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Tag Archives: New Zealand Parks

Mt. Cook National Park

Mount Cook is the highest peak in Australasia, and its Ngai Tahu tribe nickname is Aoraki. Aoraki means the “cloud piercer”, which aptly describes this 12,349-foot peak.  It’s also home to New Zealand’s longest glacier, the Tasman Glacier, which is 18 miles long and a mile wide.  One way to see Mount Cook National Park is by taking a scenic flight that flies over the park and lands on a glacier.  Tourists can also experience Tasman Glacier by heliskiing.

There is only one hotel within the Park, and that’s The Hermitage.  It has over 200 rooms, for every type of budget, and covers lots of acreage, with many amenities such as family rooms, children’s rooms, and a restaurant.  There are also around 20 alpine huts and shelters for hikers (or trampers as they’re called in New Zealand).

Fiordland National Park

Fiordland National Park also faces the Tasman Sea, but looks nothing like Paparoa. Covering the Western side of the tip of the South Island, this park contains snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, dense forest and of course fiords. It’s 8,100 square miles of fiords, forest and lakes…New Zealand’s largest National Park. The lakes are glacial lakes, which means they’re surrounded by steep, cliffy mountains, making for stunning visuals.

Tourists will want to bring a camera because you can’t help but take memorable, beautiful pictures in this land of fiords. One of the largest, Doubtful Sound is 25 miles from open water to base of inland mountain. Also notable is Dusky Sound because you can take an overnight cruise in to see it. Or, if you prefer to walk, leave 10 days and take the Dusky Track. Either way, it’s beautiful, unique New Zealand at its best.

Other walks well worth looking into are the Hollyfor, the Milford, Routeburn (ouch!) and Kepler. Go it on your own with a friend, or go with a guided tour…these walks are best during the warmer months which, since New Zealand is in the Southern hemisphere, fall between October and April. Make sure you get a hut pass or campsite pass before you go. These walks range from 3 to 5 days, with Kepler Track the longest at 42 miles.

If you’re an animal lover, watch for the native Fiordland crested penguin. New Zealand Fur Seals can be seen on a trip to Doubtful Sound, as well as Bottlenose Dolphins playing in the water.