Three Parks - History
Abel Tasman
For at least 500 years the native people of New Zealand, Maori called the Abel Tasman coastal area home. For the Maori this area was an ideal living environment, abundant in resources they were able to gather food and tools from the sea, estuaries and forests; they also practiced agriculture by growing kumara on suitable sites. Most of the Maori occupation was seasonal; they would travel to certain areas depending on the availability of food resources, but some sites, such as in the Awaroa estuaries were permanent.
The local Maori in the area when Abel Tasman arrived in 1642 were the Ngati Tumatakokiri. On 18 December, the Dutch seafarer arrived in the Golden Bay area and anchored his two ships near Wainui. During a skirmish with the local people he lost four crew members and sailed away without stepping on to the land!
Around 1855, European settlers were increasing in the area and began to quarry granite, farm, log the forests, and build ships. For a time things went well for the early settlers, but once the easy timber was gone, gorse and bracken invaded the hills making timber felling unviable. Little evidence now remains of their enterprises.
300 Years after Abel Tasman’s original visit, Abel Tasman National Park was opened; 1942. The creation of the park had come about due to the concern that more logging along the coast would devastate the already fragile environment. This prompted a campaign to have 15,000 hectares of crown land made into a national park. Abel Tasman’s name was a natural choice for the park, and today more than 200,000 visitors annually enjoy all that the area has to offer, from day walks to kayaking and yachting, there is something for everyone.
Kahurangi National Park
Right next door to Abel Tasman National Park, lies not only the second largest but also one of the youngest National Parks in New Zealand. Kahurangi has several translations including “Treasured Possession”, “Precious Jewel”, “Pale Greenstone” and “Blue Sky”, the meanings all invoke a sense of awe and the park that was formed in 1996 proved to encompass all this sentiment and more.
At over 450,000 hectares (over 1100000 Acres!) this is arguably New Zealand’s most diverse National park, and this is reflected in the sheer diversity of flora and fauna found in this area. About 15,000 years ago New Zealand was still in the grips of the last ice age. Glaciers were abundant and the flora and fauna had to adapt to this chilly climate. Kahurangi became a refuge, for plants and animals alike and today boasts more than half of New Zealand’s 2400 odd native plant species, and over 80% of all the Alpine plant species. It holds 67 plant species found nowhere else.
The majority of Kahurangi has managed to avoid any major impact caused by humans, and while it has its fair share of history and stories from Maori and European explorers, its true beauty is found in its pristine and virtually untouched wilderness. Valleys cloaked in ancient forests, mountains made of marble and crystal clear rivers and lakes all await those wanting to explore the area.
Nelson Lakes National Park
Once again this was a great stop off point for Maori as they traveled through the area. The two main Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa were abundant in food resources, the eel, freshwater mussels and waterfowl. The Maori would stop and replenish their food stores before heading on to the West Coast to search for Pounamu, (or Greenstone as it is also known). Around the1840’s Europeans rapidly started to occupy the open land close to Lake Rotoiti for grazing sheep.
By the turn of the century people were enjoying the wonders of the area and holidaying frequently on the shores of the lake. With the increased popularity a hotel was built on the shores of Lake Rotoroa. Soon cottages were being built at Rotoiti and people began to explore the inner reaches of the mountains. The scenic values of the mountains and lakes were recognized and Nelson Lakes National Park was established in 1956, it guards the Northern most tip of the Southern Alps.
This is a landscape carved out by rivers of ice and thrust upwards from massive plate movement under the earth’s surface. Today it is networked with tracks for all abilities and yet remains one of New Zealand’s most stunning locations that crowds haven’t found.
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