ABOUT THE PARK

Created in 1996, Kahurangi is one of New Zealand's newest national parks. At 452,002 hectares it is also one of the largest. Translated its name has a number of meanings including ''treasured possession" or blue skies. In places it is an untracked wilderness, elsewhere a network of tracks lets you explore wild rivers, high plateau and alpine herb fields, and coastal forests.

Parts of Kahurangi were occupied by Maori from the 14th Century and the coast was much traveled by those seeking pounamu (greenstone). In 1846 Charles Heaphy, a draughtsman with the New Zealand Company, and Thomas Brunner were the first Europeans to traverse the park to the coast. Later well worn pack tracks were built by those wanting easy access to the country's first goldfields.

Kahurangi is a geologically complex area. Much of its rock is sedimentary, laid down in an ancient sea, then faulted, uplifted and scoured, in places, by glaciers. Parts of the region are limestone or marble, these areas are characterized by an abundance of caves, bluffs, natural arches, sinkholes and water-worn outcrops. New Zealand's oldest fossil (540 million years old) was found in the park.

The vegetation cover changes markedly from one side of the park to the other and from the coast to the tops of mountains. In the east, beech forest is dominant while to the west you will see podocarp forest with a rich under story of ferns, vines and shrubs. On the coast stands of nikau palms give the forest an almost tropical look. Some 80% of New Zealand's alpine species can be found in the high reaches of the park.

Due to the varied landscape numerous different habitats have been created which support many different creatures. Several threatened species survive here from the diminutive rock wren to one of New Zealand's largest birds - the Great Spotted Kiwi. The park is home to our largest cave spider and the smallest of our giant weta - a flightless insect a bit like a grasshopper. Twenty species of carnivorous land snail (Powelliphanta) live in the park; they can sometimes be seen near limestone outcrops though they tend to only come out from hiding on damp nights to feed on native worms that can grow up to a metre long.