Het bericht Abel Tasman Canyons is now hiring staff for the 2026-2027 canyoning season verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

Calling all Nelson Tasman locals!

For one day only – Sunday 19 April – we’re offering an epic $100 DISCOUNT on our Torrent River canyoning trip!

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to join us, this is it! Come jump, slides, zipline and abseil through Torrent River with us.TORRENT RIVER CANYONING TRIP

When: Sunday 19 April 2026  (one day only!)
Local’s Deal: $100 off with promo code LOCALSDAY26
Where: Abel Tasman National Park, meeting place is at the Aqua Taxi base in Marahau
Includes: 2-way water taxi, lunch, awesome guides, gear & FREE photos!

T&C’S

• Discount only applies on the 19^th of April 2026
• Participant must provide proof of address to show they reside in the Nelson Tasman region (which includes Golden Bay, Murchison, St Arnaud).
• Subject to minimum numbers
• Limited spaces available
• Local’s discount can’t be used in combination with other discounts or vouchers
• Direct bookings only.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TORRENT RIVER

For more information about our Torrent River trip, please click here

HOW TO MAKE YOUR BOOKING

You can choose one of the following options:

• Follow this link and add the promo code LOCALSDAY26 by clicking on the orange box.
• Give us a call on 0800 863472
• Send us a WhatsApp message on +64 273915592

Spots are limited, so book now to ensure you don’t miss out!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Here’s a blog about what to expect from a day in Torrent River.

Het bericht Locals Day – Sunday 19 April 2026 verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

Het bericht Abel Tasman Canyons is now hiring staff for the 2025-2026 canyoning season verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

Het bericht What to Expect from a Day in Torrent River verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

Abel Tasman National Park is known for its golden beaches, turquoise waters, and lush native bush. Most visitors experience it by walking the coastal track or kayaking along its shoreline, but for those looking for something more immersive, canyoning offers a completely different way to interact with this spectacular landscape.

Canyoning isn’t just about the adrenaline rush – it’s about deepening your connection with nature in a way that few other activities allow. Here’s how descending a canyon in the heart of the Abel Tasman helps you truly experience nature.

Engaging All Your Senses

Walking through a forest or paddling along a river lets you see nature, but canyoning forces you to interact with it on a whole new level. You feel the cool rush of water against your skin, hear the sound of waterfalls, and smell the damp earth and native ferns. The sound of birdsong fades into the background as the water becomes the dominant force in your environment. Instead of simply observing the landscape, you become a part of it.

Exploring Hidden Places

Canyoning takes you to places that few people ever get to see. These special canyons are tucked away in the national park, accessible only to those willing to take the plunge – literally. Unlike the well-trodden trails of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, the canyons remain untouched and pristine. The experience reminds you that nature is full of secret, breathtaking places waiting to be explored.

Being Present in the Moment

There’s no room for distraction when you’re canyoning. The nature of the activity demands your full attention – whether you’re abseiling down a rock face, jumping into a deep pool, or navigating a slippery section of the canyon. Your mind is completely focused on the task at hand, leaving no space for stress or digital distractions. This sense of presence is one of the greatest gifts of canyoning. In a world where we’re often glued to screens and overwhelmed by responsibilities, canyoning forces you to be fully in the moment, connected to your surroundings in the most immediate way possible.

Building a Connection Through Adventure

Adventure has a way of making experiences more meaningful. The thrill of jumping, the challenge of abseiling, and the camaraderie of navigating a canyon with others create a profound bond – not just with your fellow adventurers but with the landscape itself. When you step out of your comfort zone and embrace the wildness of the canyon, you forge a deeper appreciation for nature’s beauty. Canyoning reinforces the idea that nature isn’t just something to be admired from a distance – it’s something to be experienced fully.

Conservation

Experiencing the untouched beauty of the Abel Tasman canyons fosters a deep appreciation for nature and a strong desire to protect it. Seeing these amazing places firsthand, you realize how fragile and precious these ecosystems are. You are reminded that human impact, even in remote places, can be lasting. This connection inspires a sense of responsibility to conserve these spaces, whether through sustainable tourism, supporting conservation efforts, or simply encouraging a greater respect for the natural world.

