Abel Tasman Drive runs from Tākaka to Pōhara on the northeast coast of Golden Bay. It then follows the coast to Wainui Bay and Abel Tasman National Park. At only 26 km, the drive is relatively short. But there are a series of stops, with short walks, forests, golden sand beaches, a historic viewpoint and a waterfall that make for a fabulous trip. Pack a lunch and take the day to fit it all in!
Turn from Abel Tasman Drive onto Clifton Road for the first stop, shortly before Pōhara. At the right turn into Rocklands Road, you will see the car park for the Grove Track. This is an amazing wander among forest-clad limestone rocks.
From Grove Track, continue to Pōhara. There is a beach with shops to return to later, but first, keep going on the coastal road to Limestone Bay for the photogenic marina and more rock formations. Immediately beyond that is the spectacular viewpoint at the Abel Tasman Monument, followed by the first of the golden sand beaches for which the region is named at Ligar Bay. Then, take a short detour to pretty Tata Beach before heading across Abel Tasman Point to Wainui Bay and inlet. The inlet becomes a large golden flat when the tide is out. About halfway around the bay, take Wainui Falls Road to the edge of Abel Tasman National Park. From there, it is about a 40-minute walk, mostly forest, to the Wainui Falls. Choose one of the beaches for a relaxing picnic and afternoon!
The touring route, monument, and national park commemorate the first recorded European sighting of Aotearoa New Zealand by Abel Tasman and his crew in 1642. They are the first Europeans known to have encountered Māori.
Abel Tasman was a Dutch sea captain who worked for the Dutch East India Company. In 1642, he led an expedition to seek lands to the south of Australia in search of a fabled giant southern continent, supposedly rich in gold. Australia had only been partly discovered at this time.
Tasman had two small ships for the expedition, the Heemskerck and the Zeehaen. From Holland, they sailed to the Indian Ocean, as far south as the 45th parallel. They then sailed south of Australia and discovered Tasmania. From there, it was across the Tasman Sea (another commemorative name) with the first anchorage in Golden Bay, not far from the memorial site. The first meetings between Europeans and Māori were mixed, with several crew members killed in one incident. They then sailed up the North Island's west coast, spending Christmas Day (technically) in NZ, before heading north to Tonga in the Pacific. From there, they set sails west for home via the East Indies.
The Dutch East Indies Company decided NZ was of little interest and not likely to be the fabled southern continent. It was another 127 years before Captain James Cook arrived, followed by sealers, whalers, traders, and settlers.
