Abel Tasman, Nelson Lakes

Gus takes a journey through memory lane. Having grown up in Nelson he’s thinks he’s seen all Abel Tasman has to offer, but this National Park has a few secrets it still holds close. The park is known for its golden beaches and high sunshine hours but there is a dark and dramatic side to this park...the incredible carved granite terrain of its inaccessible interior. This land is riddled with some of the biggest sinkholes in the Southern Hemisphere. Gus takes the plunge into unchartered territory with canyoning enthusiast Toine Houtenbos, and glimpses the mysterious interior pretty much untouched by humans. On the coast, Gus discovers a different story. From the 1850s colonists milled the coastal forests destroying much of the local fauna, but the land fought back; the granite bedrock eventually forced farmers to abandon their struggling crops. The forest is now regenerating, and with Adele Island predator free, the birds are starting to return too.