Gibbs Hill to Whariwharangi Bay Loop Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

Starting and finishing at Tōtaranui, this loop track will take you over Gibbs Hill and around the coast from Whariwharangi.

This DOC directory entry covers Gibbs Hill to Whariwharangi Bay Loop Track in Tasman, within Abel Tasman National Park. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: 18.3 km loop
• Walking time: 5 hr 30 min loop
• DOC grade: Advanced

Access and alerts

Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.

Dog access

No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Description

From the Tōtaranui camp office, follow the avenue road and then Abel Tasman Coast Track past the Ngarata Homestead north towards Anapai.

At 1.4 km, just past the concrete bridge, turn left at the start of the Gibbs Hill track. The track crosses a ford before a 3 km long uphill section begins which has steep sections. At the ridge and next intersection, turn right to Gibbs Hill.

Allow about 1 hour 30 minutes for the climb to the hill top.

Follow the track down the hill until you get to a track junction. Stick to the right to head down to Whariwharangi Bay. It takes about an hour to get to Whariwharangi Bay from the top of Gibbs Hill.

Follow the Coast Track back to Tōtaranui past Mutton Cove and Anapai Bay. Allow 3 hours to get from Whariwharangi to Tōtaranui.

All tracks to Gibbs Hill from Tōtaranui, Pigeon Saddle or the Coast Track above Wainui Bay are first and foremost fire access routes. For the most part they cross either open country or arid, scruffy, gorse/mānuka regeneration.

Views along the ridgeline are superb. You can see from Nelson round to D’Urville Island, to Farewell Spit (with Mt Taranaki on clear winter days) and Golden Bay.

Getting there

Nelson to Tōtaranui is about two and a half hours. Take SH6 south out of Nelson and turn onto SH60 (the Coastal Highway) once past Richmond. Follow SH60 over the Takaka Hill to Takaka.

From Takaka follow signs to Pohara and Tata Beach, which will lead you past the Abel Tasman Memorial and onto Tōtaranui. The last 12 km is a narrow, winding, unsealed road.

Know before you go

No water

There is no water anywhere along the ridges of Gibbs Hill. There is water in Whariwharangi and at campsites along the Coast Track.

Wasps

Wasps are a possible hazard and are more common from December until April. Carry antihistamine if you are allergic to their stings.

Rubbish

Day visitors must take out their own rubbish.

Giardia

Giardia has been found in some park waters. It can be removed from drinking water by boiling, filtering or chemical treatment. All tap water at Tōtaranui is filtered.

Sources and reuse

Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.

The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.