Oceania : New Zealand : Fiordland National Park

Fiordland National Park

Table of Contents:
Culture and History / History / Landscape / Flora and fauna / Climate / Travel to Fiordland National Park, visa requirements / Fees.2FPermits / Get around / Destinations / Fiordland National Park attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Shopping, Fiordland National Park souvenirs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Fiordland National Park nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Lodging / Camping / Backcountry / Stay safe / Get out

More from New Zealand:
Chatham Islands, Fiordland National Park, North Island, South Island, Stewart Island

More from Oceania:
Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Midway Islands, New Zealand, Polynesia

Fiordland National Park [1], covering over 1.2 million hectares, is New Zealand's largest National Park and one of the largest in the world. The park, together with the adjoining Mount Aspiring National Park, occupies the south west corner of the South Island and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Culture and History

Fiordland is one of the least explored areas of New Zealand. Although the park has about 500 km of formed walking tracks, these barely scratch the surface. Like all of the New Zealand National Parks, it is managed by the Department of Conservation. The department aims to keep development to a minimum, consistent with protecting the environment and managing human activities to minimise conflicting needs. There are relatively few restrictions on individual visitors, though commercial activity is carefully, (some might say strictly), controlled.

The main visitor information centre is in Te Anau. There are Park Ranger outposts at major visitor locations. Visitors intending to stay in the park overnight are advised to inform the park rangers of their intentions. In the event of an emergency, these intentions will be used as part of any Search and Rescue operation.

History

Landscape

Flora and fauna

The area is so remote and unexplored that some speculate that species thought extinct in New Zealand may still live in the park. The Takahe, a flightless bird previously thought extinct, was discovered in a remote part of the park in 1948.

Additionally, the kākāpo, the world's only flightless parrot, was found in to have survived by retreating into the fiordland. Since its re-discovery, a recovery project has be started using offshore islands that do not have any of the pests that have threatened its survival.

Sandflies, or namu, are an obvious (and annoying) demonstration of the insect life that inhabits the area.

Climate

The weather in the park can change dramatically over the space of a few hours and over a few kilometres. Visitors should always be prepared for rain. The park has over 200 rain days per year, though different parts of the park receive widely different rainfalls. Te Anau, with 1200mm (40 inches) annual rainfall is almost as dry as much of the eastern South Island, while Milford Sound, with 8000mm (320 inches) annual rainfall, is truly rainforest and waterfall territory.

Travel to Fiordland National Park, visa requirements

State Highway 94. Drive or bus in to Te Anau, the park's "gateway", from Queenstown or Invercargill.

Fees/Permits

Get around

bus or walk or boat

Destinations