Heart of the parks
Golden Bay is bordered by two beautiful National Parks. The Kahurangi with it’s mountains and Abel Tasman with its golden beaches.
Kahurangi National Park
Diverse and wild, Kahurangi is an enticing world of marble mountains and peaceful, palm-fringed beaches.
In the Maori language, Kahurangi means ‘treasured possession’ – a clue to the attractions of New Zealand’s second largest national park. Within its boundaries lie some of the oldest rocks, strangest plants and rarest birds in the country.
While much of the park is untracked wilderness, other areas are laced with a network of walking tracks that allow you to explore high plateaux and coastal palm forests. The Heaphy Track is the park’s most famous and accessible treasure, followed by more than 4000 walkers each year. A ‘Great Walk’ by every definition, the track covers 78km of subtropical rainforest, tussock high country, river valley and coast. For hundreds of years the route was used by local Maori tribes on their way to the pounamu (greenstone) resources of the west coast.
Abel Tasman National Park
Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand's smallest national park- but it's perfectly formed for relaxation and adventure.
A coastal paradise that you can walk through or explore by cruise boat, sailing catamaran, water taxi or sea kayak, visitors love the way the Abel Tasman National Park mixes physical exertion with beach life. Bursts of hiking or paddling are punctuated by sun bathing, swimming and sedate snorkelling.
Those who do crave home comforts can stay in luxurious lodges, but sleeping under the stars is regarded as the ultimate way to experience the spirit of the Abel Tasman.