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Nelson, Motueka and the Abel Tasman Attractions

From your accommodation at Hat Trick Lodge you can be walking in New Zealand's Abel Tasman National Park within 20 minutes or Kahurangi National Park (Mount Arthur) in 40.

If you don't have your own transport then bus services to the parks, Golden Bay and Nelson leave from outside our backpackers' lodge. The buses go as far as the Heaphy track and both the Western and Eastern ends of Abel Tasman National Park.

We can book all of your holiday activities with the area's tourist companies. Just e-mail us in advance.

New Zealand's Abel Tasman National Park

If you are looking for golden beaches, a clear blue sea, great hiking and some of the world's best sea kayaking, you can’t beat Abel Tasman National Park.

And you're almost guaranteed to see the New Zealand fur seal.

If you've got the time, walk some of the Abel Tasman Costal Walk, one of New Zealand's great walks. It has gentle terrain with refreshing bays to swim in along the way.

We can organise your kayaking, walking or sailing adventure for you from the lodge.

Kahurangi National Park

This is a huge wilderness containing some of the best scenery in New Zealand’s ‘Middle Earth’, providing you want to pull on your boots and do some walking.

Kahurangi contains majestic Lord of the Rings country. Its western side is traversed by the famous Heaphy Track. You can see the park on your own or join a guided walking tour, which we can arrange in advance for you.

A bus service is located only 40 metres from the Lodge.

Local entertainment

Motueka is a great Kiwi town. It only takes 15 minutes to walk from Hat Trick Lodge, past a stunningly beautiful 18-hole golf course, to get to the coastal walking track and Motueka's sand spit with its huge variety of bird life.

The Lodge is only a few minutes walk from shops, cafés, bars, banks and supermarkets. The information centre, bus hub, town park and Sunday market are across the road.

Mapua’s famous Smokehouse Café and Ruby bay are a 20 minute drive away. Take another 20 minutes and you can be at the Wearable Arts Centre close to Nelson.

Bike trips & wine trails

The Tasman, Golden Bay area is great for mountain/road biking.

We have 6 mountain bikes for hire. Day trips from the lodge are a good option. We can also provide a drop off and pick-up service for you and your bike.

Riding the wine trail in the Moutere area is a popular choice. With a wide selection of vineyards and wineries to tempt your taste buds.

We have a range of bike route plans for the more adventurous.

Takaka Hill (Marble Mountain)

Takaka Hill is rumoured to be New Zealand's longest hill. Take the beautiful scenic drive over it to reach Golden Bay. At the top you can spend time exploring the Ngarua Caves as part of a guided tour - see the moa bones. You can also walk the hill top track taking in all the great views.

Watch you don’t slip into Harwoods Hole off the Motueka-Takaka Road. It is one of the deepest holes in the world, plunging over 170 metres straight down before becoming part of a cave system that drops well below 300 metres.

Crystal clear water from this system can be seen at the Resurgence, just before you start your climb up Takaka Hill.

Golden Bay

Once you reach the bottom of the Takaka Hill you can turn left and travel up into Kahurangi National Park's Cobb Valley or carry on to Takaka. Entering the Western end of Abel Tasman National Park through Wainui or Totaranui is also possible. Buses leaving from near the Lodge go to both.

Farewell spit, Collingwood and the western coastal walks at the base of the spit are our favourites.

You need to pre-book for a tour of the spit – a great day out and you can be back at the Lodge for a summer evening BBQ.

River and sea fishing

While you're here why not try your hand at some fishing? Hiring fishing guides for both sea and river fishing is a great idea.

The Motueka River is regarded as one of the best brown trout rivers around.

We can provide information on all the river access points for the keen fly fisherman. Call us and we can book your fishing trip for you, so that you can maximise your fishing time.

Group bookings are the most affordable.

Sky-diving / Parachuting

Motueka is home to the Nelson pilot training school and right down the air strip is the skydiving crowd who will happily take you to 12,000 feet before pushing you out of the plane – attached to an experienced ski-diver of course.

Motueka’s stable weather means you can take this leap of faith right through the year. We can book your skydiving experience, just don’t expect us to join you.

So book your holiday accommodation now.