Abel Tasman, New Zealand

Abel Tasman highlights

Kaiteriteri

Why visit Abel Tasman?

For a stunning national park with golden sand beaches, calm waters, and coastal walking tracks.

Getting there and around

We hired a small SUV car from Apex for 28 days at a cost of £55 per day which included car seats, unlimited mileage, zero excess and roadside assistance.

Tickets for the 8am Interislander ferry from North to South Island were included in the price of our car hire. Unfortunately the Interislander timetable had been disrupted by maintenance issues, staff shortages and the recent bad weather. Our booking was moved to the 1pm ferry instead. All the other sailings were cancelled that day.

It was hectic at the port with a fully booked sailing. It took us 3 hours to get through the vehicle check-in queue queue and loaded on to the ferry. The crossing then took another 4 hours, and we arrived at Picton on South Island at 7pm. After disembarking we drove to Kaiteriteri which took 2.5 hours. Up to this point in the trip we had spent £175 on petrol, filling up the tank 4 times, and had driven 1270km.

Even though the journey from Wellington to Abel Tasman national park was long, the views from the ferry were beautiful. After getting caught up in the cyclone at Napier and seeing the devastating impact on the town, and also knowing that the majority of ferries across the Cook Strait had been cancelled, we felt grateful and relieved to have made it to South Island.

Our onward journey (and hire car drop off) was dependent on getting to South Island, and if we hadn’t have made the crossing we would have had to re-plan the remainder of our trip.

Accommodation

We stayed in a 3 bedroom apartment rented through Airbnb for 4 nights at a cost of £230 per night. The apartment had a fantastic balcony with views of the glistening sea, outdoor dining and a barbecue. The apartment complex had 2 hot tubs and a heated outdoor pool.

Kaiteriteri Airbnb

Located up the hill, it was within easy walking distance of Little Kaiteriteri beach and a very short drive to the main Kaiteriteri beach where there was a small shops, cafe, and water taxis.

Our star rating: 5

Our cost rating: 3

Kaiteriteri

Kaiteriteri is a seaside village close to the town of Motueka and is the southern gateway to Abel Tasman national park.

There are a number of walking trails that pass through Kaiteriteri including the Abel Tasman coastal track which starts nearby and is a 60km route through the national park. It takes 3-5 days to complete the whole track, with overnight stays at campsites or huts in the park; or it can be walked as day trips using water taxis or kayaks to get between sections.

The beach at Kaiteriteri was picture perfect with golden sand leading to shallow sparkling azure water. It was perfect for the kids to swim safely, collect shells, dig and build sandcastles.

There was a shop where we could buy groceries, and a cafe selling fish and chips, veggie burgers and ice cream. The nearby town of Motueka had supermarkets and petrol stations.

Away from light pollution and with clear skies, the star gazing in Kaiteriteri was amazing. At home in Sheffield we occasionally see a few stars and sometimes even another planet. But in Kaiteriteri the whole sky was full of stars, including the Milky Way.

Final Thoughts

Abel Tasman national park was an absolute treasure in the ‘top of the north’ (the north west of Aotearoa New Zealand’s South Island). It had pristine beaches and wonderful weather.

We had intended to take a water taxi further north into the national park and walk part of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track to Bark Bay or Falls River.

Instead we merrily and lazily spent our days relaxing at the seaside and enjoying the stunning surroundings.