Spectacular and remote beaches line a natural jungle
The Abel Tasman is the smallest and most popular national park in New Zealand, and one of the most beautiful, protecting 23,000 ha of some of the finest coastal scenery and beaches in the country. Rolling hills of native bush fall to azure-coloured clear waters and a 91-km coastline, indented with over 50 beaches of golden sand. It is a paradise for trampers and sea kayakers and boasts the famous and increasingly popular 51-km Coastal Walkway; while the Inland Track offers a quieter and more energetic tramp away from both the coast and the hordes of people. The park is also home to the Tonga Island Marine Reserve.
The park was opened in 1942 after the tireless efforts of conservationist and resident Perrine Moncrieff; it was named after the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman who first sighted New Zealand in 1642. Many of the place names are accredited to the explorations and subsequent mappings in 1827 by the French explorer Jules Sebastien Cesar Dumont d’Urville.
