South Island Attractions

Venue: Abel Tasman National Park    When: Daily

The Abel Tasman National Park is a small but perfectly formed reserve boasting some of New Zealand's most stunning coastline. Quirky-shaped granite boulders where seals laze jut out of the crystalline, turquoise waters, tidal estuaries are the playgrounds for bottlenosed dolphin and the best of it can be enjoyed by taking New Zealand's most popular walk, Abel Tasman's three-day Coast Path.

With simple bunk beds which can be reserved in advance, or campsites where you can sleep with the sound of the waves crashing in your ears, as well as two luxurious beachfront lodges, Torrent Bay and Meadowbank, the park is well set up to enable visitors to stay for just a morning, a day or a week. Temperatures range from 13°C in winter to 22°C in summer and there are never more than ten rainy days in any month of the year.

There are many ways to see the beautiful coastline, from walking the Coast Path to sea kayaking along the amazing stretch between Anchorage and Bark Bay, to heli-hiking around empty island chains. The Abel Tasman Experience is a highly-qualified tourist operator who can help you get the most from the experience.

The Abel Tasman National Park was created in December 1942, exactly 300 years after the Dutch Explorer Abel Tasman sailed into Golden Bay. Maoris had lived and fished the coastline for at least 500 years prior to the arrival of Tasman. With the arrival of Europeans came logging and much destruction. The forest is still recovering.