Watering Cove Campsite

Watering Cove is a small beach and five-site, non-powered campsite on the Abel Tasman Coast Track, between Tinline and Anchorage. It suits an overnight stop for a beachside camp, reached on foot or by boat or kayak; there’s no drive-in access.

Book ahead: Coast Track campsites must be reserved year-round. There’s a pit toilet, and the water source is untreated, so boil it before drinking. Dogs aren’t allowed.

The sandy shore is small. At high tide, day walkers, kayakers and boat visitors can converge here, so don’t count on having it to yourself. It can feel peaceful between those arrivals, but choose Watering Cove for the close-to-water camp, not a wide-open beach.

Wind and waves sculpted a nearby rock into a long beak shape known as Kiwi Rock, and the cove also has a sea cave. If you find the rock, frame it against the water to show its shape; the exact spots aren’t mapped against the campsite, so treat them as shoreline discoveries rather than features beside every pitch.

In January 1827, French explorer Dumont d’Urville’s crew collected fresh water here, giving Watering Cove its name. A historical account also records local Māori arriving by canoe to exchange goods with the French. Later, George Nicholls built a bach, or holiday cottage, at the cove; the account doesn’t give a date.