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Complete list of 44 national parks in New Zealand

Abel Tasman National Park is renowned for its golden beaches, turquoise waters, and native forests. The park features one of New Zealand's Great Walks, the Abel Tasman Coast Track. The area is home to

Abel Tasman

The first conservation park for the Mackenzie Basin, centered around the headwaters of the Ahuriri River. Features spectacular mountain country, valuable wetlands, rolling tussocklands and beech fores

Ahuriri

Home to New Zealand's highest peak, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park features spectacular glaciers, permanent snow fields, and extensive alpine areas. The park contains 19 peaks over 3,000 meters inclu

Aoraki/Mount Cook

Formerly called Haurangi Forest Park, covering the remote Aorangi mountains between Martinborough and Cape Palliser. The name means 'cloudy skies' referring to frequent southerly squalls. One of the l

Aorangi

DOC's largest park in Auckland region, comprising 43% of Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. New Zealand's largest area of possum-free forest with native trees including kauri, pohutukawa and ka

Aotea

Arthur's Pass National Park straddles the Southern Alps, offering dramatic mountain landscapes and diverse vegetation zones. The park is known for its hiking trails, wildlife including the kea mountai

Arthur's Pass

Located in The Catlins, covering beech, podocarp and kamahi-rata forest. The largest area of native forest remaining on the South Island's east coast. Features McLean Falls and numerous tramping track

Catlins

Covers much of the central Coromandel Peninsula with hills and valleys in dense native bush. Contains about 400 hectares of mature kauri trees. Features the popular Kauaeranga Valley with swimming hol

Coromandel

Adjacent to Arthur's Pass National Park, extending from the Waimakariri River to the Wilberforce River. Features braided rivers, beech valleys, tussock grasslands, alpine screes and rugged mountain pe

Craigieburn

Egmont National Park is dominated by the perfect volcanic cone of Mount Taranaki. The park features lush rainforests, waterfalls, and a diverse range of plant life in concentric rings around the volca

Egmont

Over 65,000 hectares of open tops, tarns, river valleys and rugged mountain ranges reaching 2,000 meters - the highest peaks in Southland outside Fiordland. Contains the only known population of rock 

Eyre Mountains/Taka Ra Haka

Fiordland National Park is New Zealand's largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It features dramatic fiords, including the famous Milford Sound, ancient rainforests, and stunning moun

Fiordland

Created by combining 19 separate areas of conservation land between the Rangitata and Rakaia Rivers. Features rugged mountains, tussocklands, beech forest, braided rivers, lakes and wetlands. Addition

Hakatere

A large conservation park linking Mount Aspiring National Park and Ahuriri Conservation Park. Located around the northern part of Lake Hawea, offering impressive landscapes and recreational activities

Hawea

Kahurangi National Park is New Zealand's second-largest national park, known for its diverse landscapes and biological diversity. The park features ancient rock formations, extensive cave systems, and

Kahurangi

Forms a barrier between Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions, stretching 70km from Karangahake Gorge near Waihi to the Mamaku Plateau near Rotorua. Mount Te Aroha (952m) is the highest peak. Features gol

Kaimai-Mamaku

Remote mountain wilderness southeast of Lake Taupo, encompassing native forest, shrublands and tussock grasslands. Home to the only wild sika deer herd in the Southern Hemisphere and a protected herd 

Kaimanawa

Remote backcountry park inland from Hawke's Bay featuring alpine shrublands, tussock valleys and beech forests. Known for challenging tramping, hunting and fishing opportunities. Contains Mangatutu Ho

Kaweka

Covers the Seaward Kaikoura Range and parts of the Inland Kaikoura Ranges. Steep, rugged, dry high country that is nationally significant geologically and ecologically. Encompasses some of the highest

Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia

New Zealand's first tussock grasslands conservation park, situated near Porters Pass on the Torlesse and Big Ben Ranges. Features slim-leaved snow tussock and unusual scree plants including vegetable 

Korowai/Torlesse Tussocklands

Located 100km northwest of Christchurch between Lewis Pass and Arthur's Pass National Park. Features beech forest, subalpine shrubland, alpine tussocklands, hot springs and picturesque lakes including

Lake Sumner

Part of Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area, featuring North and South Mavora Lakes surrounded by the Thomson and Livingstone Mountains. A Lord of the Rings filming location representing Silverlode and

Mavora Lakes

Mount Aspiring National Park is a wilderness of peaks, glaciers, river valleys, and alpine lakes. The park is named after Mount Aspiring/Tititea, one of New Zealand's highest peaks. It offers numerous

Mount Aspiring

New Zealand's second-largest forest park, covering steep native forest-covered mountain country between Nelson and Blenheim. Around 80% is covered in bush, primarily beech forest. Named after Mount Ri

