Booking information sheet
1999-2000 season

The 51km Abel Tasman Coast Track is one of New Zealand's Great Walks. Situated in Abel Tasman National Park, near Nelson, New Zealand, it is suitable for people of all ages and can usually be walked in 3-5 days. The track can also be accessed by kayak, or through commercial water transport services.

Plannig your trip

The Coast Track is managed by the Department of Conservation and is open to visitors throughout the year.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) provides a range of accommodation along the track, including four huts, 21 campsites and the Totaranui campground. There are charges for the use of these facilities, and visitors must purchase their passes to use these facilities before starting the track.

Please note that there is a two consecutive night limit on staying in any one hut or campsite throughout the year.

Huts

Huts have heating, toilets, bunks, mattresses and a water supply. No cooking facilities are provided, so visitors should carry a cooking stove.

Visitors wanting to use huts on the Abel Tasman Coast Track during the peak summer season, from 1 October to 30 April each Year, must book hut space before their trip.

To book hut space, visitors must purchase a summer season hut pass. Fill in the attached application form and phone, fax or mail:

Abel Tasman Coast Track Bookings Desk
c/o Motueka Information Centre
Wallace St, Motueka.
Ph: 03-5280005.
Fax: 03-5286563.

Huts can also be booked through DOC office, Selected information centres, outdoor stores, campgrounds, hostels, transport and kayak operators in the Nelson region.
Hut bookings will be taken from 1 July each Year for the coming season only.

Visitors wanting to use huts on the Abel Tasman Coast Track outside the peak summer season, from 1 May to 30 September each year, do not need to book hut space. Hut use reverts to a "first come, first served" system during this time.

However, visitors must still purchase a winter season hut pass before their trip. Hut passes are available from the Abel Tasman Coast Track Bookings Desk or through DOC offices, Selected information centres, outdoor stores, campgrounds, hostels, transport and kayak operators in the Nelson region.

Back-country hut tickets and Annual Hut Passes are not valid for hut use on the Coast Track.

Camps

Each campsite has basic facilities, which may include a water supply, fireplaces and toilets. Not all campsites have fireplaces, so visitors should carry a cooking stove.

If visitors wish to use campsites on the Abel Tasman Coast Track, they must purchase camping passes before their trip. The camp pass can also be used at the Totaranui Campground, after registration and payment of an extra fee.

Camp passes are available from the Abel Tasman Coast Track Bookings Desk or through DOC office, Selected information centres, outdoor stores, campgrounds, hostels, transport and kayak operators in the Nelson region.

Prices

The prices shown are in New Zealand dollars and include GST. All accommodation fees must be paid at the time of booking. All prices are subject to change without prior notice, and prices charged will be those effective at the day of departure.

HUTS
Summer Season Hut Pass (1 October - 30 April)
Adults $14
Youths (11-school leaving age) $7
Children (0-10 yrs) FREE

Winter Season Hut Pass (1 May - 30 September)
Adults $7
Youths (11-school leaving age) $3.50
Children (0-10 yrs) FREE

CAMP (Entire Year)
Adults $7
Youths (11-school leaving age) $3.50
Children (0-10 yrs) FREE

Anyone wishing to upgrade from a camp to a hut will be able to do so, if hut space is available, upon paying the difference in fees.
Anyone on the Coast Track who has not purchased hut or camp passes prior to using the track will be required to pay a 25% premium on top of the fees quoted above.

Cancellation and alterations

If the Department of Conservation closes the track due to track conditions or bad weather, a full refund win be given on hut and camp passes.

If, for any reason, you cancel your summer season hut pass, the following cancellation.

fees apply:

• or more days notice - 25% cancellation fee.
• Less than 7 days notice - 50% cancellation fee.
• After first booking date - no refund.
• Cancellations at short notice due to in health - 25% cancellation fee.

Refunds are only available through the Abel Tasman Coast Track Bookings Desk.
Alterations to bookings can be made through the Bookings Desk or any Coast Track pass outlet, and will incur a $5 fee.

If you do not use your winter season hut pass or camp pass, the following policy applies:

Full refund will be given up to the date from which the pass is valid No refund will be given after the date from which the pass is valid, except in exceptional circumstances.

Refunds are only available from DOC offices in Totaranui, Takaka, Motueka, Nelson and Picton.

Please remember

• Walkers should carry their own food, cooking utensils, lighting, sleeping bags, raincoat and warm clothes. If hut space has not been booked, walkers should carry a tent and sleeping mattress.

• Two tidal estuaries along the Coast Track have no track around them. Awaroa Estuary can be crossed approximately one-and-a-half hours before and two hours alter low tide, and the narrow charnel at Onetahuti Beach appro3dmately three hours either side of low tide. Tide tables Site posted along the track.

• Fire is a major threat to Abel Tasman National Park, particularly during summer. Open fires may only be lit in the fireplaces provided. Please ensure your fire is extinguished after use. Do not light fires on beaches or in strong winds.

• There are no rubbish facilities along the track, except a rubbish transfer station at Totaranui. All rubbish should be carried out of the park.

• Giardia has been found in some waterways along the coast. It can be removed from water by boiling, chemical treatment or filtering.

• Wasps and sandflies can be a problem. Visitors should carry insect repellent, and antihistamine in case of allergy.

• Please remember to "sign in" and "sign out" of the park at the beginning and end of your trip by using the intentions books provided.

Track Times

Marahau road-end - Anchorage Hut (26 banks)
4 hours, 11.5km

Ancchorage Hut - Bark Bay Hut (26 bunks)
3 hours, 9.5km

Bark Bay Hut - Awaroa Hut (22 bunks)
4 hours, 11.5km

Awaroa Hut - Whariwharangi Hut (18 bunks)
4.5 hours, 13km

Whariwharangi Hut - Wainui road-end
1.5 hours, 5.5km

More information on the Abel Tasman Coast Track is available by Purchasing the Abel Tasman Coast Track brochure, an Abel Tasman National Park Parkmap. Or visit the Department of Conservation web-site.
www.doc.govt.nz