Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand's smallest national park, located between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay at the northern end of the South Island. Its area is 237 km2. The park was opened in 1942. It is named after Abel Tasman, who in 1642, as the first European explorer to sight New Zealand. The park consists of a forested hilly country north of the valleys of the Takaka and Riwaka rivers. It is bounded to the north by the waters of Golden Bay and Tasman Bay. It contains some of the islands off the coast.