Sight · Abel Tasman National Park
Short climb, wide views over Ligar Bay and the Tata Islands.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Abel Tasman Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Abel Tasman National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Abel Tasman National Monument“The Abel Tasman National Monument is coming up, with a short walk to a headland overlooking Ligar Bay and the Tata Islands.”
Plays as you drive up to Abel Tasman National Monument in the Parkwolf Abel Tasman Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Abel Tasman National Monument is a small, white concrete memorial on a rocky headland between Pōhara and Ligar Bay, in the park’s northern coastal outlier. A signed roadside car park leads to a short walk and viewing platform; the coastal outlook is the main reward, more than the modest monument itself. Allow time for the panels and the view.
From the platform, look across Ligar Bay toward the Tata Islands. For a photo that explains the stop, include the memorial at the edge of the headland and some of the bay; a tight crop makes it look like only a concrete column.
Built in 1942 for the 300th anniversary of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman’s arrival at Golden Bay, the monument was designed by architect Ernst Plischke. The interpretation panels recount the encounter with Māori, including the skirmish the next day in which four Dutch sailors died. Compare the older and newer panels: their different perspectives show how the story of 1642 has been reinterpreted.
Wildlife
10 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
54 sightingsNew Zealand Fur SealMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
20 sightingsLittle PenguinMost seen around 9 PMSighting map
21 sightingsSouth Island KākāMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
526 sightingsWekaMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
16 sightingsTūīMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Abel Tasman. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateWainui Falls Track3.4 km · 1.3 hr · 3.7 km awayGranite boulders, a swing bridge and a waterfall for a short walk.
ModerateWainui to Whariwharangi Bay11.4 km · 4 hr · 4.7 km awayA saddle climb to a historic homestead beside a northern bay.
ModerateWainui to Separation Point17.8 km · 5 hr · 4.7 km awayReach the rocky divide between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay.
ModerateTaupō Point Track5 km · 2.5 hr · 4.7 km awayA tide-sensitive coast walk with Māori heritage and limestone stacks.
EasyWainui Bay Beach Walk2.3 km · 45 min · 4.7 km awayA short track opens onto an inlet-mouth beach.
ChallengingPigeon Saddle to Awapoto Hut10 km · 6 hr · 5.7 km awayA steep forest climb to a hut above Awaroa Inlet.
Sight · 3.8 km awayWainui FallsGranite, palms and a powerful waterfall reward the forest walk.Lodging · 5.5 km awayAwapoto HutA 12-bunk backcountry stop with an estuary view from the deck.Sight · 5.7 km awayTaupō PointA tide-dependent walk to a Māori pā on Wainui Inlet.
Lodging · 7 km awayWhariwharangi HutSleep in a restored farmhouse at the Coast Track's northern end.Campground · 7 km awayWhariwharangi BayA remote beach camp beside a restored coastal farmhouse.Parkwolf’s Abel Tasman ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
