Abel Tasman National Park
Discover Abel Tasman National Park
Abel Tasman National Park is in the Nelson Bays region of the South Island of New Zealand, between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay. Located in the Tasman District on the northern tip of the South Island. The park is closed to vehicles, and access is either on foot (from one of the various carparks mentioned below) or by boat, or if you've got money to spend it is possible to charter a helicopter or small plane (Awaroa only).
What to Experience in Abel Tasman National Park
Taste of Abel Tasman National Park...
Please help to maintain the park's natural beauty - take all your rubbish out with you! Cellphone coverage by Telecom (XT network) and Vodafone (2 degrees, Skinny and Vodafone networks) is patchy at sea level but you can often receive texts at some high points of the coastal path and in higher reaches inland. There are Wi-Fi facilities at Marahau and in Anchorage Hut for the walled garden of the Project Janszoon “Virtual Visitor Centre” app to provide up-to-date information on weather, tides, points of interest, history, plants, wildlife and walking times on Android and Apple devices. The app also works offline and will update itself when in range of a hotspot. The Wi-Fi spots don't give full internet access, but you can browse the websites of:
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Abel Tasman National Park into what it is today.
Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, was the first European to visit New Zealand, and he anchored in Golden Bay on 18 December 1642. He encountered the native Maori people there, who attacked the foreign intruders. Tasman sailed on up the west coast of the North Island, avoiding further contact with native New Zealanders. Around 1855, more Europeans began to arrive and permanent settlements began to spring up. These settlements began to pillage the land's resources - logging for homes and ships, mining of granite, and creation of pasture through burning. The park, created out of protest due to concerns about heavy logging in the area, was officially opened on 18 December 1942, exactly 300 years after Abel Tasman's visit. The initial grant was 15,000 hectares of government land and the park has since grown to over 22,000 hectares, though it is still New Zealand's smallest national park. The most notable feature of the park are its beaches. The golden sands bring many visitors, some for just a day, others for overnight trips. However, moving away from the beaches and inland, the park is mountainous and rough. Some areas of the park are very tidal. Watch out in particular for the estuaries at Torrent Bay and Awaroa - these can drain almost completely at low tide! So be aware of this before anchoring your boat in some places....
Climate
The Abel Tasman National Park is in one of the sunniest places in the country with over 2000 hours of sunlight per year. There is moderate rainfall that is spread out over the year and occasionally snow at higher elevations. There are four carpark entrances to the park. From here, you walk into the park. Most companies depart from Marahau or Kaiteriteri going to the main beaches of the park. Some arrange tours also in the park, see below. Please help to maintain the park's natural beauty - take all your rubbish out with you! Cellphone coverage by Telecom (XT network) and Vodafone (2 degrees, Skinny and Vodafone networks) is patchy at sea level but you can often receive texts at some high points of the coastal path and in higher reaches inland.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThere are four carpark entrances to the park. From here, you walk into the park. Most companies depart from Marahau or Kaiteriteri going to the main beaches of the park. Some arrange tours also in the park, see below. Please help to maintain the park's natural beauty - take all your rubbish out with you! Cellphone coverage by Telecom (XT network) and Vodafone (2 degrees, Skinny and Vodafone networks) is patchy at sea level but you can often receive texts at some high points of the coastal path and in higher reaches inland. There are Wi-Fi facilities at Marahau and in Anchorage Hut for the walled garden of the Project Janszoon “Virtual Visitor Centre” app to provide up-to-date information on weather, tides, points of interest, history, plants, wildlife and walking times on Android and Apple devices. The app also works offline and will update itself when in range of a hotspot. The Wi-Fi spots don't give full internet access, but you can browse the websites of:...
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Please help to maintain the park's natural beauty - take all your rubbish out with you! Cellphone coverage by Telecom (XT network) and Vodafone (2 degrees, Skinny and Vodafone networks) is patchy at sea level but you can often receive texts at some high points of the coastal path and in higher reaches inland. There are Wi-Fi facilities at Marahau and in Anchorage Hut for the walled garden of the Project Janszoon “Virtual Visitor Centre” app to provide up-to-date information on weather, tides, points of interest, history, plants, wildlife and walking times on Android and Apple devices. The app also works offline and will update itself when in range of a hotspot. The Wi-Fi spots don't give full internet access, but you can browse the websites of:
Where to Stay
Cellphone coverage by Telecom (XT network) and Vodafone (2 degrees, Skinny and Vodafone networks) is patchy at sea level but you can often receive texts at some high points of the coastal path and in higher reaches inland. There are Wi-Fi facilities at Marahau and in Anchorage Hut for the walled garden of the Project Janszoon “Virtual Visitor Centre” app to provide up-to-date information on weather, tides, points of interest, history, plants, wildlife and walking times on Android and Apple devices. The app also works offline and will update itself when in range of a hotspot. The Wi-Fi spots don't give full internet access, but you can browse the websites of:
Money & Budget
Please help to maintain the park's natural beauty - take all your rubbish out with you! Cellphone coverage by Telecom (XT network) and Vodafone (2 degrees, Skinny and Vodafone networks) is patchy at sea level but you can often receive texts at some high points of the coastal path and in higher reaches inland. There are Wi-Fi facilities at Marahau and in Anchorage Hut for the walled garden of the Project Janszoon “Virtual Visitor Centre” app to provide up-to-date information on weather, tides, points of interest, history, plants, wildlife and walking times on Android and Apple devices. The app also works offline and will update itself when in range of a hotspot. The Wi-Fi spots don't give full internet access, but you can browse the websites of:
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Cellphone coverage by Telecom (XT network) and Vodafone (2 degrees, Skinny and Vodafone networks) is patchy at sea level but you can often receive texts at some high points of the coastal path and in higher reaches inland. There are Wi-Fi facilities at Marahau and in Anchorage Hut for the walled garden of the Project Janszoon “Virtual Visitor Centre” app to provide up-to-date information on weather, tides, points of interest, history, plants, wildlife and walking times on Android and Apple devices. The app also works offline and will update itself when in range of a hotspot. The Wi-Fi spots don't give full internet access, but you can browse the websites of:
Glimpses of Abel Tasman National Park
two white and black motorboats
a beach with boats on it
ocean photography
View over stunning beach in the Abel Tasman National Park
seashells on gray sand
clear water at seashore
Picture of ocean and sandy beach
green palm trees near blue sea under blue sky during daytime
woman in blue t-shirt and brown shorts standing on brown dirt road during daytime
person standing on sea shore under blue sky during daytime
two white and black motorboats
a beach with boats on it
ocean photography