This little penguin/kororā isn’t shy, it’s sleeping, and I’m taking a clue from this little blue in that I’ll be taking a break from posting for a couple of weeks. Until then, here’s a little bit about little blues: We call them “little blue penguins” for the colours of their dorsal feathers, although some can [...]
Abel Tasman National Park
This is part of a large chunk of rock on the beach at Split Apple Rock, and you can see how wave action is working on this rock, starting to break off smaller pieces.
This handful of sand is typical of the beaches in the Abel Tasman National Park. The bedrock underlying the park is Separation Point Granite, which erodes and crumbles into what you see here. The iron in the granite is what gives the sand its orangey-pink colour. You can see here how coarse the grains are. [...]
The reef heron, Egretta sacra, is found in tropical parts of eastern Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Because it prefers the tropics, members of the New Zealand population of 300-500 birds is more often seen in the north of the North Island, although they do venture down south. There are two morphs of the [...]
Compared to most of New Zealand’s coastal waters, Golden Bay and Tasman Bay are relatively calm. This makes the region an ideal spot for exploring the coast by kayak. Given the amazing geological formations along the coast, such as yesterday’s Tonga arches and the famous Split Apple Rock, it’s a great way to see some [...]
The Abel Tasman coastline is made of what’s called Separation Point granite. The granite is eroded and the iron in the particles oxidises to form the golden sands the region is known for. These arches at Tonga Bay show the effects of wave action on granite. You can walk through the arches at low tide.
This Nelson Coastguard boat was on exercises just off the Abel Tasman coastal track early in April. Unlike coastguard organisations in many countries, New Zealand’s Coastguard is not a governmental organisation, it is a charitable organisation operated by volunteers. And unlike other coastguards, their role is primarily search and rescue and boating education, rather than [...]
This rock on the Abel Tasman coast has been freshly sealed with the offspring of the New Zealand fur seal/kekeno (Arctocephalus forsteri). Females live as long as 17 years and start having pups at around 4 to 6 years of age. They have one a year until they die. Pups are preyed upon by orca, sharks [...]
In some parts of New Zealand, holiday homes have been built on public land, which in some cases was leased, but in other cases the arrangement was less formal, one could even say absent. This has caused issues in recent times, with “baches” needing to be removed because the structure was illegally occupying public land. [...]
There’s more than one way to see the Abel Tasman National Park, and from just offshore is a pretty popular way. If kayaking seems like hard work, there are water taxis that regularly go up and down the coast. This photo was taken in a water taxi trip from Kaiteriteri to Totaranui.
