Kahurangi National Park

This behemoth of a National Park swallows much of the top of the South Island to the north and west. It is our second largest national park after Fiordland, its eastern edge stretching to within touching distance of Nelson. A kind of Noah's Ark, Kahurangi National Park is home to more than half of New Zealand’s 2,400 native plant species (including 67 found nowhere else in the world). 

The park’s main tourist attraction is the Heaphy Track Great Walk, a historic path blazed by early gold miners following a route originally used by Māori travelling to the West Coast in search of pounamu (greenstone). Today, the Heaphy is one of New Zealand’s 11 Great Walks. The longest of these, it is also one of the most varied. Climb from almost-tropical nīkau palm forest to alpine herb fields. Notably, the track is also open to mountain bikers from May 1st to September 30th.

Kahurangi’s diversity of flora is unrivalled among the country's national parks. In particular, the park’s alpine zones capture a staggering 80% of the nation’s range of alpine plant species. The rich plant life is complemented by an equally impressive array of fauna. Many species of native birds populate Kahurangi’s environs, including the great spotted kiwi, rock wren, and whio (blue duck), all of which are of significant conservation concern. Outside of the avian world, you can find some giants of the invertebrate world including, New Zealand’s largest cave spider, the giant wētā (New Zealand’s largest insect), and the ridiculously enormous Powelliphanta snails.

Kahurangi's geological limestone wonders are equally striking. The park boasts three of New Zealand’s longest caves and three of the four deepest caves in the Southern Hemisphere (but always be wary of kiwis claiming ‘biggest in the Southern Hemisphere’, it's actually 80% ocean!). 

Kahurangi, which can be translated to “treasured possession” in Māori, lives up to its name. Its wild landscapes and ecological richness are a testament to New Zealand’s natural heritage and hold untold opportunities for discovery.