Mount Richmond

Nelson Lakes National Park is centered around two alpine lakes, Rotoiti and Rotoroa, formed by glacial action. The park features beech forests, alpine peaks, and numerous hiking trails. It is popular 

Nelson Lakes

Formerly Northland Forest Park, includes Puketi Forest (20,000ha) with over 500 plant species, plus Maungataniwha Forest and Raetea Forest. Contains populations of North Island brown kiwi, kereru, and

Northland

The fourth conservation park in Otago, covering the St Bathans, Ewe, Hawkdun, Ida and St Mary ranges. A unique biogeographical boundary where Otago species reach northern limit and Canterbury species 

Oteake

Paparoa National Park is known for its limestone landscapes, including the famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes at Dolomite Point. The park features coastal forest, limestone cliffs, and caves. It offer

Paparoa

The largest unbroken tract of native forest in the Waikato at 14,000 hectares. Includes three extinct volcanoes: Mount Pirongia (959m), The Cone (945m), and Mount Karioi (756m). Lies at the natural so

Pirongia

Recognized as one of the finest rainforests in the world, containing one of the largest intact tracts of native forest in the North Island with 1,000-year-old podocarp trees. Located west of Lake Taup

Pureora

Rakiura National Park covers most of Stewart Island, New Zealand's third-largest island. The park is known for its pristine wilderness, native birds including kiwi, and extensive network of walking tr

Rakiura

The North Island's third largest forest park covering extremely rugged bush-clad land on the East Cape. Contains the 39,650-hectare Raukumara Wilderness Area. Mount Hikurangi (1,752m) is the highest p

Raukumara

Formerly known as Rimutaka Forest Park (renamed in 2017 via Treaty Settlement), covering the Remutaka Range dividing the Hutt Valley from Wairarapa Plains. Located close to Wellington, featuring the p

Remutaka

Stretches approximately 100km from the Taruarau River to the Manawatu Gorge, forming part of the North Island's mountain backbone. Features red beech forests, sub-alpine shrublands and high rainfall e

Ruahine

Over 37,000 hectares of rugged mountain country, tussocklands, beech forest and clear rivers bordering Lakes Ohau and Pukaki. Includes Dobson, Hopkins, Huxley, Temple and Maitland Valleys and the Ben 

Ruataniwha

New Zealand's first forest park and the largest park managed by DOC on the North Island. Covers more than three-quarters of the Tararua Range with the highest peak being Mitre at 1,571m. A popular tra

Tararua

Spans south Canterbury and the Mackenzie Country, encompassing spectacular ice-shaped mountains and broad glaciated valleys in the Two Thumb Range. The name means 'gathering place of the waters' - fro

Te Kahui Kaupeka

Rolling tussock plateaus, patterned wetlands and string bogs in the Lammerlaw and Lammermoor ranges, 45 minutes west of Dunedin. Protects 547 native insect species, rare wetland plants, and 60% of Dun

Te Papanui

Te Urewera is a forested region and protected area that was formerly a national park. It is the ancestral home of the Tūhoe people and contains Lake Waikaremoana, one of New Zealand's largest lakes. T

Te Urewera

Tongariro is New Zealand's oldest national park and a dual World Heritage site. The park is centered around three active volcanoes: Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu. It features the famous Tongariro 

Tongariro

New Zealand's largest forest park, featuring pristine beech forest with all five beech species (red, silver, mountain, black, and hard beech). Incorporates the Victoria and Brunner Ranges and upper ca

Victoria

Westland Tai Poutini National Park extends from the highest peaks of the Southern Alps to the Tasman Sea. The park is famous for its glaciers, particularly Franz Josef and Fox Glacier, which are among

Westland Tai Poutini

Whanganui National Park protects the largest remaining area of lowland forest in the North Island, surrounding the upper Whanganui River. The park is famous for the Bridge to Nowhere, a concrete bridg

Whanganui

Known as the 'Amazon of New Zealand' for its ancient podocarp forest with towering rimu, kahikatea, matai, miro, and totara trees. Co-governed with Ngati Whare iwi since 2010 under Treaty Settlement. 

National Parks in New Zealand

Frequently Asked Questions

Top 10 Parks in New Zealand

Egmont

Fiordland

Tongariro

Arthur's Pass

Kahurangi

Te Urewera

Westland Tai Poutini

Aoraki/Mount Cook

Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia

Nelson Lakes

Top Parks by Category

Top 10 Parks for Uniqueness in New Zealand

Tongariro

Aoraki/Mount Cook

Fiordland

Kahurangi

Te Urewera

Egmont

Westland Tai Poutini

Northland

Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tane

Abel Tasman

All Parks (44)

Egmont

Fiordland

Tongariro

Arthur's Pass

Kahurangi

Te Urewera

Westland Tai Poutini

Aoraki/Mount Cook

Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia

All Parks A–Z

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