"Golden" Sand of Abel Tasman

The image is a close-up of the famous "golden" sand beaches in Abel Tasman National Park. Despite their touristic attraction, the sand tells a long story. The outcropping granite is part of a cretaceous intrusion and was heavily weathered by subtropical climate during the Tertiary and Quaternary. European settlers cleared the native forest in the 10th and 20th century - only to discover that the soils were poor and highly erodible. Eventually agricultural use was abandoned and Abel Tasman National Park created. Finally, that soil erosion has had one positive effect, it deposited the sand that makes up the popular beaches. The short transport distance and the original composition of the granite can clearly been spotted.