DOC urges respect for environment as New Zealand travel spikes More New Zealanders are getting into the great outdoors this summer than ever before, with campers and hikers making a beeline for the Abel Tasman National Park. The upper South Island, site of the Abel Tasman National Park, is extremely busy, DOC says. Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal Data from the Department of Conservation shows some regions are busier than they were before Covid-19. DOC's director-general, Lou Sanson, said places within three hours' drive of major population centres were experiencing high visitor growth, despite no international tourists. Northland, Coromandel and the upper South Island were especially busy. TΕtaranui in the Abel Tasman National Park was the country's most popular campsite, with more than 42,000 bed nights booked between the start of December and the end of February. DOC said the Abel Tasman Coastal Track was shaping up to be the busiest...