Kahurangi National Park Voyage Tips and guide

Kahurangi National Park is a national park near the northwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. At 4,520 km² (about 1750 sq mi) it is the second largest of New Zealand's 13 national parks.

Since 2007, the park has been on the tentative list for world heritage.

The national park was formed in 1996, although much of the area was part of a forest park since the 1960s.

The rivers along this route are a sanctuary area for the rare Whio or Blue Duck. They are a swift water bird that has been heavily predated by imported stoats and weasels. There is a large trapping program with traps along the rivers. Do not open them as they contain both poison and a dangerous trap. Since the trapping program began, the number of Whio have increased.

Introduced snapdragons are beautiful but a nuisance in more open areas. You are encouraged to pull them out and leave them on a rock to die.

European wasps are a nuisance and there are bright orange traps with poison for the wasps. Please leave the traps alone.

For the safety of other environmentally sensitive areas take action to protect other areas of Didymo. You can do this by:

• Checking equipment and removing clumps of Didymo;
• Clean contaminated boots, packs cloths and fishing gear by soaking and scrubbing for at least one minute with one or more of:
  • Water over 60°C
  • 2% solution of household bleach;
  • 5% solution of salt;
  • 5% solution of nappy cleaner;
  • 5% solution of hand cleaner;
  • 5% solution of dishwashing liquid
    • + a 2% solutions 200ml added to water to make a 10 litres solution.
    • + a 5% solutions 500ml added to water to make a 10 litres solution.
• If cleaning is not practical, completely dry and then leave dry for 24 hours.

Didymo is an imported aquatic pest that is also known as snotty bottom due its ugly clogging slime that forms in lakes and streams. Didymo is present in the Wangapeka catchments.

• There is no entrance fee for the park, but permits are required for hunting and fishing, and fees are charged for staying at a hut.

• Heaphy Track [1]. A 78-km walk through native forest that takes 4–6 days, the longest of New Zealand's nine Great Walks. It runs between Brown Hut, inland from Collingwood in Golden Bay, and Karamea, at the northern end of the West Coast region. It can be walked from either end. The highest point is Perry Saddle at about 900 m.
• Wangapeka Track is a challenging 4–6 day tramping track. One end of the tramp is near the Rolling River Junction in the Waimea Basin in the east and the other end is close to the West Coast near Little Wanganui, just south of larger town of Karamea.

• The DOC run an extensive network of huts in the park.

• Abel Tasman National Park
• The following cities are close to the park:
  • Collingwood
  • Mapua
  • Motueka
  • Murchison
  • Nelson
  • Onekaka
  • Takaka
  • Wakefield
  • Westport