Abel Tasman National Park

Abel Tasman National Park, national park in the South Island of New Zealand, established in 1942. The park, which has an area of about 226 sq km (87 sq mi), lies between Separation Point and Marahau Inlet on the north-western coast of the South Island, extending inland for an average of about 9.7 km (6 mi) along the shores of Tasman Bay. It also includes the Tata Islands in Golden Bay and the Tonga, Adele, and Fisherman Islands in Tasman Bay. Both the bay and the park are named after Abel Tasman, the Dutch navigator who explored this coast in 1642 and thus became the first European to sight what is now New Zealand.

The mainland section of the park consists of part of a range of limestone and marble hills, the slopes of which are covered with a wide variety of vegetation, including an area of rainforest in the Lower Wainui Valley. Several species of birds live in the park, as well as seals, deer, goats, and wild pigs. The karst landscape of inland Canaan Downs (with Harwoods Hole, at 176 m/577 ft the deepest sinkhole and vertical drop in the country) contrasts with the park's golden beaches, formed of mica, quartz, and golden feldspar. Two waymarked trails, the Inland Track and the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk, cross the park.

The Tonga Island Marine Reserve, neighbouring the park, was created in 1993 to protect the fish and seal population as well as a number of native plants. The reserve covers an area of about 1,835 hectares (4,534 acres) and includes 12 km (7 mi) of coastline.