Able Tasman National Park extends along the coastline of the South Island of New Zealand from Marahau to Golden Bay.   Most people hike, paddle, or boat from the south end and the north end gets far fewer people for two main reasons.   For those driving to the trailheads, the road to the north goes over Takaka Hill, a climb of 862m over a narrow, winding road.   Once over the top and down into Takaka, its still a 21 km drive to the northern end of Abel Tasman at Wainui Bay.   On the other hand, the whole Golden Bay area is beautiful and worth the (difficult) drive.   Water taxis and tour boats service much of the Park too, but they do not land north of Totaranui, beyond which the coastline is subject to the open seas.   So, to do the north end, hikers can do the through hike of 60 km and then loop back to Totaranui, or they can drive around.   We had done the southern end of the trail already so chose to (carefully) drive over the hill to Takaka, then we stayed at Pohara Beach, a short drive away from Wainui Bay.

Early the next morning, we headed out to the end of road at Wainui Bay and started our hike.   This end of the trail has the biggest climb on the Abel Tasman track, with a 400m elevation gain to get over Gibbs Hill on the Inland Track.     The views behind us were of Wainui Bay, Golden Bay, and at the far end, Farewell Spit.

Our trail stayed on the spine of the ridge before descending down to the beach north of Totaranui, then we followed the Abel Tasman Track north to Anapea Bay.   All of the beaches along the track have beautiful golden sand.

As we hiked north, the beaches became more windswept and isolated.

We followed side trails out to Mutton Cove, then over headlands to Separation Point.   The surf is much more vigorous at this end.

Along the way, we spotted many birds and an occasional fur seal on the quiet beaches.

We passed the historic Whariwharangi Hut before starting our climb back over the hills to Wainui.

With side trips and a section of the Inland Track, we covered about 25 km that day.   As we descended from the hill, the tide was out in scenic Wainui Bay.

The north end of the Abel Tasman Track was our favorite part of the Park because the trails had few people, the beaches were mostly empty, and the coastline was more rugged and isolated.

If we return to Abel Tasman, we will backpack the trail and stay at the fine campgrounds along the way, all just a few steps from the golden beaches.