News | The Park

The New Zealand pigeon, or kererū, is one of the largest pigeons in the world. In the Abel Tasman kererū follow the food – it

With its bold brown saddle and distinctive orange-red wattle the saddleback or tīeke is one of New Zealand’s most recognisable birds but also one of

Tūī are some of the most common native birds in the Abel Tasman National Park. They are boisterous and usually very vocal with a distinctive

Kākā are large native forest parrots and there is a good chance you may hear or see them near Wairima/Bark Bay or the upper reaches

Kākāriki or yellow-crowned parakeets are small, bright green, noisy parrots that spend most of their time high in the forest canopy.  Their characteristic chatter can

The pāteke/brown teal is a small New Zealand dabbling duck and the rarest native waterfowl found on the mainland.  Since 2017, DOC and Project Janszoon

The whio / blue duck is only found in New Zealand and one of only a handful of ducks that live in fast flowing rivers.

For many people visiting Abel Tasman National Park, their encounters with weka are memorable. This large flightless bird appears fearless, approaching closely yet quick to

The Australasian gannet or tākapu is a large white seabird with a 1.8 metre wingspan. While there is no breeding colony in the park they

The robin or toutouwai is a friendly and trusting bird, often coming to within a couple of metres of people.  However, it is not really

The Powelliphanta snail is a giant of the snail world, growing up to 90mm across.  Throw in the fact it is carnivorous and sucks up

One of the rarest species you may find in the Abel Tasman is the native snail Rhytida oconnori.  This is a smaller snail than the