Bark Bay sits roughly halfway along the Coast Track and is one of the prettier overnight stops: a long curve of golden sand split by a tidal estuary, with the Bark Bay hut and campsite tucked against the bush at the southern end. The bay is shallow and sheltered, and the sandy bottom means the water turns vivid turquoise in afternoon light.
The name comes from the 19th-century industry that briefly stripped this coastline — bark from the local kanuka was harvested and shipped to Nelson for tanning leather, before conservation effort returned the bay to its current state. The tidal crossing of the estuary at low water saves about an hour over the high-tide alternative.