![Kahurangi NP](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Kahurangi_NP.svg)
Kahurangi National Park in the northwest of the
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
of New Zealand is the second largest of the thirteen
national parks of New Zealand
The national parks of New Zealand are protected natural areas administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC). The first national parks established in the country were all focused on mountain scenery. Since the 1980s the focus has been ...
. It was gazetted in 1996 and covers , ranging to near
Golden Bay Golden Bay may refer to:
* Golden Bay / Mohua, a bay at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island
* Golden Bay (Malta), a bay and beach on the coastline of Malta
* Golden Bay High School
Golden Bay High School is a secondary school
A s ...
in the north. Much of what was the North-west Nelson
Forest Park
A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment.
Examples Chile
* Forest Park, Santiago
China
*Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai
* Mufushan National Fores ...
formed the basis of the new park.
Kahurangi Point, regarded as the boundary between the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
and
Tasman Region
Tasman District () is a local government district in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It borders the Canterbury Region, West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and Nelson City. It is administered by the Tasman District Council, a ...
s, is located in the park, as is
Mount Owen. The main tramping tracks in the park are the
Heaphy Track
The Heaphy Track is a popular tramping and mountain biking track in the north west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located within the Kahurangi National Park and classified as one of New Zealand's ten Great Walks by the Department ...
and the
Wangapeka Track
The Wangapeka Track is a tramping track in the north-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the main tramping tracks in the Kahurangi National Park, a protected area managed by the Department of Conservation. The route travers ...
.
The park is administered by the
Department of Conservation
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...
.
Tramping
Tramping may refer to:
Travel
*Hiking
*Trekking
*Tramping in New Zealand, a style of backpacking or hiking
* Czech tramping, a Czech outdoors pastime
Places
* Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380, Saskatchewan, Canada
** Tramping Lake, Sas ...
,
rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
and
caving
Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology i ...
are popular activities in the park. After being prohibited for several years, mountainbiking was allowed on the Heaphy Track on a trial basis for the winters of 2011, 2012 and 2013. The effect of the cyclists on trampers and the wildlife were to determine whether the trial continued or not.
![Gordons Pyramid, Kahurangi National Park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Gordons_Pyramid%2C_Kahurangi_National_Park.jpg)
Endangered
takahē
The South Island takahē (''Porphyrio hochstetteri'') is a flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, which it shares with the recently ...
were reintroduced to the park in 2018, which was 100 years after they became extinct there. Eighteen takahē were released in Gouland Downs.
The population has since grown to 31.
In 2019, it was announced that large parts of the
Mōkihinui River
The Mōkihinui River is a river located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, about 40 kilometres north of Westport. Meridian Energy had proposed the Mokihinui Hydro project on the river in 2007 but it was cancelled in May 2012. In ...
catchment, including 15 km of riverbed, would be added to Kahurangi National Park.
''
Opacuincola gretathunbergae,'' a species of freshwater snail that was discovered in the park, was named after the activist Greta Thunberg.
Conservation initiatives
In addition to ongoing conservation work by the Department of Conservation, there is a community initiative that aims "to implement, in partnership with the Department of Conservation, a conservation strategy to bring about the protection and/or return of endangered and threatened flora and fauna to the Flora Stream catchment area in Kahurangi National Park. This will enhance the experience for all visitors to this popular area, resulting in wider community appreciation and use of the Park."
The society now has approximately 30 kilometres of trap lines, with all traps at 100 metre spacing. A wasp eradication programme is in place, and bird monitoring is also part of the society's programme.
See also
*
Conservation parks of New Zealand
Conservation park is a type of specially protected status for land held by the Crown in New Zealand for conservation purposes. The status is set up under the Conservation Act 1987 and the parks are administered by the Department of Conservation (D ...
*
Forest parks of New Zealand
Conservation park is a type of specially protected status for land held by the Crown in New Zealand for conservation purposes. The status is set up under the Conservation Act 1987 and the parks are administered by the Department of Conservation (D ...
*
Regional parks of New Zealand
Regional parks of New Zealand are protected areas administered by Regions of New Zealand, regional councils, the top tier of local government in New Zealand, local government.
Auckland Region
There are 31 regional parks in the Auckland Region man ...
*
Protected areas of New Zealand
Protected areas of New Zealand are areas that are in some way protected to preserve their environmental, scientific, scenic, historical, cultural or recreational value. There are about 10,000 protected areas covering about a third of the country. ...
*
Conservation in New Zealand
Conservation in New Zealand has a history associated with both Māori and Europeans. Both groups of people caused a loss of species and both altered their behaviour to a degree after realising their effect on indigenous flora and fauna.
Protected ...
*
Biodiversity of New Zealand
The biodiversity of New Zealand, a large island country located in the south-western Pacific Ocean, is varied and distinctive. The species of New Zealand accumulated over many millions of years as lineages evolved in the local circumstances. Ne ...
*
Tramping in New Zealand
Tramping, known elsewhere as backpacking, rambling, hill walking or bushwalking, is a popular activity in New Zealand.
Tramping is defined as a recreational activity involving walking over rough country. Trampers often carry a backpack and wet- ...
References
External links
Kahurangi National Park– Department of Conservation information
{{Authority control
Buller District
Protected areas of the West Coast, New Zealand
Protected areas of the Tasman District
Protected areas established in 1996
Golden Bay