| Mount Aspiring National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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| Nearest city | Wanaka, New Zealand |
| Area | 3555 km² |
| Established | 1964 |
| Governing body | Department of Conservation |
Mount Aspiring National Park is located in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, north of Fiordland National Park, and between Otago and south Westland. The park forms part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.
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It was established in 1964 as New Zealand's tenth National Park. The park covers 3,555 km² at the southern end of the Southern Alps, directly to the west of Lake Wanaka, and is popular for tramping, walking and mountaineering. Mount Aspiring / Tititea (3033 m) is the mountain which gives the park its name. Other prominent peaks within the park include Mount Pollux (2542 m) and Mount Brewster (2519 m).
The Haast Pass, one of the three principal road routes across the Southern Alps, is found in the north-eastern corner of the park.
In April 2005 the Nature Heritage Fund purchased private land in the Landsborough River valley as an addition to the park.[1]
In 2006, the Milford Dart Company asked the Department of Conservation to amend the Mt Aspiring National Park Management Plan to allow an additional road within the park for a bus tunnel from the Routeburn Road to the Hollyford Valley to take tourists to Milford Sound.[2]
In December 2007, the New Zealand Conservation Authority declined to adopt the amendment to the Management Plan. The Conservation Authority considered the proposed road would not add to the use and enjoyment of Mount Aspiring National Park and that the adverse effects of construction and use of the road in the National Park would outweigh any benefits.[3]
Popular tramping tracks in the park include:
In 2009 the National-led government of New Zealand has indicated that Mount Aspiring National Park may be opened up to mining. Around 20% of the total area of the park, mainly in the western portions around the Red Hill Range, and the north eastern parts could be removed from the park and mined.[4][5] Prospectors here are particularly interested in carbonatite deposits including Rare earth elements and tungsten. The Green Party has warned that the park is one of New Zealand's main tourism drawcards, and that mining here could do significant damage to the country's image.[6]
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