Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman is as renowned in Australasian history as James Cook, but he never set foot in this area of north west South Island known as the Abel Tasman . Much of it is a National Park thanks to the vision and effort of Perrine Moncrieff, a well heeled Brit whom came to NZ in 1921, settled in Nelson and bought land on the shores of Tasman Bay. She was a passionate conservationist and ornithologist. In the early 1940s there was development talk, you know the sort of thing, let’s cut down the trees and put in a coast road. Moncrieff rallied the local population, few of whom were in favour of the “development” and her efforts resulted in the creation of a NP in 1942, the anniversary of Abel Tasman’s first landing in NZ
The land in the park has remained as it was in 1940, there are hardly any roads and the pre-existing communities on the shore are primarily cottages accessible only by boat and powered originally with diesel fuel but now mostly solar and bottled gas. The Abel Tasman track runs north along the coast from Marahau. Transport is by water taxi or private boats, all of which are designed to land on beaches. The park is visited by kayakers and hikers year round. Kayak outfitters operate 8 months of the the year and water taxis year round. Accomodation is in backcountry campgrounds and huts. There is one luxury lodge.

It has the look and feel of a tropical paradise, beautiful beaches, turquoise water and the tropical look of tree ferns and cabbage palms, though it is actually quite a temperate but very sunny climate.

I was in the Abel Tasman for 5 days, spent one day walking on the Abel Tasman track and three kayaking with a group from Totaranui in the north back to Marahau. It was superb, we even rafted up the kayaks and sailed on three occasions, saw fur seals close up, the adults always sleeping, the pups playing in pools. We paddled with blue penguins as curious companions and the everpresent pied cormorants.

Belated post as all this happened 3 weeks ago