Abel Tasman National Park is in the Nelson region of the South Island of New Zealand, between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay.

Located in the Nelson and Marlborough Regions on the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. The park is closed to vehicles, and access is either on foot (from one of the various carparks mentioned below) or by boat, or if you've got money to spend it is possible to charter a helicopter or small plane (Awaroa only).

The most notable feature of the park are its beaches. The golden sands bring many visitors, some for just a day, others for overnight trips. However, moving away from the beaches and inland, the park is mountainous and rough.

Some areas of the park are very tidal. Watch out in particular for the estuaries at Torrent Bay and Awaroa - these can drain almost completely at low tide! So be aware of this before anchoring your boat in some places. In fact, at low tide it is possible to walk from Torrent Bay to Anchorage by walking across the empty estuary - this takes about 25 minutes, whereas the track around the outside of the estuary takes closer to 2 hours. Some beaches also have unusual sand bars - if in doubt, don't go too close to shore in your boat, or you might run aground unexpectedly!

Info about flora and fauna:
Much of the nature vegetation has been destroyed by the area's early inhabitants, but left alone, the park is slowly renewing itself. All four species of Beech trees can be found within the park, an unusual find.

Wildlife, like much of New Zealand, consists mostly of avian life, but also like much of the country, the rarest birds, such as the kiwi, are not present. Other wildlife, such as the blue penguin, can be found in the more isolated areas of the park now that their population have begun to dwindle. You can still see lots (and hear!) lots of birds - keep an eye out for wood pigeons, tuis (you will definitely hear these even if you don't see them), wekas (rare, flightless birds), oyster catchers (by the sea) and cormorants.

Much of New Zealand's native wildlife is under attack due to introduced species and the Department of Conservation (DOC) along with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) are trying desperately to halt these attacks. Stoats, a relative of the ferret, were introduced into New Zealand to control rabbits in the 1880s. However, those stoats, then and today, prefer the native animal populations such as the blue penguins over rabbits or their other "normal" prey.

When exploring Abel Tasman or any other national park, you may observe traps for introduced species such as the stoat or the possum. Please do not disturb these efforts to maintain New Zealand's natural wildlife.

Info about Fees and Permits:
The only fees associated with the Abel Tasman park are those required for sleeping in the park.

- Great Walk Hut. If tramping on the Coast Track and planning to stay in huts, you will need to book with the DoC and pay a fee between NZ$10 - NZ$14, per night, depending on the season.
- Standard Hut. If tramping on the Inland Track and planning to stay in huts, you will need to pay a fee of NZ$5 per night.
- Backcountry Campsites. Expect to pay about NZ$7 per night.

Info about Climate:
The Abel Tasman National Park is in one of the sunniest places in the country with over 2000 hours of sunlight per year. There is moderate rainfall that is spread out over the year and snow is occasionally found in the park's higher elevations.

Good to know:
Some of the land in the park is privately owned - mainly in Awaroa Bay and Torrent Bay. It is important to remember this when visiting the park - the locals are friendly but they don't want loads of travellers walking through their backyards all the time! However these areas are clearly marked so you shouldn't have any problems.

Travel tip: 2 day trip - Abel Tasman - Kayaking & Coast Track
www.../2-day-trip-abel-tasman-kayaking-coast-track

Abel Tasman National Park - video in DivX Quality:

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Based on a work at Wikitravel.org & Traveldudes.org.