Abel Tasman Campsites and Huts: Booking the Coast Track Night by Night

The campsites, south to north

DOC lists them in walking order from Mārahau. The four huts are at Anchorage, Bark Bay, Awaroa and Whariwharangi Bay, each with a campsite of the same name. Campsites are built for tents, not hammocks, and campers cannot use the huts.

Mosquito Bay Campsite can only be reached by private boat, such as a kayak, so DOC says not to book it as part of a walk. Tōtaranui Great Walk Campsite can only be booked for one night, all year.

• Mārahau to Anchorage, 12.4 km (7.7 mi): Tinline, Coquille Bay, Apple Tree Bay, Akersten Bay, Watering Cove, Observation Beach, Te Pukatea Bay, Anchorage
• Anchorage to Bark Bay: Torrent Bay Village, Bark Bay
• Bark Bay to Awaroa, 13.5 km (8.4 mi): Mosquito Bay (boat only), Onetahuti Bay, Awaroa
• Awaroa to Whariwharangi Bay: Waiharakeke Bay, Tōtaranui Great Walk, Anapai Bay, Mutton Cove, Whariwharangi Bay

Plan the tides before you book

Awaroa Inlet has no track around it. You can cross only in daylight, from 1 hour 30 minutes before to 2 hours after low tide, and DOC says to allow 25 minutes. Check the tide tables before you choose nights, because the crossing decides which side of the inlet you sleep on. Torrent Bay estuary can be crossed 2 hours either side of low tide, or walked around.

Most people walk one way and take a water taxi the other. Water taxis run year round between Mārahau or Kaiteriteri and Tōtaranui and must be booked ahead. They do not go north of Tōtaranui. DOC suggests checking transport times before you book a site.

Fees and booking

Outside 1 October to 30 April the rate is the same for every adult: NZ$21 a campsite night, and NZ$42 a hut night (May, June and September) or NZ$33 (July and August).

DOC's March 2026 release says Abel Tasman Coast Track huts were about 95% full last summer, while many Great Walk campsites still had space. Without a booking, or at a site other than the one on your ticket, you can be charged a penalty or asked to leave the park.

In 2026 Great Walk bookings opened at 9:30 am NZ time on DOC's booking service, bookings.doc.govt.nz, with a virtual queue. DOC's 2026 tips: make an account and test your login before the day, and be online by about 9:15 am. Our guide on how to book a Great Walk covers the rest of the system.

DOC has not announced the 2027/28 opening day. Going by past seasons, booking for the Abel Tasman Coast Track usually opens around 5 to 30 May. Last year's opening, for stays from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, was Thursday 14 May 2026 at 9:30 am NZ time.

Changing or cancelling

Date changes stay inside the 1 July to 30 June booking season, and DOC does not move a booking to a different hut or campsite. Cancelling costs nothing on the day you book or the day after (if your first night is more than 2 days away). After that DOC keeps 10% of a Great Walk booking from 15 or more days out, 50% from 14 to 4 days out, 75% from 3 days out, and all of it on the day you arrive.

What PermitSnag does here

Each permit page says whether you can set a PermitSnag alert for it, and links to the agency that sells it.

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