Our Location
Golden Bay - the "gem" of the Nelson Tasman region, sits on the northern tip of the South Island of New Zealand. Adrift in Golden Bay is situated on a private, sandy, beach, mid-way along the lush, coastal strip between Takaka and Collingwood and two of New Zealand's great National Parks.
All accommodation options are situated within a tranquil garden oasis, overlooking the pristine, sheltered waters of the bay, which offers safe swimming at both low and high tide.
- Our central location in Golden Bay makes Adrift a perfect base from which to explore the many beautiful places in this unique part of New Zealand featuring glistening golden sandy beaches, turquoise crystal clear water alongside alpine meadows and snowy mountain ranges.
- Less than one hours drive you will find two of New Zealand's most spectacular National Parks (Abel Tasman National Park to the South and Kahurangi National Park to the North).
- Adrift in Golden Bay is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes drive north-west of Nelson; 15 minutes drive north of the town of Takaka; 8 minutes drive further north of Adrift is the small township of Collingwood.
See how to Get Here >
View our Beachfront Resort Layout >
Getting Here
Golden Bay is relatively secluded and it therefore takes a little more time and effort to travel here. But you'll discover a destination that is unsurpassed in its pristine beauty and you'll soon come to appreciate why it's such a special place.
- There is only one road in and out of Golden Bay - State Highway 60. We highly recommend having a rental car during your stay to fully experience all Golden Bay has to offer. Public transport is very limited and Adrift in Golden Bay is 18km from our main town and shopping centre, Takaka.
From Nelson and the Nelson Airport (linking Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Queenstown):
Adrift in Golden Bay is a 1 hour, 45 min drive north-west of Nelson City.
Nelson Airport is possibly the best connected provincial airport in New Zealand. It has a total of 6 airlines operating from it
If you are flying into Nelson, there are several car rental companies available at the Nelson Airport.
From Wellington:
By Air: There is a small Golden Bay based air company, Golden Bay Air that offers scheduled flights year-round directly between Wellington and Golden Bay. They also have rental cars available from $49 per day.
By Ferry & Road: From the North Island, two car & passenger ferry companies ply the Cook Straight between Wellington and Picton - The Interislander and the Bluebridge, both with a 3 hour sailing time. On arriving in Picton, you have a choice of two different routes to travel to Nelson, and then onto Golden Bay. The direct route takes just under 4 hours to drive to Adrift in Golden Bay; the scenic route through the Queen Charlotte Sounds takes an extra hour. Car rental is available at the Picton ferry terminal.
From Christchurch:
By Road: The most direct route is north to Amberly and through the Lewis Pass to Murchison. Head towards Nelson and watch for the turnoff to Motueka where you can join Highway 60 to Golden Bay. You should allow 7 hours driving time. An alternative route from Christchurch was to travel up the east coast on SH1 to Kaikora and on to Blenheim, this road is currently CLOSED, however it is due to re-open 15th December 2017 but please check its status before planning on using this route.
Our GPS coordinates:
For those of you with a GPS our coordinates are S 40° 44.167' E 172° 42.150' or S 40º 44"10’ E172º 42"09' or -40.736183,17
To view Adrift in Golden Bay on Google Maps, please go to our Location page.
