Fiordland National Park

The Fiordland National Park caps off NZ’s South Island on its extreme south-western end. There’s nowhere else like it in the country, what with deep-cut sounds and canyons piercing straight into mountain ranges where ancient beech forests converge on ice caps and wildflower meadows. Yep, this is up there with the most impenetrable and untouched corners of New Zealand, which makes it a dream come true for the most intrepid trampers out there. Despite the remoteness of the Fiordland, paths are plentiful. You could skip the ever-popular day trips to Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound and hit the four-day Milford Track. It’s an iconic journey through alpine valleys, over boardwalk-covered wetlands, under the crashing Sutherland Falls (the tallest in New Zealand), and atop tussock-clad Mackinnon Pass. This is also the terminus of the celebrated Routeburn Track, which goes for 20 miles through the highlands from the equally amazing Mount Aspiring National Park.