On a trip around Awaroa Inlet on the Abel Tasman Coast Track, this swamp harrier/kāhu (Circus approximans) was cruising along the shore, grazing the tops of ferns, looking for prey. Harriers vary quite a bit in colour, becoming lighter as they grow older.
Abel Tasman National Park
Golden Bay’s mild climate, native bush and numerous golden sand beaches make the Abel Tasman coast track popular throughout the year. The Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand’s smallest national park and is named after Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who was the first European explorer known to sight New Zealand. The park was established [...]
Just up the coast from Kaiteriteri is Split Apple Rock, a huge granite boulder that has split in two. The rock is thought to have split when water seeped into a crack, then froze and expanded.
New Zealand fur seals/kekeno (Arctocephalus forsteri) were nearly extinct before the Marine Mammals Protection Act was passed in 1978. Before humans arrived, it’s estimated there were as many as two million seals on New Zealand’s coastlines. Hunting for food and furs was the issue. Although hunting stopped in the late 1940s, the population didn’t really start [...]
The walk up to Wainui Falls runs alongside the Wainui River, which flows through granite bedrock. While lots of pictures get taken at the falls upstream, there’s not so many taken of spots downstream. There are good access points down to the riverbed along the way, ideal swimming spots for a hot day. The forest [...]
Near the end of the Harwoods Hole track, the Gorge Creek track branches off and snakes up the hillside. The top of the hill is covered in sharp, fluted marble and you can see out over Gorge Creek and the Takaka River valley. Gorge Creek originates from the underground river that flows through the Starlight [...]
About 20 km from Takaka along the road that goes to Totaranui, the walk up to Wainui Falls is just half an hour and well worth the stop. Because the waterfall is both spectacular and close to the road, it’s a popular walk with visitors to the region. Start or finish with a drinks and [...]
Harwoods Hole near Takaka is New Zealand’s deepest vertical shaft. It falls about 183 metres and connects to the Starlight Cave system. An underground river flows through the cave system and then out into Gorge Creek and the Takaka River.
This open air coffee caravan at the start of the Wainui Falls track is a great way to end a walk up to the falls.
This little penguin/kororā isn’t shy, it’s sleeping. In New Zealand, we often call them “little blue penguins” for the colours of their dorsal feathers, although some can be more grey than blue. Little blues come ashore to sleep at night; this one was photographed at Totaranui Beach towards the end of the day. The little [...]
