Arthur's Pass National Park

Photo #1 of 2 . Swipe for more photos. Arthur's Pass National Park Arthur's Pass National Park is situated between Canterbury and the West Coast in the South Island of New Zealand. There is a striking difference between the habitats on either side of the main divide. Mountain beech/tawhai dominates eastern slopes. To the west is mixed podocarp rainforest and red-flowering rata, with a luxuriant understorey of shrubs, ferns and mosses. A historic highway and railway runs through the middle. Popular Activites include: hiking, bird watching, mountain biking, camping, and climbing Photo copyright Arthur's Pass National Park.

Overview

Arthur's Pass National Park is in the heart of the Southern Alps/Ka Tiritiri o te Moana. Its high mountains with large scree slopes, steep gorges and wide braided rivers, straddles the main divide – the 'back bone' of the South Island – between Canterbury and the West Coast.

It's a park of contrasts, with dry beech/tawhai forest in the east, luxuriant rainforest on western slopes, and a historic highway and railway running through the middle. Arthur's Pass was established in 1929 and was New Zealand's third national park and the first one in the South Island.