Ten national parks have been constituted in New Zealand, covering 5,019,388 acres, one-thirteenth of the country's land area. They are administered under legislation designed “for the purpose of preserving in perpetuity as National Parks, for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, areas of New Zealand that contain scenery of such distinctive quality or natural features so beautiful or unique that their preservation is in the national interest”.
New Zealand's national park system had its beginning only 15 years after the world's first national park – Yellowstone, in the United States – was established. In 1887 Te Heuheu Tukino and other Maori chiefs presented to the Crown the land within a radius of 1 mile of three volcanic peaks in the centre of the North Island – Ruapehu, Tongariro, and Ngauruhoe. These peaks were tapu (sacred) to the Maori people, and the gift was made on condition that the land would be preserved as a national park. In 1894 the Government passed legislation constituting the three peaks and surrounding land as Tongariro National Park.
Six years later Egmont National Park was constituted, and in 1904 Fiordland was proclaimed a national reserve, administered under the Scenery Preservation Act and the Tourist and Health Resorts Control Act. Arthur's Pass and Abel Tasman Parks were established by the Public Reserves, Domains, and National Parks Act 1928, so that by 1952 there were five national parks – Tongariro, Egmont, Abel Tasman, and Arthur's Pass – administered by park boards, and Fiordland, a public reserve administered by the Department of Lands and Survey.
Increased post-war interest led to a review of park administration to achieve uniformity in policy and management. As a result, the National Parks Act of 1952 was enacted which repealed legislation affecting existing national parks, brought them all under the new Act, and established the National Parks Authority, representative of private organisations and Government Departments with interests in the parks, to exercise general control. The National Parks Authority is almost entirely Government financed. Its task is to preserve parks in their natural state and so to administer them that the public, in the words of the National Parks Act, “may receive in full measure the inspiration, enjoyment, recreation, and other benefits that may be derived from mountains, forests, sounds, lakes, and rivers”.
Each park is under the control of a separate park board which carries out development and licenses private enterprise to establish amenities for the park users. Suitable parts are set aside as wilderness areas where, to ensure the preservation of the natural state, development is restricted to access by foot tracks. A Supervisor of National Parks assists the Authority in coordinating and integrating the detailed working of the individual parks, and permanent park rangers appointed by the boards are responsible for development, protection, and interpretation of the parks to visitors. The Department of Lands and Survey is the executive agency for the National Parks Authority and Boards.
Park headquarters are being established in each park as information centres and to house historical displays and exhibitions of flora and fauna. Many of the parks have alpine gardens, and short nature walks have been established with named trees and shrubs.
Five new parks have been constituted under the 1952 Act – Mount Cook (1953), Urewera (1954), Nelson Lakes (1956), Westland (1960), and Mount Aspiring (1964).
Urewera National Park (492,763 acres) surrounds Lake Waikaremoana and is rich in Maori history. It is the largest remaining area of unspoiled native forest in the North Island. Kiwi, kaka, and most other native birds are found throughout.
Egmont National Park (82,280 acres) contains one of the world's most symmetrical mountains, the extinct volcanic cone of Mount Egmont (8,260 ft), and includes land within a 6-mile radius of the mountain. It varies from heavily forested lower slopes to the bare scoria, rock, snow, and ice of the upper levels.
Tongariro National Park (163,356 acres) includes three volcanoes – Mount Ruapehu (9,175 ft), the highest in the North Island and active at times; Ngauruhoe (7,515 ft), constantly active; and Tongariro (6,517 ft), mildly active. Mount Ruapehu is the ski-ing playground of the North Island. These regions are surrounded by native forests, open grassland, and sub-alpine vegetation.
Abel Tasman National Park (43,939 acres) contains coastal and elevated bush-clad country along the shores of Tasman Bay and some off-shore islands and reefs. It is a maritime park with broken coastline, numerous bays, coves, and beaches of golden sand.
Nelson Lakes National Park (141,127 acres) is centred on the twin lakes, Rotoiti and Rotoroa, and is surrounded by mountainous country with lower slopes covered by mainly beech forests. The slopes of Mount Robert have extensive snow fields.
Arthur's Pass National Park (242,888 acres) is an alpine and forested region taking in part of the Southern Alps containing the headwaters of the Waimakariri and Otira Rivers. The transalpine road connecting Canterbury and Westland crosses the Pass and a railway runs beneath through the 5¼ miles Otira Tunnel.
Mount Cook National Park (172,979 acres) lies south from Arthur's Pass and at a higher altitude. With the Main Divide its western boundary, it contains 15 peaks above 10,000 ft, among them the highest in New Zealand, Mount Cook (12,349 ft). One-third of the total area is made up of permanent snow and glacier ice. The largest glacier is the 18-mile-long Tasman Glacier, which is up to 2 miles wide.
Westland National Park (210,257 acres) extends from sea level to heights of more than 11,500 ft on the western side of the Main Divide. The park contains extensive native forests, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. Features include the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, and Lakes Matheson, Mapourika, and Wahapo.
Mount Aspiring National Park (492,300 acres) extends southwards along the Southern Alps from Haast Pass region at the head of Lake Wanaka to the boundary of Fiordland National Park at the head of Lake Wakatipu. A park of mountains, forests, and rivers, the dominating feature is the 9,959 ft Mount Aspiring.
Fiordland National Park (3,023,100 acres) is the largest park. It is an area of majestic scenery with mountains, forests, lakes, fiords, and bush-clad islands. It includes Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau, while a road through the Homer Tunnel gives access to Milford Sound. The Sutherland Falls (1,904 ft) are the highest in New Zealand. The park is the only known habitat of the flightless notornis or takahe, and the kakapo, a species of native parrot.
by Percy Hylton Craig Lucas, Administrative Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington.