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Another early start. up at 6.30 to be ready to catch a K Bus to the start of the track at 7.50.
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Travelled out to Marahau by way of Riwaka, on the way a number of quails took to running across the road in front of us. For 6km beyond Riwaka the road became very winding, the driver reckoned it contained 72 bends.
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With plenty of time to complete the days walk, we were in no hurry and so started off with a visit to the coffee shop at the park gate for a drink and cake to see us on our way.
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Seasonal Lifestyles
The Maori occupied sites all along the granite coastline of the modern park. The pattern of settlement over 800 years was largely seasonal, with people coming to the coast to fish, gather forest and estuary resources and tend crops.
The Ngati Tumatakokiri people who met Tasman in 1642 once occupied the modern park's coastline. They were supplanted by tribes who invaded from the north around 1800, By the time of D'Urville's visit in 1827 it was Ngati Apa whose ahi ka, or fires of occupation were burning around Marahau. D'Urville noted their distress at a seemingly imminent invasion by allies of the great Ngati Toa chief, Te Rauparaha.
This invasion occurred in 1831 and the modern tangata whenua (people of the land), Ngati Rana and Te Atiawa, trace their descent to the settlers that followed. At Te Awahina marae in Motueka, the front of their meeting house, Turangaapeka, commemorates the captains of the two waka which brought their tapuna to Aotearoa one thousand years ago.
Pa Sites
Defended pa sites were located on strategic headlands and used as refuges at times when the tangata whenua were threatened by outside tribes. Natural defences were supplemented by wooden pallisading, and ditch and bank earthworks dug across ridgeline entry points.
Pit Sites
Kumara was grown around Abel Tasman Coast, very near to its southern limit. Much of the crop was stored in roofed pits on well-drained coastal ridges, providing food throughout the winter and seed tubers for the next crop.
Midden Sites
These refuse dumps are found in many bays along the coast. They contain fishbone, bird bone and shell reflecting the diet and length and season of stay of people in that place.
Oven Stones
Often associated with midden sites, oven stones are a telltale reminder of where fire heated rocks have been used for cooking in hangi (earth ovens).
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Dumont D'Urville
In January 1827, Dumont D'Urville anchored the corvette Astrolabe in the channel just north of Marahau. He stayed for a week exploring the land, charting the coast and developing a very friendly relationship with the Maori in the area.
D'Urville was a competent explorer and scientist making his second voyage to New Zealand. His voyage is commemorated in the many French names along the southern part of Abel Tasman coast such as Guilbert Point, Adele Island, Simonet Creek and Jules Point. After his week at Astrolabe Roadstead he sailed across Tasman Bay and made the first European passage of the perilous French Passage.
"They gave us an extremely friendly but noisy welcome... performing dances and battle songs, some of which were really ferocious. We responded with some of our fine patriotic songs which they applauded vigourously" (Joseph-Paul Gaimard - surgeon)
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Crossing Marahau Estuary
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9.10 and we were off. Through the park gate and over the Marahau estuary with alternate short sections of bridge and sand bank. The bright sun light reflected of the water in the bay. On the far side of the estuary the track started to climb gently over undulating ground through bush of kanuka and fuschia trees following the shore line past Porters Beach, Stu's Lookout and a bach at Tinline Bay.
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Continued to follow the coast at a higher elevation with secluded beaches below us bordered by an emerald sea and over looking Adele Island.
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From Yellow Point the track swung inland as we continued to climb with rimu and beech becoming more prominent until we were on more open ground. Passed by the paths to Anchorage Hut to bring us out above Torrent Bay. We were too early to use the low tide path across the estuary, and in any case we didn't feel there was much to be gained so we followed the high route which had now turned in to a path.
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Gradually we lost height, dropping down to sea level to cross the Torrent River and reach the Torrent Estuary. Northern rata were winding their way around a tree fern, slowly choking it to death.
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Stopped by the estuary at 12.25 for lunch, just as the sun went in. A heron waded around in the shallows seeking out meagre pickings. Oyster catchers flew around also looking for a feed. At 12.50 we were off again. Across in the estuary some walkers were starting to take the low tide route, wading across waist deep. Passed by the village of Torrent at the northern end of the estuary and started to climb again. The colour of the sea changed with its depth from clear by the shore to emerald as it became less shallow to a deep blue in the distance. To the east were the mountains surrounding Marlborough Sound. Pine trees became a feature of the forest. Crossed over a swing bridge over the Falls River, the park's largest river, flowing into Sandfly Bay and so gradually we reached the hut at 2.50.
