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Māori culture

Explore the Māori cultural heritage of Nelson Tasman

The first tangata whenua arrived on the shores of Te Tau Ihu around the 13th century. Nelson Tasman is bursting with hundreds of years of Māori history, and our landscape is full of stories – from the very making of our whenua by Maui, to Kupe’s pursuit of the Wheke and the shaping of the Boulder Bank, to more recent stories from the eight iwi who are the tangata whenua of this region.

Find Māori culture

blurry placeholderToka Ngawhā (Split Apple Rock) in Kaiteriteri, Abel Tasman National Park
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Waka Abel Tasman - Split Apple Rock (Toka Ngawhā)

Waka trips from Kaiteriteri Beach, the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park, a unique cultural experience for all ages.
from NZ$105
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Riuwaka Resurgence

The Riuwaka Resurgence (Te Puna o Riuwaka) is recognised as wahi tapu (a sacred place) by the people of Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Rārua, and the cultural significance of this place is apparent as you walk through a carved waharoa (entranceway) at the beginning of the track or read the interpretation panels along the way.
 
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Te Waikoropupū Springs

Te Waikoropupū Springs are the largest freshwater springs in New Zealand, and the largest coldwater springs in the Southern Hemisphere.
 
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Waka Abel Tasman - an experience like no other

At Kaiteretere Beach, near the top of the South Island, Waka Abel Tasman will offer you an on-the-water experience like no other.
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