Westland National Park in New Zealand

This national park is part of the South Westland World Heritage area and is famous for its mountains and two dominant glaciers, Fox and Franz Josef.

They are the closest glaciers to the coastline of any in the world outside the polar regions. This means they are not only accessible, but the climate is much warmer compared to other glacial sites in the world.

Lowland areas in the park are covered in an ancient Beech forest which are backed by steep cliffs and mountains. Its a contradiction to view glaciers from a rain forest, but this phenomenon is explained by the areas steepness and high rainfall.

The coastline is a short drive away and onroute there are some great views of the glaciers and mountains reflecting in lakes that are scattered around this area. Westland National Park offers many activities for visitors such as a guided trek up one of the glaciers or a helicopter ride to the top of the Southern Alps, a mountain range bigger in area than the European Alps. If you want nature and spectacular scenery, and you don't mind the likelihood of some rain, then Westland National Park is a great place to visit. Westland National Park is situated in the Westcoast region.