Rich in gold rush history, Murchison offers the best white water kayaking and rafting in New Zealand. I will start off by fessing up to my personal connection to Murchison. I was the fifth generation on the maternal side of my family to be born in Murch. Now, according to my Mum, only people born […]
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Tupuna o ngā tāngata o ngā hekengaTe Whāwhārua was called a myriad of names by the early European settlers in the early 1840’s. They were in awe of his size and stature so called him ‘Big Fellow’ – hence *Pikiwhara. He travelled from Kāwhia in the heke (migration) to settle here in Te Tauihu. He
Te Whāwhārua – Ngāti Rārua Read More »
First, a disclaimer: I live in Riwaka and believe it to be the most splendid place on this planet. I have been something of a gypsy for most of my life so have lived throughout New Zealand and in a handful of other countries. After all of that tripping about and living away there is
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Recently the Nelson Regional Development Agency (NRDA) launched the very first Zero Carbon Itinerary in New Zealand. The idea of this four day trip around the Nelson Tasman District is to leave as light an environmental footprint as possible by using the most environmentally responsible activities, accommodation providers and hospitality places in the area. The
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It seems strange to celebrate dying trees in a national park. But the grey skeletal remains of wilding pines you see on the ridges of the Abel Tasman are a tribute to a community project that has stopped a huge green tidal wave from changing the park’s landscape forever. Wilding pine trees are a serious problem in New Zealand. In the
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“Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua – I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.”I have always loved this whakataukī (proverb) that speaks to the dynamic perspectives of time where the past, the present and the future are seen as intertwined and free from boundaries. For generations, people from all over the
A Mindful Walk in the Park Read More »
A distinctive landmark in Mārahau greets all visitors who approach the National Park from the South – a carved waharoa (entranceway). It tells the story of migration of the tūpuna (ancestors) of the people who live here today as tangata whenua in Te Tauihu (Top of the South Island).At the start of the 19th Century a group of
Te Waharoa – Gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park Read More »
How is it that our smallest national park, at 237km2, is also the one which attracts the most visitors each year? Perhaps most importantly, the Park contains some stunning scenery and a number of those scenes have become quintessentially Abel Tasman over the years. While the entire New Zealand coastline is basically a succession of
Why is the Abel Tasman the most popular of our 13 national parks? Read More »
