If you visit the South Island Arthur's Pass NP might not be top of your list ( most people hike the Milford, Routeburn etc) but this is a must imho. Gorgeous Spectacular Waterfall and great hike up a canyon that will reward you with views. Highly recommend read more

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As pit-stop on our journey to Mt. Cook, we stayed in the Arthur's Pass Alpine Motel for the evening, allowing us the opportunity to try some nearby hikes. We tried out the Devil's Punchbowl and a bit of the Alpine Treeline Hike. The Devil's Punchbowl trail was well marked, with assistance including stairs, bridges, and railings to traverse through the forest. The route took about 30mins to arrive at the waterfall, including steep up and downhill terrain. The view of the waterfall was worth the trek, as we were deep in the forest surrounded by unique trees. On the way back, we noticed a side trail, marked Alpine Treeline Hike, heading upward on the hill, but no marking indications of the length. We decided to give it a try, but about 15mins in found ourselves turning around. The hike was straight uphill. As we got further up the mountain the scaling of the mountain got trickier; we decided to turn around-later researched the trail..turns out it leads to the very very very top of the mountain (a 5hr hike), which required a lot of experience; glad we gave up early. Overall, a pleasant hike; well-enjoyed as a pit-stop, wouldn't have wanted to stay longer in the area, as it seemed a lot of the trails overlapped views-and the town has very little in terms of gas, restaurants, and general amenities. read more

A spectacular park that looks very Lord of the Rings-y, but also has its own charms, including cold-weather parrots. The park is also, it must be said, terrifying. The roads are windy, lack guardrails, and have frequent one-lane bridges and other oddities. There are plenty of dangers for those on foot as well. Caution is advised. The park runs through quite a large section of the island and there is very little in terms of gas or places to eat or stay, so bear that in mind. read more

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