Abel Tasman Lodge

Abel Tasman Lodge

Find Us

How to Find Us

Find us perfectly situated at 295 Sandy Bay–Mārahau Rd, Mārahau - just 400 metres from the main Abel Tasman National Park entrance.
The Lodge is clearly signposted. Drive down to the check-in parking area to visit us at reception.
For detailed instructions on finding us, click the DIRECTIONS button below. Then print or download the directions to your device and bring them with you.

DRIVING FROM PICTON, NELSON AND WEST COAST
  1. Take the road to Motueka. Drive through the small settlement of Riwaka.
  2. Continue on the main road (SH60) heading towards Abel Tasman National Park (follow the brown signs).
  3. When you come to a T intersection you turn left and then immediately right (follow the green Mārahau 9 km sign).
  4. This area is well-signposted – you are looking for a green ‘Mārahau 10 km sign’ and/or a brown ‘Abel Tasman National Park’ sign.
  5. Do not go via Kaiteriteri. Warning, it’s a very curvy road!
  6. Come over the Mārahau hill and follow the road onto the beachfront.
  7. Find us 400 metres further along, just past Aqua Taxis. We are clearly signposted.


GPS INSTRUCTIONS (GARMIN GPS)

  1. Select [Address]
  2. Choose [Search All]
  3. Type in [295] and click [Done]
  4. Type in [Sandy Bay] & select [Sandy Bay-Mārahau Road]


DRIVE TIMES & DISTANCES TO OUR LOCATION

  • 16 km (10 miles) from Motueka – 20 minutes
  • 60 km (40 mi.) from Nelson Airport – 50 minutes
  • 200 km (125 mi.) from Picton Ferry – just under 3 hours
  • 244 km (150 mi.) from Westport – 3.5 hours
  • 282 km (175 mi.) from Punakaiki – 4 hours


PUBLIC TRANSPORT

To and from Nelson

There are a number of bus or charter companies that can get you to and from Mārahau or nearby Motueka via Nelson.

Private Shuttles

Shared Transport

Motueka Taxi Service

  • Motueka Taxis – for local destinations, including Motueka, Mārahau & Kaiteriteri. We recommend booking ahead as there are limited taxi options in the Motueka area. To book call them on 021 0876 7992.

Nelson Taxi Options

To and from the West Coast

Using public transport, you will generally need to come via Nelson or Motueka. See ‘From Nelson’ section above for options.


AIRLINES

Airlines fly in to Nelson airport, which is 50 minutes from the Lodge. The newly renovated airport has a couple of cafés and a small shop. It is serviced by several domestic airlines:

  • Air New Zealand – wide network of flights across New Zealand
  • Origin Air – flights between Nelson, Napier, New Plymouth and Palmerston North
  • Sounds Air – flights between Nelson and Wellington.


CAR RENTAL

From Nelson Airport

The following rental car operators have offices situated at Nelson airport:

Nearby rental car companies with airport pick-ups available include:

Moving on to Picton or the West Coast?​

After visiting the beautiful Abel Tasman, many of our guests are travelling to other areas in the region. If you are going towards Picton or the West Coast we have prepared some directions and additional information to help you plan your trip.

PICTON

Picton is a busy entry and exit point for the South Island. The drive time from Mārahau is about three hours. It’s pretty well signposted once you reach Nelson (coming from Mārahau).

At the town of Havelock you need to decide
1) if you would like scenic and very curvy road (we mean it!) or
2) a flat, straight (slightly less pretty) road via lots of wineries (tempting).

WEST COAST

The landscapes change and the weather becomes a little more ‘interesting’, but the West Coast is also a pretty part of New Zealand.

They say it has about 1% of New Zealand’s population in the region. That’s not a lot of people.

The attached notes, available by clicking on the image below, might be helpful as people can be elusive (we can say that as people who live in a small town with about 200 full-time residents)!!!