Apple Tree Bay
Abel Tasman National Park
Apple Tree Bay is in Abel Tasman National Park and is accessed via Coast Track from Mārahau. The walk features native bush and golden-sand beaches, and can range in duration from short to half-day, with the option to return to Mārahau by water taxi.
| Details | |
| Length | 5.2 km one way Mārahau to Apple Tree Bay; 3.1 km Mārahau to Coquille Bay |
| Time Required | 1 hr 45 min Mārahau to Apple Tree Bay; 2 hr Apple Tree Bay to Anchorage |
| Trail Type | Walking track |
| Physical Difficulty | Moderate |
| Uses | Walking and trail running |
| Dog Access | Dogs are prohibited in Abel Tasman National Park |
Anchorage Hut (Coast Track)
Walking and trail running
Castle Rocks Hut (Inland Track)
Walking and trail running
See also
Abel Tasman Coast Track
Walking and trail running
1 hr from Nelson
Mārahau is the southern gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. To get to the beginning of Coast Track, follow the main (and only) road through Mārahau. A kilometre past the beachfront you’ll see signage indicating Abel Tasman Car Park on the right. There are toilets and an information kiosk with track information, tide timetables and warnings. Though it is large, the car park is often at full capacity during the summer months. Coast Track between Mārahau and Anchorage is one of the busiest stretches of tramping track in the country.
Several commercial operators provide water taxi services to Apple Tree Bay, which allows the option to walk just one way and take a water taxi on the other leg.
Coast Track begins by crossing the tidal marsh of Sandy Bay via a causeway. At the other side, the track officially enters Abel Tasman National Park, and heads through regenerating native bush along the coast. There are several access points to Porters Beach along here. After 30 min you’ll reach Tinline Bay campsite, where a short loop walk, Tinline Nature Walk, begins from behind the campsite. The track climbs gently and soon Inland Track branches on the left (Castle Rocks Hut is 4-5 hr away). The surrounding bush transitions to original native, and the track sidles the hillside along the coast about 30 m above the water’s edge. About 50 min from Mārahau you’ll reach the turnoff to Coquille Bay, which has a nice swimming beach and a DOC campsite.
Coast Track continues north along the coast, weaving in and out of lush gullies, with occasional gaps in the trees offering views down to the sea below. The track crosses Simonet Creek, and soon after you’ll reach the turnoff to Apple Tree Bay on the right.
Apple Tree Bay has a long, sandy beach that is great for swimming and has good views across Astrolabe Roadstead to Adele Island and Fisherman Island. There is a DOC camping area (bookings required), toilet, untreated water tap and a picnic table. Originally named La Grande Plage (‘The Great Beach’) by Dumont d’Urville, Apple Tree Bay gained its modern name from the apple trees that once grew there, remnants of the early private settlement of the Abel Tasman coast.
To head back to Mārahau return the way you came. You can also continue along Coast Track as it heads north up the coast. Several other bays can be accessed between here and Anchorage (2 hr from Apple Tree Bay); Stilwell Bay, Akersten Bay, Observation Beach and Watering Cove.
