Fall River Track
A walk we did recently was up the Falls River Track. This walk can be completed as a day trip with a return water taxi from Marahau to Torrent and out of Anchorage in the afternoon. Alternatively if you are based at Anchorage or Torrent bay and looking for a great little adventure off the beaten track on a busy summer day, then I can happily recommend the Falls River Track.
When we did the walk we departed Marahau on the 9am water taxi to Torrent Bay, waved goodbye to the crowds and headed south for a few minutes to the turn off for the Falls River Track.
The bush up the track is absolutely stunning. Unlike some other areas, it’s original, rather than regenerating native bush. It was never touched by the early settlers who tried to farm the land or harvest the trees.
The deep water pools in the river and the waterfalls are absolutely breathtaking and the giant boulders are perfectly formed for rock hopping. There are a lot of perfect swimming holes and I really like swimming in freshwater, even if it is a bit cooler than the water at the beach.
The walk time is about 3 hours return from the turnoff point at the Torrent Bay Estuary. I would recommend going up on the earliest water taxi and then taking the last sailing out of Anchorage. If you do the walk during a high tide, it’s even more spectacular when you walk around the estuary towards Anchorage. I love how you can look across the water of the estuary to the trees on the other side.
Blog by Jude Ahearn
Customer Service Manager – The Abel Tasman Centre
About Jude: Jude’s first job in the outdoors was as a walking guide on Stewart Island, but it wasn’t too long before she returned home to the Abel Tasman. Her first job back here was as a kayak guide, and after that she moved into various operations and management positions. When she’s not working as head honcho at the Abel Tasman Centre she and husband Kev head straight into the outdoors, and usually as far into the backcountry as time allows.