campsite cook shelters are as integral to the Abel Tasman experience as the huts and beaches. They are part of what camping here is all about...would the track be as popular without them?