Story: National parks

Opening Rakiura National Park

The newest national park, Rakiura, was opened in 2000, and protects Stewart Island’s diverse natural landscapes. The prime minister, Helen Clark, and Sir Edmund Hillary walk through the park entrance at the opening ceremony. The entrance symbolises an anchor chain, and recalls the story of how the demigod Māui fished up the North Island, using the South Island as a canoe which he anchored to Rakiura (Stewart Island).

Using this item

TVNZ Television New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'National parks - Lower South Island parks', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/14481/opening-rakiura-national-park (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 24 Sep 2007, updated 1 Aug 2015