Split Apple Rock

Quick Tips

• Time from Barn: 15 mins
• Track Difficulty: Easy

Split Apple Rock is one of the favorite beaches nearby to The Barn for exploring site seeing and swimming. The Mighty granite rock has been the calling card for many low tide swim trips.

Not quite sure how much you enjoy large rocks cut in half-sitting out on the water. But it is an interesting drive-in with views down the Astrolabe, followed by a nice walk to get down to a pretty cool beach. You will be better off for the experience!

How to get there

The best way to get there is to drive up Tokongawa Hill to the car park. From there walk down the road to the 5-10 min track to the beach. The road over the hill is a bit windy and narrow, but perfectly manageable. Just take it easy driving in and keep an eye out for cyclists.

If you are keen to explore the rock and the coastline around it then there are great options for boat or kayaking trips that can be sorted out at The Barn. If you are on foot, then make sure you do go for a stroll down the beach to get a better view of the Split Apple, and can even go fossicking for muscles.

You can wade/swim your way out to the rock at low tide (about 100m offshore) and explore the rocks. Like most of the Abel Tasman Coastline, it is made up of 120 million-year-old granite rock that has split down the middle from water running down a crack in the rock.

There are public toilets available near the beach on Moonraker Way if you get caught out.

The Local Tips

• Go down for an afternoon dip as it has steep hills behind it to the west blocking the evening sun. Still a Barn favorite for a low tide after-work dip.
• Take a couple of drinks with you. For some strange reason, we get some awesome sunset effects across Tasman Bay to the East.