Mount Aspiring National Park
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| Mount Aspiring National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
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| Nearest city | Wanaka, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 3555 km² |
| Established | 1964 |
| Governing body | Department of Conservation |
Mount Aspiring National Park is located in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, north of Fiordland National Park, and between Otago and south Westland.
It was established in 1964 as New Zealand's 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
These tramps attract many international visitors as well as New Zealanders. Some have become very famous and they all pass through amazing alpine and sub-alpine scenery.
In April 2005 the Nature Heritage Fund purchased private land in the Landsborough River valley as an addition to the park.[1]
In December 2007, the New Zealand Conservation Authority declined an amendment to the Mount Aspiring National Park Management Plan that would have allowed for the construction of a new road and tunnel within Mount Aspiring National Park. The Milford Dart Company had planned to build a bus tunnel from part of the Routeburn Road to the Hollyford Valley to take tourists to Milford Sound. The tunnel proposal cannot proceed without amending the Mt Aspiring National Park management plan.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Honourable Chris Carter, Landsborough Station purchased for national park, Media Release, New Zealand Government, 22 April 2005
- ^ Roading Amendment to National Park Management Plan is declined, Media Release, Kerry Marshall, Chair, NZ Conservation Authority, Department of Conservation website, retrieved 23 March 2008.
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