Marahau Beach

Name	Marahau Beach
Location	Marahau
Co-ordinates	1600310  5461479
Alternative co-ordinates
Configuration	Loop
Distance	2 km
Status	Off-leash
Grade	Easy
Access	From 1 km north of Riwaka, take Riwaka-Sandy Bay Road to Marahau. Continue through the village to a parking area on the right, just before the river bridge (opposite Marahau Valley Road). Look out for the sign to the walk at the edge of the bush.
Description	A short loop walk, through a stretch of bush at the edge of the Marahau River, then out onto the shore of Sandy Bay, and back along the shared cycleway. The full loop can only be completed ast low tide, but at that time of the day, the beach is a wonderland for dogs to run.
Connecting tracks
Further information

​Marahau is a beautiful little settlement, snuggled into a bay on the south side of the Abel Tasman ranges. Two bars of golden sand creates a shallow lagoon that provides a wonderful swimming area, and the sand continues along a lovely beach that's the focus for sunbathing, swimming and launching the flotillas of kayaks and small boats that head up the coast throughout the summer. The Abel Tasman walkway also starts on the north of the village.

The National Park, of course, is out-of-bounds for dogs, but most of the beach is dog-friendly and an informal pathway has also been developed through the area of woodland at the north end of the beach. Together with the footpath that runs beside (and nicely separated from) the road, this provides a very pleasant 2 km loop walk - so long as the tide is right. You can start the walk either from the end of the main beach (where it veers away from the road) or from the clearing opposite the end of Marahau Valley Road.
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