Westland Tai Poutini National Park

The 1275 km ² large Westland National Park ( Maori: Tai Poutini ) was established in 1960 and extends from the west coast up to the 3498 m high Mount Tasman in New Zealand's Southern Alps. Several glaciers flowing from the mountains because of the steep slope up to 200 m above sea level ( and a few kilometers away from the ocean ) down, the most popular being the Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. There is a unique rain forest inventory at the very rainy coast. Together with the Fiordland National Park, Mount Cook and Mount Aspiring National Park forms the Westland National Park called Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. Since 1990, the area is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.