Rakiura National Park is a nature reserve located on Stewart Island / Rakiura, New Zealand. It is the newest national park in New Zealand and was opened in 2002. The park covers about 85% of the island.

History

Rakiura National Park is the 14th national park in New Zealand. It was officially opened on March 9, 2002, by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, the Minister of Conservation, Sandra Lee, and the mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary. It is the newest national park in New Zealand.

Geography

Rakiura National Park covers about 1,400 square kilometers (540 square miles), which is about 85% of Stewart Island / Rakiura, New Zealand's third-largest island. The park does not include the town of Oban near Halfmoon Bay, some roads, or private or Māori-owned land farther inland. The park includes a group of former nature reserves, scenic areas, and state forest lands. A chain sculpture at the park's entrance represents Māori mythology, which describes the South Island as the canoe of the demigod Māui and Rakiura as the canoe's anchor. This is shown by the island's alternative name, "Te Punga o Te Waka a Māui" (the anchor of Māui's canoe). The sculpture was created by Southland sculptor Russell Beck and was unveiled when the national park opened. In 2008, a similar sculpture was built in Bluff, representing the other end of the chain.

Ecology

Many native birds live in the park, and Rakiura may be the best place in New Zealand to see kiwi in the wild. This is partly because stoats and ferrets are not present there. The Southern brown kiwi, also called Tokoeka, is the largest kiwi species. It is estimated that about 15,000 kiwi live on Stewart Island / Rakiura.

Some coastal areas of the park are breeding grounds for the endangered yellow-eyed penguin. Weka, a flightless bird known for being curious, are only found on offshore islands. The South Island kākā can often be seen near Halfmoon Bay and Ulva Island.

In the 1970s, kākāpō were discovered in the Tin Range when it was believed the species was almost extinct. The kākāpō have since been moved to nearby Codfish Island / Whenua Hou, which is not part of the national park.

Tramping

The popular Rakiura Track is located within the national park. The track usually takes three days and two nights to complete and is 32 kilometres (20 miles) long. The path passes through lowland kāmahi, tōtara, and rimu forests. The route includes Port William and the north arm of Paterson Inlet. Rakiura kiwi are often seen at night near the huts.

The Northwest Circuit goes around the northern and western parts of Stewart Island. The track is 125 kilometres (78 miles) long and takes most people between eight and ten days to complete. Much of the path follows the coastline, passing a series of very remote sandy beaches. After reaching Mason Bay, the track crosses the Freshwater Depression before arriving at Paterson Inlet. There are ten huts along the route, which are generally spaced about five to seven hours apart by walking.

The Southern Circuit is a challenging nine-day hiking trip. It is 70 kilometres (43 miles) long and, after rain, may involve long walks through mud and deep water. The route includes Doughboy Bay Hut, an eight-bed shelter that is the southernmost hut in the Department of Conservation's network.