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Mountain range on the South Island in New Zealand
Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Southern Alps (Maori: Kā Tiritiri-o-te-Moana) are a range of mountains that run the length of the South Island of New Zealand. This mountain range has been likened to the Alps of Europe. The highest peak is Aoraki Mount Cook at 3,724 metres (12,218 ft).
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The Southern Lakes are glacial lakes found in the Southern Alps of the lower South Island of New Zealand. Many of the major South Island tourist destinations are found in this region.
Abel Tasman National Park is in the Nelson Bays region of the South Island of New Zealand, between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay.
Nelson Lakes National Park is in the Nelson Tasman region of New Zealand.
Arthur's Pass National Park is a major national park in the heart of New Zealand's South Island. The park is a popular stop from the TranzAlpine train and has hikes both long and short.
Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park is a national park dominated by New Zealand's two highest mountains, Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. Several other high peaks of the South Island's Southern Alps are nearby.
Westland Tai Poutini National Park is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Te Wahipounamu in South West New Zealand. The national park lies on the West Coast of the South Island in the Southern Alps, adjacent to Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park and to the north of Mount Aspiring National Park.
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).
Fiordland National Park, covering 12,607 km2 (4,868 sq mi), is New Zealand's largest national park with its snow-capped mountains, fiords and contains one of New Zealand's wildest and most dramatic landscapes. The park, together with the adjoining Mount Aspiring National Park, occupies the south-west corner of the South Island and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Fox Glacier village is in "Glacier Country" on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Tucked discreetly into the rainforest-clad foothills of the Southern Alps, it has a stunning outlook across surrounding farms and offers breathtaking views of New Zealand’s two highest peaks, Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman.
Not to be confused with Franz Josef Land in the Arctic. Franz Josef is a village and glacial area at the foot of the western slopes of Mount Cook, in the middle of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
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