Tasman

I

Introduction

Tasman, local government unitary authority in the north-western corner of the South Island of New Zealand. Tasman is bordered to the south and west by West Coast, to the north by the Tasman Sea, to the north-east by Nelson, to the east by Marlborough, and to the south-east by Canterbury.

II

Physical Geography

Tasman covers an area of 9,786 sq km (3,778 sq mi) extending from Kahurangi Point on the western coast, down to the Arthur Range (with its glaciated karst features), up the fertile valley of the Wairau River, and then out to the Tasman Bay coast between Richmond and Nelson. The region’s principal waterways include the Aorere, Buller, Motueka, and Takaka rivers. Temperatures in the region range from 22.0° C (71.6° F) in midsummer to 1.2° C (34.2° F) in midwinter. Tasman receives annually an average of 1,005 mm (39 in) of rain and 2,400 hours of sunshine.

An unusual feature of the north-western coast is Farewell Spit, a 35-km (22-mi) sandbar whose huge crescent-shaped dunes consist of sand eroded from the west coast and washed north around Cape Farewell. Golden Bay, sheltered by the sandbar from the rough Tasman Sea, is gradually silting up. To the north of the bay is a wetland bird sanctuary, which is home to migratory wading birds and a gannet colony. Three national parks are located in the Tasman region. With an area of 4,519 sq km (1,745 sq mi) on the north-western coast, Kahurangi National Park is the second largest of New Zealand’s national parks. In contrast, Abel Tasman National Park (established 1942) is the smallest, and covers an area of about 226 sq km (87 sq mi) in the north-east. Further south is the mountainous Nelson Lakes National Park, with an area of 1,020 sq km (395 sq mi); the average elevation of the park’s mountains is around 1,525 m (5,000 ft).

III

Population

Tasman has a population of 41,352 (2001). Motueka, Richmond, and Collingwood are the main towns. Between 1996 and 2001 Tasman was New Zealand’s fastest growing region, recording a population increase of 10.9 per cent. The urban areas of Brightwater and Wakefield in particular experienced major growth and development in the late 1990s. Population density in the region is significantly lower than the national average; there are few large urban settlements in Tasman and nearly 60 per cent of the land area lies within designated national park territories.

IV

Economy

Fruit and vegetables, including grapes, apples, pears, kiwi fruit, berries, hops, avocados, feijoa, tamarillos, and asparagus, grow well in the sunny climate. Apples were first exported in cold storage to London in 1911; now Tasman exports 40 per cent of New Zealand’s total. There are small vineyards and wineries at Upper Moutere and Ruby Bay. Pine plantations grow on hills previously stripped for timber. Dolomite, used for glass-making, is found near Collingwood, while marble is cut at Takaka; high-quality marble, such as that used for the Parliament Buildings in Wellington, is found at the Kairuru quarry.

Tourism is important to the local economy. Popular expeditions around the region include feeding the tame eels at Moutere, picnicking among the Devil’s Boots rock formations near Rockville, swimming with seals off Tonga Island, visiting the limestone caves at Ngarua (with their stalagmites, stalactites, and 20,000-year-old moa skeletons), and walking the renowned five-day Heaphy Track through Kahurangi National Park.