The Story
A family story carried by tide, track and time.
The Abel Tasman coastline has been part of the family story for nine generations. The early chapters were practical ones: farming at Awaroa, travelling by sea, building boats, reading weather, and learning how life here moves with the tides.
When John and Lynette Wilson began taking visitors along the coast in 1979, they were not starting from nowhere. They were continuing a relationship with this place that had already been lived through generations of coastal work, family holidays, boat journeys and stories handed down around Awaroa and Torrent Bay.
Today, Wilsons Abel Tasman brings those threads together: cruises that open up the shoreline, guided and self-guided walks through the park, sea kayaking, water taxi connections and lodge stays at places with genuine family history. The experience has grown, but the intent remains simple: help guests feel close to the park, well looked after, and part of something real.
“It is our history that makes us special.”
That line has long sat close to the Wilsons story. On this site, it becomes more than a sign-off: it explains why the boats, lodges and hosted experiences feel connected rather than separate.