A ‘cove’ is a small bay connected to the ocean by a shallow or narrow entrance. Just as trampers value huts as places of shelter, so mariners value coves as havens to escape rough conditions at sea.

Supper Cove, at the conclusion of Fiordland’s Dusky Track, holds fond memories for me. I’ve walked the Dusky twice and loved the isolation, history and mood of this remote fiord. 

On one trip we spent 12 days over the track but I had somehow packed only 10 dinners. We arrived at Supper Cove Hut hungry, wet and tired. A yacht was moored in the bay and my friend Rob signalled it. A dinghy appeared and by sheer chance it was rowed by Rob’s friend Blair Jacobs, who was sailing around Fiordland. “Want some blue cod?” Blair asked. “Yes, please!” Blair rowed back to the yacht and returned with generous fish fillets, new potatoes and a fresh lemon. My logistical lapse turned into a fond memory: “Remember when we had supper delivered to us at Supper Cove?”

Aotearoa has dozens of coves. Rakiura Stewart Island has several, some with intriguing names, such as Burial, Murderers and Fright. Canterbury has a Smuggler Cove located on the banks of Broken River at the base of the Torlesse Range. It can be seen from the Transalpine Express. 

The word can also be applied to a recess in a cliff: many Coast to Coast athletes will have paddled past Deerprint Cove on the banks of the Waimakariri River.

Here is a selection of coves worth visiting on foot. 

1. Cooks Cove Walkway, East Coast 

This one, named by Captain Cook,  is 52km north of Tairawhiti, Gisborne. It is reached via a farmland walkway (closed for lambing August 1 to Labour weekend). From the car park, the track climbs across farmland for 20min before reaching a lookout above the spectacular cove and rugged coastline. It then descends to the famous feature known as the Hole in the Wall. Allow 1.5hr each way. 

2. Isthmus Cove, Whangāmumu Peninsula

The easy Whangāmumu Track leads from near Rawhiti to the scenic Whangāmumu Peninsula. Allow 2–3hr for a return trip with some exploration. 

3. Peach Cove, Whangārei Heads

The 4–6hr Te Whara Track traverses a ridge over Bream Head between Ocean Beach and Urquharts Bay (now part of Te Araroa Trail).

A shorter trip goes to Peach Cove where there is a hut, originally built by Whangārei Tramping Club but now managed by DOC. The track begins from a car park on Ocean Beach Road, climbs steadily to the ridge then descends steeply to the cove, a bouldery bay fringed with bush. Allow 2–3hr each way.

4. Canoe Cove, Lake Kaniere

Canoe Cove Track (20min each way) begins at the northern end of Lake Kaniere and leads through rimu and kahikatea forest to Canoe Cove, a small sheltered bay. It connects with the Lake Kaniere Track, which skirts the lake’s western shore. 

5. Cyathea, Mutton and Watering Coves, Abel Tasman National Park

Beginning from Marahau, the first day on the 4–5 day Abel Tasman Coast Track passes Cyathea and Watering coves (the second named by French mariner Dumont D’Urville, who explored the area and replenished water kegs here in the 1820s). 

Mutton Cove lies further north, beyond Tōtaranui. It’s popular for camping and swimming. 

6. Supper Cove, Fiordland National Park

Supper Cove, on the Dusky Track, can be reached from two directions: heading south after beginning near Lake Manapōuri, via the Spey and Seaforth Valleys, or west from Lake Hauroko up the Hauroko Burn and over the Pleasant Range. These approaches merge at Loch Maree Hut, in the lower Seaforth Valley, from where it’s a day’s hard tramp to reach Supper Cove. Trampers have reached the cove in as little as three to five days each way, but four to six days each way is more prudent.