Te Wahipounamu Southwest, New Zealand

Abstract

Located in the southwest corner of New Zealand’s South Island, the site is spread over a 450 km strip extending 40–90 km inland from the Tasman Sea. The area exhibits many classic examples of the tectonic and climatic processes that have shaped the earth. It has many evidences of the last glacial era and also counts with the world’s best intact modern representation of the ancient biota of Gondwana. The landscape shows a sequence of mountains, fjords, marine terraces, rocky coasts, towering cliffs, hanging valleys, cirques, lakes, and waterfalls, all in a pristine state. Temperate rainforest and alpine ecosystems are well represented across wide climatic and latitudinal gradients. Only traces of human influence are evident and then mainly in peripheral areas.