Mount Aspiring National Park is located in the Southern Alps on the South Island of New Zealand. It is north of Fiordland National Park and covers parts of the Otago and Westland regions. The park is part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site.

History

Mount Aspiring National Park was created in 1964 as New Zealand's tenth national park.

In April 2005, the Nature Heritage Fund bought private land in the Landsborough River valley to add to the park.

In 2006, the Milford Dart Company asked the Department of Conservation to change the Mount Aspiring National Park Management Plan. The request included building a road inside the park for a bus tunnel, called the Milford Tunnel. This tunnel would connect the Routeburn Road to the Hollyford Valley, allowing tourists to travel to Milford Sound. The tunnel would have linked to Glenorchy and reduced the travel time from Queenstown to Milford Sound from 9 hours.

In December 2007, the New Zealand Conservation Authority refused to approve the plan. The authority believed the road would not improve the use or enjoyment of the park and that the negative effects of building and using the road would outweigh any benefits.

In 2011, the Department of Conservation approved the plan in principle. However, the Minister of Conservation, Nick Smith, rejected the proposal in July 2013. Smith said the plan was not suitable for a World Heritage Area. The leader of the company that proposed the tunnel said, "I was disappointed, of course. National trying to out-green the greens. Going skiing."

In 2009, the National-led government of New Zealand suggested that parts of Mount Aspiring National Park might be opened for mining. About 20% of the park’s total area, mainly in the western regions near the Red Hill Range and the northeastern parts, could be removed from the park for mining. Prospectors are interested in carbonatite deposits, including rare earth elements and tungsten. The Green Party warned that the park is a major attraction for tourism in New Zealand and that mining could harm the country’s reputation.

Geography

Mount Aspiring National Park covers an area of 3,562 square kilometres (1,375 square miles) at the southern end of the Southern Alps, directly to the west of Lake Wānaka. The park is popular for hiking, walking, and climbing. Mount Aspiring / Tititea, which is 3,033 metres (9,951 feet) above sea level, is the source of the park's name. Other notable mountains in the park include Mount Pollux, standing at 2,542 metres (8,340 feet), and Mount Brewster, reaching 2,519 metres (8,264 feet).

The Haast Pass, one of the three main road routes across the Southern Alps, crosses the north-eastern part of the park.

Mount Aspiring National Park is still home to more than 100 glaciers. These glaciers helped shape the valleys in the park. U-shaped valleys with steep sides are found throughout the area. The park was formed by glaciers during the Ōtira Ice Age, which occurred 16,000 to 18,000 years ago.

Conservation and human interaction

The Mount Aspiring National Park visitor centre is found in Wānaka at the intersection of Ardmore Street and Ballentyne Road.

Popular hiking trails in the park include:

• Cascade Saddle Track
• Gillespie Pass circuit
• Matukituki Valley
• Routeburn Track
• Rees and Dart Tracks