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During the day we passed far more people coming in the opposite direction, than we had met during the whole of the previous three months tramping in New Zealand! Most of them were day walkers, some young girls with small day packs and white trainers resolutely hugged the inner side of the path while we had to lug our larger packs over the rough ground of the outer edge.
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Reached Bark Bay Hut set a little way up the estuary from the sea, with the estuary separated from the sea by a sand bar. At low tide we could walk across the estuary to the sea via the sand bar but at high tide the way was around the side of the estuary. The hut accommodated 28 and the night we were there was full. Although the hut was on a great walk it lacked gas cooking and all washing was outside, but it was well constructed in interlocking timber of log cabin style. There was drinking water available from a source that had been filtered and treated with ultraviolet light to kill all bacteria.
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Bark Bay Estuary
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Between Rivers and Sea
Tides dominate the rhythm of life in the estuary, and the activities of residents and visitors. Behind the sandspit's protective barrier, where five streams mingle with the sea, tidal influence also creates an environment of extremes: wet-dry, fresh water - salt water. Many plants and animals have adopted to life in these changing conditions.
Wandering these shores at high tide, much of the estuary and it's inhabitants is hidden. High tide is the time of greatest activity for countless marine creatures.
As the waters retreat so do many of the estuary's inhabitants, down holes, under rocks and inside tightly closed shells. Then, arriving from their high tide roosts, flocks of hungry wades disperse across the flats.
Low tide is the best time for people to wander the tidal flats and discover its secret details. Linger on its fringes to witness fingers of the incoming tide weaving their way across the flats until once more it is covered.
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Bark Bay
The gathering of bark for sale by the Huffam brothers gave Bark Bay its name. The bark from black beech was used as a resource in the tanning process. It was used in the tanning of nets by Island Bay fishermen and at a leather tannery in Nelson. At Awaroa, John Black used a steam engine to drive a mill which ground bark. After a few years bark was superseded as a material. The steam engine now lies at the head of the Awaroa Inlet.
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With nothing much to do we took a walk across the mud flats to the beach for a paddle and a swim. The water was a little chilly and so we didn't stay for long.
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We wouldn't be able to cross the Onetahuti Estuary until 12.30 and it was less than a 2 hour walk to get there, so we had a lay in and then a gentle start to the day sitting around watching the tide fill the estuary.
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With the rising tide the sea started to reclaim the sand flats in front of the hut slowly in places where the dunes were steeper but quite quickly where they were almost level, snaking along channels to create moats and islands. Water ran into the holes dug by the crabs and moved onto the next. Small ripples from released pockets of air pock marked the surface which was moving in slow eddies as the water sought its path. Every now and then there would be a splash but it was not possible to see whether this was from a fish jumping or just the sudden escape of a large air pocket.
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Slower releases of air created bubbles that expanded and floated off across the surface.
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The islands became ever smaller until at last a small surge of water covered it, revealed it again as it receded but soon it was no more.
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In the shallows, sand crabs scuttled about and swallows swooped over the surface. A shag swam and dived in the deeper water, all to the background hum and clicks of the tree cicada.
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Set off at 10.30, taking the high tide track around the edge of the estuary, crossing Huffam Stream at the far end and board walks to bring us round to the opposite bank
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A steep climb took us away from the estuary and in land through manuka bush and woods of tree ferns, beech and rimu. Descended down the other side to Tonga Quarry, long disused and now a camp site, reaching there at 11.25.
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A jumbled pile of large granite blocks, overgrown concrete foundations and the base of an old winch are evidence of the short lived granite quarry that operated here in the early 1900s. Although granite underlies most of the park, only in a few places is it a suitable quality for quarrying.
Tonga Bay Granite Company began operations here in 1904. Workers lived on site, accommodated in houses built nearby. Building grade stone was cut from the faces at each end of the beach. By exploiting the natural stress fractures in the rock, the granite could be broken into roughly rectangular blocks. This was achieved by driving metal wedges into the rock along the lines of weakness.
A winch house and jetty provided the means for loading up scows. These flat-bottomed sailing vessels took the rock to both Nelson and Wellington. Nelson's Cawthron Steps - those leading up to the cathedral and Wellington's former Central Post Office were built using this hard-wearing stone.
Whether it was due to the economic climate of the time or dissatisfaction with the quality of the stone is unclear, but by 1913 quarry activities had been scaled down and a few years later operations ceased.
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Continued around the coast line to bring us at 11.45 to the south end of Onetahuti Beach, the sun started to burn off the clouds. Walked along the beach on the firm narrow path of sand between the high tide mark and the sea, with clear dish shaped jelly fish laying stranded, until we reached the northern end and the crossing point of the Richardson Stream at just after midday.
