Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Fiordland National Park is the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand. It is located in the south west part of the South Island and covers an area of 12,500 square kilometers. Established in 1952, Fiordland National Park is a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.
Fiordland’s landscape is incredibly diverse. At any given moment, you could be staring at snow capped mountains, tussock grasslands, lush rainforests and one or more deep lakes.
Many of the peaks in Fiordland tend to be very tall and steep, and Milford Sound is home to Mitre Peak - the highest peak to rise directly from the sea (see photo).
Wildlife in the area includes dolphins, seals, mice, rats, birds, hare and deer. Most tourists to the area encounter the kea - a mischievous mountain parrot. Lucky tourists may also spot the kakapo - the world’s only flightless parrot, or the kiwi - the national symbol of New Zealand.
Most of Fiordland National Park is inaccessible by road. The only road into the park is Milford Road, or the Te Anau Milford Highway.
The area is very popular with bush walkers (referred to as “trampers” in New Zealand) and mountain climbers. There are several popular walking tracks in the area, including the Milford Track, the Routeburn Track, the Hollyford Track, and the Kepler Track. These walks take several days to complete, and some require that you organize transport to drop you off at the start, and/or pick you up at the end, of the track.
The main gateway into Fiordland is Te Anau. Te Anau is a small town with a permanent population of around 1,800. During the summer months, Te Anau can accommodate more than 4,000 people as many tourists use it as a base as they visit places like Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, or tackle one of the multi-day walking tracks.
To learn more about Fiordland National Park, check out the Department of Conservation’s website.
Tags: mountains, national parks, new zealand, walking tracks
April 24th, 2008 at 12:51 am
[...] Natural Environment Blog Blogging for the Natural Environment « Fiordland National Park, New Zealand [...]
January 24th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
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January 28th, 2010 at 3:24 am
Nice post. ew Zealand, located in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, there are three main Islands North Island, South Island and Steward Island, and other small islands. There are 14 national park. Te Wahipounamu coastline and the Te Wahipounamu National Park are very best for adventurous vacation. You can experience bird watching, diving, kayaking. For more details refer http://www.theearthtraveler.com/amidst-the-dynamic-landscape-of-te-wahipounamu-national-park.html
July 10th, 2010 at 2:08 am
I personally consider that the best city in New Zealand is Nelson, not only that, it is the sunniest. Plus, for business, commerce and living standards it is in the top 3.