Abel Tasman National Park
New Zealand · Oceania
About
Abel Tasman National Park is a national park at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. It covers 237.1 km2 (91.5 sq mi) of land between Golden Bay / Mohua and Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, making it the smallest of New Zealand's national parks. Despite this, the park is one of the most visited, partially due to the popularity of the Abel Tasman Coast Track which spans 60 km (37 mi) along the eastern and northern coastal areas of the park. The area of the park has seen human interaction for approximately 700 years, with evidence of habitation dating back to early Māori iwi such as Waitaha and Rapuwai during the early periods of Māori habitation in New Zealand. Following the arrival of Pākehā in the 19th century, the area saw widespread deforestation, farming, and quarrying, significantly modifying the area's environment. As a result of this, the park is one of the most modified landscapes of any of New Zealand's national parks, with management of the park largely focusing on regeneration and restoration of the traditional ecosystem. The park was first established in 1942 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Abel Tasman's 1642 visit in New Zealand, when he became the first European to sight the islands. It has since been progressively expanded from its original borders, the most recent of which involved the addition of 7 hectares (17 acres) in Awaroa Inlet after a successful crowdfunding campaign.
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. 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) 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.
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. The park was opened on 18 December 1942 to mark the 300th anniversary of Abel Tasman's visit. 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. 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. The Golden Bay Cement Company donated the land where the Abel Tasman Monument and a memorial plaque was sited. 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.
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. 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. In 2016, a further 7 hectares (17 acres) in Awaroa Inlet was purchased by New Zealanders in a crowdfunding campaign.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.