EDITORS’
INTRODUCTION Welcome to the very first unofficial Abel Tasman National Park Magazine! What’s it all about then?
W
ell, you see, I always wanted to be a journalist. I even completed a degree in English Literature as I set my course towards a career in journalism. But I got a little bit sidetracked (for the next 20+ years) and found myself working in supermarket engineering. Fast forward to 2016 and I find myself writing the content ready for the launch of our new website, AbelTasman.com, a task that I really enjoyed. We needed so much copy about the Abel Tasman National Park itself and this glorious region that I needed to bury myself in my office for hours and days on end, writing away furiously on my Mac. We also needed a shed load of images for each section of the website. I set about running (quite literally) through the Park with my camera trying to capture the essence of the place, and travelling around the Nelson Tasman region to all of my favourite spots. I would often try to combine family outings with photography missions which led to more than one call of “can you get that camera out of my face” from more than one family member. This whole process also forced me to think carefully and then articulate why I’ve suddenly found myself so incredibly pleased to be living here after so many years living overseas and in other parts of New Zealand. So here we are in 2020 and I’m kinda living the dream of my youth, writing and editing a magazine. But, this magazine doesn’t exist to satisfy my desire to finally put ‘journalist’ on my resume. That’s just a happy accident. We have created The Abel Tasman Magazine to celebrate and promote the Abel Tasman National Park, the Nelson Tasman region and also
4
our businesses serving visitors to this incredible part of New Zealand. AbelTasman.com aims to bring together all of the knowledge and experience of the people who have spent their lives working and playing in the Abel Tasman National Park. As lifetime travellers we have always found great value in having access to ‘local knowledge’. By default, the people living in an area will know where to find the best coffee, food, places to visit etc, etc. This magazine and our website AbelTasman.com aims to be your local guide to our little slice of paradise! We hope it helps you have an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience here. Brendan Alborn Owner Operator Alborn Enterprises Ltd.