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National park in New Zealand
Photo: en:user:Psychoticfish, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
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).
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Kidds Bush is a short 30-minute walk around a campsite. The Sawyer Burn Track spurs from Kidds Bush Track and is a 2-hour return encompassing 3.5 km with the views of Lake Hawea and the nearby mountains being more than stunning.
A 1-km 20-minute return walk to a small lookout with views of Cameron Creek. The walk is somewhat steep, though – it climbs up 50 metres in elevation as per the DoC.
One of South Island's most serene natural pools is perhaps the park's main draw – apart from being a good photo spot for the 'gram, it's also surprisingly accessible and is 3 km return (takes approximately 1 hour). Note: until summer 2023/24, the bridge will be replaced and the pools will not be accessible. The rest of the track is still however open (but you can't view the pools).
Officially marking the border between Otago and the West Coast, the views from the top of the pass are well worth the 100-metre climb over 800 metres (one way) with more than impressive forests along the way. Be warned the track is very steep and isn't for the faint-hearted.
Small but impressive waterfall that's a 200-metre walk from the carpark via a good boardwalk. If you want to get even closer to the waterfall, you can also cross the stream (it's very shallow, no deeper than knee-length at worst) to get better views of the waterfall.
Although the Gates of Haast specifically refers to a gorge at the southern crossing where SH6 crosses the Haast River, it's known for its bridge put together with its idyllic background (no parking available).
A 28-metre-high waterfall over beech forest – while on paper that might not sound like much, it is a spectacular sight while you're actually there. It's accessible via a 200-metre return track. ; no toilets for 5 km.
A 1-kilometre trail that takes about 25 minutes taking you to views of Roaring Billy Falls but from the other side of the Haast River. It's not as impressive as the other waterfalls in the park but still worth a visit regardless.
A decently sized campsite with maintained non-flush toilets and 30 unpowered tent sites. It is next to several rivers and lakes, including Blue Pools (within walking distance from the campsite).
A standard campsite with 22 unpowered tent sites and flushable toilets. The campsite however is further south so there are no tramping trails nearby within easy walking distance. .
A campsite that sits at the start of the Lake Sylvan Track, containing 36 unpowered tent sites and non-flush toilets, serving as a very handy base for exploring the Lake Sylvan Track, a 100-minute easy walking track.
Disclaimer: as of December 2023, access to the campsite from Lake Sylvan is closed. This is due to a result of heavy rain washing away the only bridge connecting the campsite to everything else. The campsite is still accessible from Routeburn Rd, though.
The only campsite on the Routeburn Track that is in Mt Aspiring National Park which has 15 unpowered tent sites and no toilets – refer to the article in question for detailed information about the campsite.
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.
Read in the guideYour 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.
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Wanaka · Regional · WKA
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