A Lasting Connection

Long after you’ve dried off and left the canyon behind, the experience stays with you. You carry a newfound respect for the natural world, a sense of awe for the forces that shape it, and a desire to seek out more adventures that bring you closer to nature.

Canyoning in the Abel Tasman isn’t just an activity – it’s an opportunity to reconnect with the wild, to see nature from a different perspective, and to remind yourself what it feels like to be truly alive in the great outdoors.

Het bericht How Canyoning in Abel Tasman Helps You Connect with Nature verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

A blog about wilderness canyoning in New Zealand

Waterfall Creek Canyon

Written by – Ellen Goudsmits (Participant – Nov ’23) – translated from Dutch

Hidden in the wilderness of Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand, the Waterfall Creek canyoning experience awaits us on a grey Thursday morning. It is advertised as perhaps the most challenging thing we’ll do in New Zealand and Toine has warned us that we will get tired, dirty, and sweaty. As far as we’re concerned, those are some of the key ingredients for a great adventure, but the way he hammers home his warning sets expectations. Now he’s promised us something!

Check out the video made by Tim!

For more information, head to the Waterfall Creek page.

Everything about this experience is supposedly BIG. And this starts with the hike to the top of the canyon. Sometimes we followed a path, sometimes it’s more of a track, and sometimes it’s not even that. We climb over fallen tree trunks that have settled at about waist height, making it tempting to duck underneath instead. But as I don’t feel like getting my hair stuck in the branches, over it is. The long grass is damp with fresh rain and moisture sucked from low hanging clouds, turning the muddy slopes slippery. But just the muddy shoes, didn’t get my pulse going. Interesting to navigate, are the mud pools that we walk through, across invisible planks. Following closely behind Danelle, I try my best to step into the exact spots her shoes vacate, yet the murky water sloshing right over it erases her prints almost instantly. Hoping my foot will indeed find some solidity, I set my boot down, grateful for my neoprene socks. We get a few breaks along the way, munching on food that is as yummy as advertised, while we listen to some interesting facts about the forest we’re tracking through.

We’re passionate and proud to operate in the Abel Tasman National Park, check out one of the initiatives we’re part of: The Marahau Pledge.

It’s literally a breathtaking hike up. Tim and I always feel that a view is more beautiful if you have to work hard to get up there; if that experience translates to Waterfall Creek Canyon as well, we’ll be in for one hell of a ride!

What should you expect? Please check out our FAQ page.

When we reach the top of our canyon, the lush green forest is still shrouded in clouds, giving it a surreal, fantasy-esque vibe. Golden brown rocks, mossy carpets, incredibly clear pools, and no sounds but that of the rushing of water, cements the fact you are indeed far off the beaten path; the serenity is a direct contraction to the wilderness in which we find ourselves. Said water rushes down the canyon, forming countless waterfalls along the way of this aptly named Waterfall Creek Canyon, making looking back as stunning as looking ahead. We’re not even in our wetsuits and already it’s beautiful.

Excitement starts to spike and even the slight drizzle can’t dampen our spirits anymore now. Since we have three guides today – Toine, Danelle, and Amelia we can get started as soon as we’re kitted up and completed the safety briefing.

Please meet our team, and find out what we do to keep you safe.

We don’t have to wait long for our first abseil – and it’s not a small one either. Starting a controlled descent, I reach the end of my rope and my rappel turns into a zipline. ‘Cannonball!’ Toine shouts at me, so I tuck into a little ball just before I hit the water. The splash Tim makes a little later is even bigger. It might have been a big hike up, but Waterfall Creek Canyon does not keep us waiting for the reward! This is true wilderness canyoning in New Zealand!

What follows are a series of smaller rapells, which we navigate at full speed thanks to our capable trio of guides, who seem intent on tag-teaming us down the canyon at full speed. We did say we like challenges and adventure… As it’s just the two of us – the joy of pre-season canyoning – they take the time to teach us more about the different techniques and get us as involved as we want to be. We learn about meat anchors and bottom-belays, and scale walls as we’re hanging on to nothing more but our cow tails. We enjoyed some fun and games in waterholes and some longer, more challenging rappells.

