Overview
About Whariwharangi Bay
Why stop
- The beach and historic farmhouse make a memorable coastal camp.
Heads up
- No road or scheduled water-taxi access.
Map
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Abel Tasman Tour Guide
Your drive to Whariwharangi Bay, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Abel Tasman National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Wainui Bay Coast Track Entrance“Wainui Bay's Coast Track entrance is coming up. The walk to Whariwharangi Bay takes about four hours return, with a climb over a saddle each way, so save it for a proper half-day outing.”
Plays on the road 3 km from Whariwharangi Bay in the Parkwolf Abel Tasman Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Snail That Hunts Worms
- Tōtaranui Beach and Campground
- Protection Beneath the Water
- Pigeon Saddle and Awapoto Hut
- 23 audio storiesacross Abel Tasman’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, New Zealand Fur Seal, Little Penguin, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 43 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Whariwharangi Bay
A remote northern beach campWhariwharangi Bay is a beach and 20-site tent campground on the northern Abel Tasman Coast…
Whariwharangi Bay is a beach and 20-site tent campground on the northern Abel Tasman Coast Track, with a historic farmhouse hut in the grassy clearing behind the sand. Think of it as an overnight stop on foot or by boat, not a quick drive-up beach. There is no road to the bay, and scheduled water taxis stop at Tōtaranui.
Plan the approachFrom Wainui car park, allow about 2 hours for 5.7 km on the Coast Track.
From Wainui car park, allow about 2 hours for 5.7 km on the Coast Track. From Tōtaranui, the route over Gibbs Hill takes a little over three hours. Both approaches are proper walks; the coastline alternates sandy beaches with rocky headlands, and the track climbs from the bay to a saddle overlooking Wainui Inlet. Boat access is possible, but arrange it independently. Dogs aren't allowed.
Bring what you needThe campground has 20 non-powered tent sites and requires advance booking.
The campground has 20 non-powered tent sites and requires advance booking. It has flush toilets, but the water is untreated, so boil it before drinking. You can't buy food along the Coast Track; carry your meals and snacks. Fires are limited to designated fireplaces when there is no fire ban.
A farmhouse in the clearingThe separate Whariwharangi Hut just behind the beach began as a farmhouse built by John…
The separate Whariwharangi Hut just behind the beach began as a farmhouse built by John Handcock around 1896. His family lived in the valley for 15 years; the homestead stopped being lived in after 1926, and farming continued in the northern end of the park until 1972. The park board restored the building in 1980 as a tramping hut, a reminder of the area's pastoral history.
From shore to saddleFrom the beach, frame the sand with the old farmhouse just behind it.
From the beach, frame the sand with the old farmhouse just behind it. On the walk out, the saddle opens toward Wainui Inlet, giving you a higher view after time at the water's edge.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Abel Tasman
10 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
54 sightingsNew Zealand Fur SealMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
20 sightingsLittle PenguinMost seen around 9 PMSighting map
21 sightingsSouth Island KākāMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
526 sightingsWekaMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
16 sightingsTūīMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Abel Tasman. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
