Mt. Aspiring National Park, New Zealand: Trip Planning Guide

The South Island of New Zealand is one of my favorite destinations in the world. It has so much to offer the vacationer and adventurer that it surprises me that more people don't visit here. If you happen to get to New Zealand's South Island this year, make plans to visit the Mount Aspiring National Park, you won't be disappointed.

Mt. Aspiring National Park

Mt. Aspiring National Park is named after one the country's tallest peaks, Mount Aspiring. It was founded in 1964 and is the home to glaciers, native New Zealand wildlife, hiking adventures galore, glaciers, alpine lakes and picturesque river valleys.

Visiting the Park

The majority of the park's attractions are positioned at high elevations and because of this most of its hot spots are inaccessible during the winter months. For the best and safest access opportunities, you will want to visit Mt. Aspiring National Park between the warm months of November and March. However, even during the hot summer months the weather can be unpredictable. Because of this, it is recommended that you pack in clothes for cold and damp weather. You will also want to pack in food and bottled water. You never want to drink water along the trails in the park because of harm microbes in the water also it is not permitted to start a fire.

If you happen to visit New Zealand during the winter months you can still visit Mt. Aspiring National Park. However, your activities will generally be limited to the Matukituki Valley. This is the only part of the park that is open and accessible year round.

Activities

There are a lot of adventures to be had in Mt. Aspiring National Park. You can boat, fish, kayak, climb and tramp around (New Zealand way of saying hiking). If you enjoy fast water sports then make plans to visit either the Dart River or the Wilkin River. Both of these rivers are large enough to handle jetboats and other water crafts.

If you are a skier, then you will want to plan a heli-skiing adventure. Heli-skiing tour packages can be purchased for the Albertburn Mountains and the Northern Buchanans. Departures for these tours will be from local townships and airports.