Kahurangi National Park

The attraction of walking in the Kahurangi National Park

Far up in the northwest corner of the South Island lies a national park that is less prominent in the minds of international visitors than the big names of Fiordland and the central North Island. Kiwis are well aware of it and probably like its relative anonymity. It’s called Kahurangi, meaning “treasured possession”, and for New Zealanders there couldn’t be a more appropriate name. 

The most remarkable feature of Kahurangi National Park is its diversity. It contains landscapes that range from the sub-alpine to the sub-tropical, as well as beaches and coastal terrain. 

Geologically, it is regarded as highly complex with areas of limestone and marble generating caves, arches, underground rivers and sinkholes as well as other areas of sedimentary rock scoured by glacial action. It is known for its fossils with New Zealand’s oldest fossil, aged at 540 million years, having been found here. 

Vegetation-wise, the high country is home to 80% of New Zealand’s alpine flora, while lower areas are dominated by beech forest in the east and by podocarp trees in the west. Towards the coast, stands of native palms, ferns and vines produce a marked tropical feel. 

Kahurangi is big - at 452,000 hectares, it’s New Zealand’s second biggest national park. Much of it is difficult-to-access wilderness. Perhaps most importantly, it’s not on the way to anywhere, meaning those visitors that are there appreciate it for what it is and want to be there.

Interested in walking in the Kahurangi National Park?

The national park is home to the Heaphy Track, one of the nine multi-day expeditions that the New Zealand Government’s Department of Conservation (DOC) has designated as ‘New Zealand Great Walks’. The track follows a route used for generations by Maori travelling between the north and west coasts in search of greenstone. As one of the lesser-known of the Great Walks, the Heaphy is an enticing proposition for those preferring a less populated track. Click the button below for a description of the Heaphy Track.

The Heaphy Track is just one of many Kahurangi National Park walks we can tell you about, and help you to plan and book. Click below to learn more.