Mount Aspiring National Park

Mount Aspiring National Park is a national park that lies in the Southern Alps of New Zealand's South Island, in the headwaters of Lake Wanaka. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of South West New Zealand, or Te Wahipounamu, which includes Fiordland National Park (to the south), Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park and Westland Tai Poutini National Park (both to the north).

Understand
Mount Aspiring National Park was established in 1964. It is named after the highest mountain in the park, Mount Aspiring/Tititea, which at  is also the highest mountain in New Zealand outside Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park.

The park spans three of the South Island's regions: West Coast, Otago and Southland. The DoC categorises it as part of Otago but Wikivoyage chooses to categorise it under West Coast.

History
Mount Aspiring National Park was founded in 1964 and now makes up oart of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. It is New Zealand's 10th national park and has evolved into making itself as New Zealand's most iconic "remote destination", which is true – you can't get any further than Mount Aspiring National Park without going off-road.

It contains the location of the Haast Pass, which was used as a crossing by Maori and then by European settlers to get between what is now the Otago and West Coast (Westland) regions. Today, it is the only road that connects the two regions together.

The park was later expanded in 2005 when the Nature Heritage Fund had purchased some land in the Landsborough River area, which serves as the latest and only expansion to the park. As of 2023, the park sits at.

In 2006, there was a proposal to bore an underground bus tunnel between Glenorchy and Hollyford Valley in Fiordland National Park to reduce travel times between Queenstown and Milford Sound from 10 hours return to a fraction of the previous time. This proposal, however, was shot down by the New Zealand Conservation Authority due to its significant environmental impacts it would bring (which is why if you've been on a bus trip between Queenstown and Milford Sound, the trip takes an eternity), especially considering it's a.

In 2009, there were proposals to start mining in the area but this too was shot for similar reasons.

Today, the park remains one of the country's most remote tourism drawcards with the main icons of the park being the Blue Pools, Thunder Creek Falls, and unsurprisingly, Mount Aspiring / Tititea.

Landscape
Much of the park's landscape is characterised by tall mountains and large river valleys. The park is in the same mountain range as Mount Cook and is part of the Southern Alps.

Flora and fauna
In November 2013, contributors to the respected journal Science chose Te Wahipounamu as one of only 78 protected areas around the globe as the most critical for preventing the extinction of mammals, birds and amphibians.

Mount Aspiring National Park was home to the takahe and kakapo, now sadly both extinct in this area, but the rowi, the rarest species of kiwi, lingers on.

Climate
The park's climate is consistently cool during the summer and regularly drops below freezing in the winter, even in the valleys. Bring some cold clothes with you and refer to Wikivoyage's advice on cold weather.

If the cold wasn't enough, the park is also very rainy – the West Coast being one of the rainiest locations on Earth, with areas having around 7 metres of rainfall a year. Make sure to also prepare for the rain by bringing a good quality rainjacket.

Visitor centres
There are two visitor centres that serve the park, one in Wanaka and the other in Haast.

Websites

 * DOC website
 * Park brochure

Get in
How to get in the park depends on the section of the park you want to visit. For the points of interest on the Haast Highway, simply follow State Highway 6 east from Haast, or north from Wanaka. The road is a little windy but is entirely sealed, has minimal potholes and with the standard speed limit of 100 km/h.

To get to the Mount Aspiring / Tititea area of the park, which primarily has Mount Aspiring and Rob Roy Glacier, the carpark to this section is a 2-hour drive (but only 54 km) from Wānaka via the Wānaka-Mount Aspiring Road. However, this road is unsealed for a large portion of the section and is only advisable in a 4WD or a car that can withstand gravel roads for long distances (at least 50+ km).

Getting to the southernmost road-accessible area is also tricky but is much shorter. From Glenorchy, use Glenorchy-Paradise Rd northeast then follow Glenorchy-Routeburn Rd then Routeburn Rd across the Dart River. It only takes about 30 minutes, but the route is only 22 km. Again, driving on this road is only advisable in a 4WD or a car that can withstand gravel roads.

Fees and permits
Like all New Zealand national parks, Mount Aspiring National Park is free to enter. There are also no additional parking fees.

Get around
Your two options are to either drive or walk. Drive where there's a road, and walk where there's a trail, but don't venture from a marked path. The distances are few and far between so it is more convenient to drive if an attraction is road-accessible. Occasionally, you might encounter some people cycling but finding bicycle parking is akin to February 30 occurring.

Along the Haast Highway
One gem of Mount Aspiring National Park is that everything about it feels remote with few tourists, vehicles and trails of human destruction. Yet, most of the park's attractions are along the Haast Hwy or State Highway 6, a single-digit state highway (which are of national significance) with few if any deviations. The road is almost always in good condition, with a speed limit of 100 km/h with the bends tolerable.

The Department of Conservation has an offline brochure which can be found here. Save it or print it as there is next-to-no mobile coverage along the highway.

The following have been ordered from south to north (i.e. from Wanaka to Haast).

Elsehwere

 * Climb Mount Aspiring or the other peaks in the area.

Tramping

 * Walk Rees-Dart Track.
 * The northern parts of Routeburn Track passes through the park coming from Fiordland National Park.


 * Cascade Saddle Route – a 4–5-day alpine crossing hike.

Buy, eat and drink
There are no shops in the park. You will need to bring all adequate supplies with you.

Lodging
Lodging is available in the nearest settlements to the park: Haast, Makarora, Glenorchy and, with the most variety and abundance, Wanaka. However, there is no lodging within the park.

Camping
Mount Aspiring National Park contains four non-backcountry campsites, with the fifth campsite being a backcountry campsite. Out of the four campsites, three of them are accessible by car/campervan.

Stay safe
This is about as remote as you can get in New Zealand, without getting off-road. Make sure your fuel tank is full and your vehicle in good working order.

Temperatures regularly drop below freezing – make sure to bring protective clothing.

Go next
The nearest settlements to the park are:
 * Haast
 * Makarora
 * Wanaka
 * Glenorchy