Tim loves jumping so Toine had found him some good spots – nothing particularly high, but each one with a different technique to it. I sat back and enjoyed the show, and when it’s my turn, I showed off my epic ass-shuffle-skills and gently lowered myself into the pits of water.

And then there are the waterslides… The rain had made the canyon so wet and slippery, we could use half the canyon as a slide. On more than one occasion Toine has waited at the bottom of a rock face to catch us in case we build up too much speed on the ass-shuffle – and caught us. We’re already having so much fun, when suddenly the 18 meter waterslide is announced. This is what we came for. Just this slide would make the whole track uphill worth it, if the rest of the canyon hadn’t delivered that already. And here is my only regret of the day: we couldn’t go back up to do it again..

It wasn’t even the last slide of the day. Right at the end of the canyon is another fun waterslide and if you manage to make your way up the slippery slope – confidently striding, or with an elegantly nimble walk, or about as elegant as a salmon trying to crawl back up a rock – you get to do it all over again!

Thanks to the clear water, clean enough to drink, we were still pretty clean when we slipped out of our wetsuits and prepared for the hike back. We were tired, we were wet, we had been sweaty, but dirty? In water this clean? Through a canyon this awesome and wet? No, we couldn’t really tick that box off.

But there was still hope for the way back. In an attempt to avoid the hill from the walk in, Toine let us via an estuary at relatively low tide. With that, hiking up my trouser legs until they were above knee height wasn’t enough. Our feet sinking away in smelly mud, kicking it up with every other step, and crossing back onto soft sand whilst being soaking wet from the rain – yea, we got dirty alright. Waterfall Creek canyon promises a lot, but boy, does it deliver!

We got back to the van cold, tired, and yes, dirty. Only to find Danelle and Amelia setting something up while we toweled off and slipped into dry clothes. A few surprises I’ve been specifcally asked not to say.. but Honestly, what more can one ask for? It doesn’t get better than a great, challenging and rewarding day out in a GORGEous canyon and amazing food throughout! BEST guides ever.

If you love waterslides,

If you love a canyon that’s just a bit different,

If you love fast-paced, beautiful, fun, and diverse canyoning,

If you love wilderness canyoning and New Zealand,

Waterfall Creek Canyon should be next on your list!

Need more reasons to come canyoning in the Abel Tasman National Park?

Not for you? How about buying mates or family a gift voucher for an unforgettable experience?

Het bericht A blog about wilderness canyoning in New Zealand verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

Het bericht Abel Tasman Canyons is now hiring staff for the 2024-2025 canyoning season verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

Two years ago we, at Abel Tasman Canyons, took our first step towards Eco Friendly travel by going Zero Carbon. Since then we went one step further, we are now a certified Climate Positive business.

Why you ask? Well, simply put, we love the environment we operate in, it is our playground. Coming back from our canyon trips we feel healthy, energised and inspired. We want these places to be around for many generations to come. For this reason, and many more, the Abel Tasman Canyons team stuck their heads together for some Eco Friendly brainstorming.

So what does all this mean? We all produce carbon, we’re all aware that it hurts our planet. And we all know that we should make significant changes to turn the climate crisis around. Measuring our carbon emissions was the first step, and we did this together with the specialist at EKOS.

A full report gets produced which states the total amount of emissions and how they are produced (company vehicles, staff commuting to work, freight, waste, power, water, travel etc.). The report enables us to scrutinise our processes and make changes to clean them up. This is a process which doesn’t happen overnight, every little change helps but it is a long road to bring emissions down to zero. For the time being we chose to off-set our remaining emissions by buying carbon credits on the New Zealand Emissions Trading Register.

In 2019 we measured 20.66t CO2e and off-set 100%.

In 2020 we measured 13.33t CO2e and off-set 120%. 

In 2021 we measured 15.19t CO2e and off-set 120%.

We are fully aware that off-setting carbon emissions is not the answer to the climate crisis. Our focus is on reduction. Off-setting is a tool available to us to invest in nature in the meantime.

