Abel tasman da Tonga a Ancorage

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Abel Tasman National Park is a New Zealand national park located between Golden Bay / Mohua and Tasman Bay at the north end of the South Island. It is named after Abel Tasman, who in 1642 became the first European explorer to sight New Zealand and who anchored nearby in Golden Bay.

Abel Tasman National Park is the smallest national park in New Zealand but has among the most visitors.[2] The Abel Tasman Coast Track, one of New Zealand's Great Walks, is a coastal tramping route spanning 60 kilometres (37 mi) along the eastern and northern coastal areas of the park.[3]

History
The coastal area was inhabited for hundreds of years by Māori prior to the arrival of Europeans, with sites throughout the area occupied both seasonally and permanently. In addition to harvesting food from the local forests, estuaries and waters, locals grew kūmara.[4]

Historical records indicate a pā was established at Auckland Point by Pohea, who travelled there around 1450 from the Whanganui area. From the mid-1500s Muaūpoko (formerly known as Ngāi Tara[5]) occupied the area until the early 1600s, when they were ousted by Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri. Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri were present when Abel Tasman reached Golden Bay / Mohua in 1642.[6]

Park establishment
The park was founded in 1942, largely through the efforts of ornithologist and author Pérrine Moncrieff to have land reserved for the purpose. Moncrieff served on the park board from 1943 to 1974.[7]

The park was opened on 18 December 1942 to mark the 300th anniversary of Abel Tasman's visit.[8] Those in attendance at the opening ceremony at Tarakohe included Charles van der Plas, as personal representative of the Netherlands' Queen, Wilhelmina. The Queen was made Patron of the park.[9]

The idea for the park had been under consideration since June 1938. The Crown set aside 15,225 hectares (37,622 acres), comprising 8,900 hectares (21,900 acres) of proposed state forest, 5,809 hectares (14,354 acres) of Crown land and 554 hectares (1,368 acres) of other reserve land for the national park.[10] The Golden Bay Cement Company donated the land where the Abel Tasman Monument and a memorial plaque was sited.[8] The area's primary historic interest was the visit of Tasman in 1642, D'Urville in 1827, and the New Zealand Company barques Whitby and Will Watch, and brig Arrow in 1841. The site was also of significant botanical interest.[10]

Expansion
By 1946 the park had reached 15,534 hectares (38,386 acres) in area with additional land purchases. A further 844 hectares (2,085 acres) at Tōtaranui, formerly owned by William Gibbs, was acquired from J S Campbell in 1949 and added to the park.[11] About 6,100 hectares (15,000 acres) have been added since. In 2008 an extra 7.9 km2 (790 ha; 3.1 sq mi), including the formerly private land known as Hadfields Clearing, were added to the park.[12]

In 2016, a further 7 hectares (17 acres) in Awaroa Inlet was purchased by New Zealanders in a crowdfunding campaign.

Geography
Location and size

Rākauroa / Torrent Bay at Abel Tasman National Park.
Covering an area of 237 km2 (92 sq mi; 59,000 acres),[13] the park is the smallest of New Zealand's national parks.[4] It consists of forested, hilly country to the north of the valleys of the Tākaka and Riwaka Rivers, and is bounded to the north by the waters of Golden Bay / Mohua and Tasman Bay. The park contains some of the islands off the coast including the Tata Islands in Golden Bay / Mohua, and Tonga Island, Motuareronui / Adele Island, and Fisherman Island in Tasman Bay.[1]

The park does not extend beyond Mean High Water Mark on the adjacent coast. Between Mean High Water and Mean Low Water Springs, the beaches are gazetted as a Scenic Reserve, covering 7.74 km2 (2.99 sq mi) in total. The Tonga Island Marine Reserve adjoins part of the park.

The Abel Tasman Monument, though not located in the park, commemorates the first contact between Europeans and Māori and is located near the northern end of the park.

Ecology
Abel Tasman National Park stands out from most other National parks of New Zealand, given that a large area of it has undergone extensive environmental modification in its history. Early European settlers burned or cleared much of the forest, only to find that the soil was unsuitable for farming. This practise not only destroyed much of the shrubland and forests, but also introduced invasive plants found throughout the modern-day park. However, as time progresses, the original ecosystems and forests are slowly returning.[14]

The park contains varied habitats, including coastal forests, sub-alpine bogs, and sand dunes. As a result of this diversity, many different species can be found. The islands of the park, in particular Tonga Island, Motuareronui / Adele Island and Fisherman Island which are the largest, have been disturbed less and have no introduced mammalian predators. As a result the islands have species not found elsewhere in the park and there are more restrictions to visitor access.[4]