Arthur's Pass

Declared in 1929, it was the first national park on New Zealand's South Island, crossed by one of the most spectacular rail and road routes in the country, between Christchurch and the west coast. It is regular habitat of the kea, the only alpine parrot in the world, celebrated for its exceptional intelligence among birds and for its curious and sometimes destructive interest in visitors' belongings, windscreen wipers and rucksacks included.