Mount Aspiring National Park

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West Matukituki Valley and the Matukituki River seen from Cascade Saddle

Mount Aspiring National Park is located in the South Island of New Zealand.

It was established in 1964 as New Zealands 10th national park. The park covers 3,555 km² at the southern end of the Southern Alps, directly to the west of Lake Wanaka, and is popular for tramping, walking and mountaineering. Mount Aspiring (3033 m) is the mountain which gives the park its name. Other prominent peaks within the park include Mount Pollux (2542 m) and Mount Brewster (2519 m).

The Haast Pass, one of the three principal road routes across the Southern Alps, is found in the northeastern corner of the park.

The park forms part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.

Popular tramping tracks in the park include:

  • Gillespie Pass circuit
  • Matukituki Valley
  • Routeburn Track
  • Rees-Dart circuit

In April 2005 the Nature Heritage Fund purchased private land in the Landsborough River valley as an addition to the park. [1][2]


Contents

Visiting Mount Aspiring National Park

Mount Aspiring National Park lies in the Southern Alps of New Zealand's South Island, in the headwaters of Lake Wanaka. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of South West New Zealand, or Te Wahipounamu, which includes Fiordland National Park (to the south), Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and Westland National Park (both to the north).

Destinations

The nearest settlements to the park are:

See

  • The Gates of Haast
  • Waterfalls and subtropical rainforest.

Do

  • Drive over the Haast Pass
  • Climb Mount Aspiring or the other peaks in the area.

Stay safe

This is about as remote as you can get in New Zealand, without getting off-road. Make sure your petrol tank is full and your car is in good working order.

See also

External link

References

Some information on this page may be sourced from Wikipedia or Wikitravel

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