About
AbelTasman.com
We created AbelTasman.com to celebrate and promote the Abel Tasman National Park, the Nelson Tasman region and also our businesses serving visitors to this incredible part of New Zealand.
The creation of AbelTasman.com has very much been a local affair. To really capture the spirit of the Park and this amazing region of New Zealand I believed it would take a group of locals to get it done. Johny O’Donnell and his team at ShiftOn have been managing and coordinating the project since its inception. Andre and Lisa Ismael of LightStyle have done almost all of the technical stuff and also captured many of the epic images used on the site. I wrote the webcopy and have also spent many enjoyable hours in the Abel Tasman and around the Nelson Tasman region capturing images for use throughout the site. I am unapologetic that I have not kept my own personal preferences and biases out of the website content. I’m incredibly passionate about the Abel Tasman and the area where I have chosen to live and raise my children. I have written about my own personal experiences and have shared my opinions openly and honestly. I hope you find AbelTasman.com useful to plan your visit, and I sincerely hope you have the most incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experiences here.
The Alborn Family Story
From humble beginnings twenty years ago, the Alborn’s business has grown to become the largest commercial operator in the Abel Tasman.
Once upon a time…
In 1997 Sandra and Peter Alborn were heading home to New Zealand after spending a year touring around Australia in a caravan. Having owned small businesses in the past, like a dairy, they were looking for another business to buy. During that search, Sandra’s sister saw an advertisement for the sale of the lease agreement for a small camping ground at the entrance to the Abel Tasman National Park.After possibly the shortest due diligence process in the history of commerce, they invested their life savings purchasing the lease for the Marahau Beach Camp and the accompanying sea kayak rental and water taxi businesses. The rather swift due diligence process involved Peter and Sandra wandering around the camp until Peter spotted a water taxi coupled to a tractor. Having always liked boats and tractors the decision to go ahead was made on the spot. (The full process may have also involved the use of a pen and the back of an envelope.)
Since those heady days of twenty years ago, Alborn Enterprises has grown from a formerly neglected camping ground, half a dozen sea kayaks and an old water taxi to become the largest commercial operator in the Abel Tasman National Park.
Back in the day
Back in 1997 Peter and Sandra quickly set about revitalising the facilities and the services provided. Buildings were renovated, paint was thrown around with reckless abandonment and old equipment was phased out as soon as the business could afford to do so.In 2001 the Alborns purchased and developed a property on the Marahau waterfront that would become the hub of the Marahau village; the Abel Tasman Centre. This new booking office and general store also became the centre of operations for the water taxi and kayaking businesses; Marahau Water Taxis and Marahau Sea Kayaks. The café and beer garden the Alborns built next door, Hooked, rounded things out nicely. Visitors could book and check in for their Abel Tasman activities at the Abel Tasman Centre, and could then board their water taxi or begin their sea kayaking trip right there on site. When they returned from their Abel Tasman adventure they could then dine on the waterfront with views across Tasman Bay and over to the islands in the Astrolabe Roadstead.
Three new cabins were added to Marahau Beach Camp and the other infrastructure was upgraded. Now with five cabins, 55 campsites and a backpacker lodge, the camp proved increasingly popular for overseas and local visitors.
In combination, the whole business worked rather well and grew exponentially each year. Within five years, Marahau Water Taxis grew from one to four water taxis.
Let’s go shopping
Having grown as much as possible organically, the Alborns purchased Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi from Ngai Tahu Tourism in May 2012.
The market’s response to this acquisition was even better than the Alborn’s had dared to hope for. It turned out that after eight years of being run by a tourism corporate, having Aqua Taxi return to the ownership of a local family really struck a chord. The purchase of Aqua Taxi provided the Alborns with an additional 10 water taxis and a bit over half of the total water taxi concessions to operate in the Abel Tasman National Park.
In September 2014 the Alborns purchased Marahau Sea Kayaks (MSK) back from the person they had sold it to back in 2001. This rounded out the activities offering and again the market reacted with overwhelming positivity.
Family Ties
The business is still privately owned by the Alborn family with both of Peter and Sandra’s sons investing and working in the business.
Hailing from good West Coast mining stock on both the paternal and maternal sides of the family, the Alborns have been in the area for five generations. For any trainspotters out there, just south of Reefton is a road sign for Alborn’s. This was Peter’s father and grandfather’s original coal mine back in the day. Peter passed away peacefully surrounded by his family in May 2018.
Sandra is still active in the business. When she is not scaring the hell out of visitors with her often brisk manner, Sandra oversees the accounting and administration.
Gavin is General Manager, drives a water taxi and oversees the complex logistics of having 15 water taxis, each with 18 seats, servicing three operating bases and six coastal access points within the national park. Gavin’s wife, Zoe, has managed Hooked, the waterfront cafe and beer garden since it was opened back in 2001.
Brendan, is Commercial Director for the group. He is responsible for marketing, communications and general administration. Unfortunately for him, Brendan did not inherit any of Peter’s natural mathematical abilities. Instead, it still takes him several days of work with spreadsheets and multivariable regression analysis models to perform calculations that Peter was always able to do in 30 seconds, entirely in his head.
Abel Tasman.com Brands
Abel Tasman AquaTaxi operate scheduled and charter water transport services in the Abel Tasman National Park. There are daily departures from both Kaiteriteri and Marahau all year round.
Marahau Water Taxis operate scheduled and charter water transport services in the Abel Tasman National Park. There are daily departures from both Kaiteriteri and Marahau all year round.
Marahau Sea Kayaks provide guided and freedom kayak rental trips in the Abel Tasman all year round. Trip options include half-day, full-day and multi-day adventures.
The Abel Tasman Centre is the physical hub of AbelTasman.com Located right on the Marahau waterfront it is the office for the Beach Camp, a general store, information centre and booking office.
Hooked on Marahau is a sensation cafe and beer garden located on the Marahau waterfront right next door to the Abel Tasman Centre. With views across Tasman Bay and along the Astrolabe Roadstead, Hooked serves craft beers, wines and fresh, simple, local fare.
The Marahau Beach Camp is a classic Kiwi camping ground located steps from the beach, the Abel Tasman Centre, Hooked and the departure point for water taxi and sea kayaking trips. The Beach Camp has 55 campsites, 5 basic cabins and a backpacker lodge.
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