Arthur's Pass National Park

The national park is open throughout the year. The main summer season is in December and January. There is skiing in winter.

The tourist potential of this wild and romantic range was realized early on. The first sightseeing tour was organized in the 19th C, running over the pass to the west coast and continuing south to the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. In time the view gained ground that the government must take steps to protect the unique vegetation of this area and in 1901 700 sq.km of land round the pass were declared a nature reserve. After various extensions to the protected area Arthur's Pass National Park was established in 1929. With an area of almost 1000 sq.km, it is New Zealand's fourth-largest national park