We’re a small business, changing our own processes won’t make that much of a difference. But there is so much more to it than that. By being a certified Zero Carbon and now a Climate Positive business we intend to inspire our staff, clients, audience, business partners, and really anyone. We hope that others also step up and, at the very least, be more aware of how each one of us can make changes and tread lighter. The Abel Tasman region has plenty of eco friendly businesses, many are walking the same path as us. There is even a Zero Carbon itinerary for our region, the first in the New Zealand!

To see what else Abel Tasman Canyons does to be an Eco Friendly, low impact and sustainable business please have a look at our sustainability page.

In last years’ blog you can read about how we proudly became a Zero Carbon business.

Het bericht Eco friendly travel – Abel Tasman goes Climate Positive verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

After reasons to come canyoning in the Abel Tasman National Park? We’ve got a few up our sleeves…

Reason Number One: Epic Adventure…naturally!

Of course, this has to be one of the first reasons to come canyoning in the Abel Tasman National Park. This is what you come to us for, right?! A day with Abel Tasman Canyons will be the best possible concoction of adrenaline, unreal scenery, topnotch safety, and a whole lot of awesome memories made!

We will have you sliding, ziplining, jumping, abseiling, scrambling and floating your way to happiness!

Not quite sure what all this means? Check out our Torrent River video!

Reason Number Two: We’ve got some stunning scenery to show you…it’s pretty amazing!

While it might be the smallest National Park in New Zealand, this piece of paradise is jam-packed with beauty and adventure in every corner. Crystal clear turquoise water and golden sand beaches, awesome granite rock formations, vibrant mossy streams, beautiful native bush.

We are privileged to share the Abel Tasman National Park with a very wide variety of wildlife.

Reason Number Three: We love the environment…this much!

At Abel Tasman Canyons we are proactive when it comes to protecting our amazing and precious environment. We are proud to operate as a Zero Carbon business with EKOS, meaning that we purchase certified carbon credits to offset where we are unable to eliminate our carbon footprint. 

Along with being a Zero Carbon Business Operation, when you jump on a canyoning adventure with Abel Tasman Canyons you are helping us to support local trusts and organisations such as the Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust and the Abel Tasman Tree Collective. These guys work super hard for better sustainability so we can all continue to enjoy and play in the Abel Tasman National Park. A pretty darn good reason to come canyoning in the Abel Tasman National Park, isn’t it? 

Check out our sustainability page to find out more about what we do.

Reason Number Four: A canyoning adventure with so much more!

A trip through Torrent River will have you sightseeing along the stunning Abel Tasman National Park coastline on-board a water taxi, on your way to and from Anchorage. If you’re lucky enough you could spot some of the local resident wildlife.

From the golden sands of Anchorage, a walk in the Abel Tasman National Park begins to get you to the top of the canyon where your adventure awaits. Walking through the native bush will be accompanied by some stories and interesting facts about your surroundings. 

An epic adrenaline filled adventure including a fantastic boat trip and a walk that includes some wicked views of the park…we don’t think it gets much better than that!

For the low down on our most popular canyoning adventure, check out the Torrent River page.

Reason Number Five: Some of the best guides around!

Here we go, the final and seriously important of reasons to come canyoning in the Abel Tasman National Park. Knowledgeable, professional, highly skilled, safety committed, fun-loving, super supportive, good looking, what more could you want from a guide? They will be there with you every step of the way to help you out of your comfort zone and push you…just a little. Everything you need to know; they will teach you. Not so sure if you’re up to doing the big jumps and slides? Your guide will take you under their wetsuit-wing and give you another option to get you where you need to go. We are pretty confident even a local could learn a thing or two about the Abel Tasman National Park & environment from our crew and they are keen to answer your questions. Want to see who’s who? Go on, eye them up.

Need more reasons to come canyoning in the Abel Tasman National Park? Of course, we’ve got more, like the free photos and videos so you can show everyone the crazy things you get up to, new profile picture perhaps? We’ve even got your lunch and snacks covered! 

But don’t take our word for it! Read what other people have to say.

Sticking around the Nelson/Tasman region for a few days, before or after a canyoning trip? There is so much to offer and so many places to explore here.

Het bericht Reasons to come canyoning in the Abel Tasman National Park verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.

Het bericht Abel Tasman Canyons is now hiring staff for the 2022-2023 canyoning season verscheen eerst op Abel Tasman Canyons.