Tasman district is a region at the northern tip of
New Zealand's largest island, the
South Island.
Coverage
It includes the Nelson Lakes and some of the headwaters of the Buller River. The northern corner includes the prominent narrow peninsula Farewell Spit and Kahurangi National Park. The south and east are dominated by the undulating countryside around the Motueka and Wairoa Rivers. Abel Tasman National Park is also located in Tasman.
Name
Tasman Bay, the largest indentation in the north coast of the South Island of New Zealand, was named after Abel Tasman, the first reported European discoverer of New Zealand. It passed the name on to the adjoining district formed in 1989 largely from the merger of Waimea and Golden Bay counties.
Government and settlements
District council (unitary authority) headquarters are at Richmond, close to the adjoining Nelson City. Other towns are Brightwater, Collingwood, Motueka, Murchison, Riwaka, Saint Arnaud, Takaka, Tapawera, and Wakefield.
People
Famous former residents include nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford.
External links