Abel Tasman Tourism Information is the visitor information point on Franklin Street in Mārahau, one of the two places where people step off to explore Abel Tasman National Park. The village sits on a bay of golden sand, with a tidal estuary and blue-green water, and most people who come through it are heading onto the water or onto the coast track. Water taxis and sea kayak trips leave from the beach here, and the Abel Tasman Coast Track starts minutes away. The name Mārahau is said to mean 'windy garden'.
Because the centre is in the village rather than on the track, it serves the people passing through: those who have arrived with a rough plan for the day and need to firm it up. Its Google rating puts it among the better-regarded visitor points on this coast, and it sits in the one village that the park's visitors all pass on their way in. Our pick for a first stop before the water taxi.