Best single-day hiking trails in Nelson Tasman

If you’re after an easy wander that still feels like a proper escape, the Maitai Caves walk is a bit of a local gem.

The dramatically rugged landscapes of Cape Farewell have been carved out by the wild western weather, forming an archway in the quartz sandstone cliff that drops vertically into the raging seas below.

You’ll never experience a beach quite like Farewell Spit in Golden Bay. Mighty, majestic, and magnificent are just three words regularly used to describe the 35km sandspit that shelters the Nelson Tasman region from the wild west coast weather.

Perched at 1,650 metres, Angelus Hut overlooks Lake Angelus and is surrounded by stunning mountain vistas. From May to October, the lake often freezes, and snow covers all four routes, sometimes requiring visitors to dig their way to the hut.

A steep but rewarding climb in Mount Richmond Forest Park, the Mount Duppa Summit Track winds through lush beech forest, past striking rock formations, before opening onto a rugged ridgeline with sweeping views across the Bryant and Richmond ranges, Cable Bay and the Marlborough Sounds on a clear day.

Lake Rotoiti is the main access point for many of the walks that dissect the Nelson Lakes National Park, including the Travers-Sabine Circuit and Lake Angelus, but many of the area’s ‘hidden gems’ are actually within easy reach of the lake itself, including Whisky Falls.

The St Arnaud Range track climbs steadily through red beech, silver beech, and mountain beech forest for approximately two hours before emerging at Parachute Rocks. Glacial activity in Nelson Lakes National Park many, many years ago shaped the dramatic landscape, creating moraine terraces, valleys, and lake tarns.

The Barnicoat Ranges form the impressive backdrop behind Stoke and Richmond, rising steeply to more than 500m elevation for most of its length.