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Beyond the Beaches
What makes the coastal waters of Abel Tasman National Park special? This stretch of coastline, backed by protected coastal forest, is New Zealand's largest and northernmost sheltered granite shore. A variety of conditions combine to create a distinctive marine environment.
The sheltered aspect of the coast shields it from the storms and nutrient rich ocean currents that distinguish more fertile, exposed coastlines like Kaikoura. The erodible nature of the granite sea floor here deprives large seaweeds of a stable surface for attachment. The result is a seemingly barren underwater landscape. However, a variety of fish species do make their home here, and smaller creatures cling to rocks or live in the soft sediments of the sea floor. A number of deep reefs support some special marine communities. Coastal waters provide a source of food and the park's islands offer safe refuge for seabirds, seals and penguins.
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Watched a number of people making the crossing to see which was the best route and then at 12.30 crossed ourselves with the water hardly coming above our knees. Sorted ourselves out on the far side and after a quarter of an hour set off again climbing on a broad inland track to cross the Tonga Saddle. There was a choice of two routes, one via the cafe and the other the DOC route, we resisted temptation and took the DOC route. Awaroa Bay soon came in to view below us and by 2.00 we were on the beach where a number of private dwellings have been built.
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Walked through the sand up the estuary to reach the hut at 2.15.
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We had hoped that we had seen the last of the day walkers the previous day, but it wasn't to be, though the ones we passed were the more serious walkers and so less of a problem.
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Killed a couple of hours over lunch and generally wandering about. At 5.15, to coincide with the same period of the tide we would be crossing the next morning, we took a walk across the estuary just to see what it was like - no problem. Took a compass bearing and also noted the point on the horizon above the crossing marker - just to the right of a 'V' where two hills joined.
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Awaroa Hut
Awaroa hut was very similar to Bark Bay hut both in construction, amenities and setting, though it was a little more difficult to get to requiring a walk along the beach. At high tide it could only be reached by wading around the edge of the estuary.
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Got up at 5.00 and as quietly as possible packed and had breakfast. By 5.50 we ready to go, we had hoped that the full moon would light our way but unfortunately it had set behind a mountain just before we left.
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Shortly after we started, across the estuary we could see the lights of people approaching us so it gave us something additional to aim for, but after a while they switched them off. There were two streams in the 1km wide estuary, neither more than calf deep, and a bit of soggy sand, so no problems. After 15 minutes we were on the other side cleaning sand and shells from out of our sandals.
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Waiharaeke Beach
at sun rise
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As day light started to show the forest that had been silent buzzed and clicked with the sound of waking cicadas. After 45 minutes we were at Waiharaeke Beach where we took the opportunity to sit on some steps and change from our sandals into our boots. Continued on slowly climbing and descending as we hugged the coast line, waves gently lapping on the rocks below, until we reached Goats Bay. The rising sun was throwing long shadows, turning the sea washed sands golden
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Climbed again up to Skinner Point and down to Totaranui with a road in, a large camp site and a visitors centre. One option is to miss the last section of the track and catch a bus from there, but it would be 4 hours before the bus left and we had no intention of cutting the walk short.
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At 7.40, after a 15 minute break, we were off again. First we followed a road which in time turned into a field with dew coated grass and a farm track that climbed steadily up to a saddle; before dropping into a valley and along the other side until we reached Anapai Bay. Over a small headland and a quick visit to another cove before climbing up and inland for a short while to reach Mutton Cove, a beautiful secluded spot with a small camp site. Sat for 20 minutes relaxing Reached the turn off to Separation Point, we would have liked to have taken the side trip but there wasn't time. And down into Whariwharangi Bay. The problem with coastal walking is that it's forever up and down!
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Mutton Cove
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Whariwharangi Homestead
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Reached Whariwharangi Homestead, a DOC hut set back off the beach in a meadow. The hut was once a farm house that had been very well converted, we were sorry that we hadn't been able to stay for a night. Up again on a broad track that must have been the track connecting the farm to the rest of the world in days gone by. A lot of work had been put in to cutting the track into the hillside. Reached the top of the saddle and views over Wainui Bay, with a large sand spit across its entrance, opened out before us, as did a view of the road as it descend around headlands and into coves.
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At 11.15 we reached a gate across the track making us lift our legs over a style. Next up came the visitors book for signing out from the track and in a few more metres we were at the car park, in plenty of time for our midday bus back to Nelson.
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Most of the first part of the afternoon was on the bus, covering roads which we had travelled before via Golden Bay and Matueka. Arrived back at the hostel ahead of time at 3.00 to start our routine of showers, washing and shopping.
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