Totaranui is located in Abel Tasman National Park toward the northern end of the Abel Tasman Track and is often used as a starting or finishing point for walking and kayaking the track/park. The beaches to the South are Goat Bay, Waiharakeke Bay, and Awaroa Bay; to the North is Anapai Bay, Mutton Cove, and Separation Point which separates Able Tasman National Park from Golden Bay.
Totaranui bay has some of the best stands of native bush left in the National Park and its golden beach and clear waters have seen it become a summer holiday favourite for New Zealanders seeking sun and sea.