Sandfly Bay

Sandfly Bay is a named beach at the mouth of Falls River on Abel Tasman’s Coast Track, between Torrent Bay and Bark Bay. Come for the shifting river mouth and sheltered shallows, where golden sand splits into little lagoons below a forested shore. If you’re already walking this stretch, the side trip gives you a close look at an estuary rather than another open beach.

The path branches off shortly after the 47 m Falls River swing bridge on the Coast Track. The side track is short, but the last descent uses rock-hopping, so this isn’t a level beach stroll. It’s a track-side detour, not a roadside stop. The full Coast Track is a 3–5 day one-way tramp; water taxis and kayaks connect locations along the wider route, but confirm with operators before planning a landing at this particular beach.

Tides and storms move the Falls River opening along the beach, reshaping the sandspits and shallow lagoons between visits. The inlet is especially striking at full tide, when more water fills its channels. For a photo, shoot across the lagoon toward the river entrance and keep a curve of sand in the foreground; that shows the winding edge of the water and the split between the inlet and Tasman Sea.

Separation Point Granite forms the park’s coastal bedrock and influences the colours of its beaches and stream beds. Across the park’s upper-tide marshes, rushes, glasswort and sea primrose catch moving sand; over time, that can build ground at the estuary edge and help shift some marsh habitat toward land. It’s a slow process, but it fits the view: water and sand are always redrawing this shore.