It is the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area covering 12,607 km2 (4,868 sq mi),[1] and a major part of the Te Wāhipounamu a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in 1990.

The park is a significant refuge for many threatened native animals, ranging from dolphins and bats to reptiles, insects, and endangered species of birds endemic to New Zealand such as the takahē, mōhua, kākāpō, and southern brown kiwi.

Its waterways that make up the fiords were intended to provide havens along its rugged coastline, which had plenty of forests and birds to sustain travellers.

[2] In Māori mythology, the fiords are created by the workmanship of Tū Te Rakiwhanoa, who carved indentations into the coastline to make it habitable.

Although, Māori made seasonal visits here to fish, hunt and to collect greenstone from Milford Sound, and tribal groups found sanctuary here, living amid the penguins and seals.

[3][4] Captain James Cook, a British explorer, circumnavigated the South Island with his crew of HMS Endeavour in March 1770.

[12] Fiordland National Park's establishment in the early 1950s occurred the same time with the opening of the Homer Tunnel for public use, which provided road access to Milford Sound.

The retreat of the glaciers after the ice age left behind U-shaped valleys with sheer cliffs and as a result Fiordland's coast is steep and crenellated, with some of the 15 fiords reaching as far as 40 kilometres (25 mi) inland.

[18] The abundant vegetation is supported by the high rainfall, but continues to be damaged by introduced species such as red deer and possum.

[19][20][21] The park is also a significant refuge for many threatened native animals, ranging from dolphins and bats to reptiles, insects, and birds.

The special nature of the Fiordland area for conservation was recognised in the late 1890s by Richard Henry, pioneering the transfer of threatened species such as kākāpō and kiwi to islands in Dusky Sound.

After rediscovery of the takahē in the Murchison Mountains in 1948, a special area of 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) was set aside in Fiordland National Park for its conservation, with the population reaching a milestone of 300 birds in 2016.

[24] Several offshore islands belonging to Fiordland National Park are dedicated sanctuaries for threatened native species:[22] Mōhua and tokoeka (Haast brown kiwi) have also been released on Pomona Island in Lake Te Anau,[25] and the Eglinton Valley contains significant populations of long-tailed bats.

[26] Fiordland became the scene of one of New Zealand's most significant conservation debates when in the 1960s it was proposed to raise the level of Lake Manapouri to assist hydro-electricity production at West Arm.

The ensuing battle resulted in government ultimately bowing to the weight of petitions and passing a bill in the 1970s that gave the lake statutory protection.

The most recent expansion of Fiordland National Park was the 1999 addition of the 482 square kilometres (186 sq mi) Waitutu Forest.

[35] Most tourists are attracted to the easily accessible areas of the national park such as Milford Sound, where boat tours of the fiord and kayaking are the most popular activities.

[citation needed] Along the Milford Road from Te Anau there are also camping grounds and several short walks, some of which are even accessible by wheelchair.

Popular stopping points along the road are at the Mirror Lakes, the Homer Pass area immediately to the east of the tunnel, and The Chasm.

Trampers on these remote tracks also face three-wire bridges, tree falls, and rough terrain where mud can be knee-deep.

Milford Sound and areas of Fiordland National Park were used to depict the Misty Mountains during filming of The Lord of the Rings.