Awaroa Lodge

Awaroa Lodge is a 26-room lodge and restaurant set among native forest and wetlands beside the Abel Tasman Coast Track. It’s a good stop for a meal or an overnight stay in this roadless stretch, and day visitors are welcome at Harakeke Restaurant. Arrive by boat or on foot; arrange a sea shuttle ahead if you’re not walking in. The track crossing at Awaroa Inlet has no route around the estuary: it’s passable only in daylight from 1½ hours before to 2 hours after low tide, and takes about 25 minutes.

Harakeke serves regionally influenced food, using herbs and seasonal vegetables from the lodge’s organic garden. Its glass-walled conservatory looks over wetlands, with indoor and outdoor dining. In summer, an outdoor pizzeria serves homemade pizzas under native trees.

The grounds include a walk to Awaroa Beach, tracks to viewpoints, a glow-worm dell and a family of tame eels visitors can feed with food from the kitchen. It’s a chance to stretch your legs after the Coast Track or spend some time away from the dining room.

Local residents decided to build the lodge in 1990 as a low-impact base for visitors. It opened in early 1992 with a temporary outdoor café and four chalets. A 2003 expansion added suites designed around regenerating wetlands, along with a larger dining room and courtyard; the original buildings used natural materials and were designed to stay low-profile from the waterfront.

Awaroa means “long river” in te reo Māori, referring to the inlet. Māori have lived along this coast for at least 500 years, with permanent settlement at the Awaroa estuary.

There’s no cellphone coverage, and the lodge has no TVs; Wi-Fi is very limited and chargeable. Save anything you’ll need offline before you arrive.