The second largest national park in New Zealand, the Kahurangi National Park is located in the northwest of the South Island. A nature wonderland and home to an amazing diversity of plant and animal life, this national park was established in 1996 and covers an area of roughly 4,515 km2. Kahurangi was formerly a part of the North West Nelson Forest Park.

Covering much of the northwestern region of South Island, this park has some of the most diverse landscapes ranging from high alpine plateaus to lush green fields as well as some of the deepest limestone caves in New Zealand. This park also protects some of the country’s oldest fossils dating back over 540 million years ago as well as natural stone aches, sinkholes and marble outcrops.

The wildlife found here includes the endangered Blue Duck, the biggest cave spiders, the giant land snail, the smallest giant weta and the last remaining Great Spotted Kiwis in the country. The Kahurangi National Park is administered by the Department of Conservation and some of the popular activities in the park include tramping, rafting, caving, kayaking, fishing and bird watching.

The best time to visit this park is during the summer when the weather is warm and pleasant. However, don’t forget to bring plenty of sunscreen and always wear sunglasses and a hat, while hiking, walking or participating in any other recreational activity. In the winter, cold blasts of air are known to hit the area bringing the temperature quite a bit.

One of the best ways to explore this park is tramping through the 750 km of trails found here. Some of these trails are early explorer routes, while others are goldminer paths and ancient Maori jade trails. The most popular tramping route has to be Heaphy Track, which is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. This trail is 82 km long and takes around 4 to 6 days to complete, passing through some stunning landscapes and sceneries along the way.

A beautiful place to spend a few days in the great outdoors, once you come to the Kahurangi National Park you will definitely find it hard to leave! Motueka acts as the access point for park and is an hour’s drive from Nelosn.