Fiordland National Park

1. Entry: Fiordland National Park is a public protected natural area and general entry does not usually require an admission ticket. Some guided tours, transport services, huts, and activities may have separate charges.
2. Booking: No booking is generally required for independent sightseeing or short walks. Advance reservations are strongly recommended for guided excursions, scenic cruises, overnight hikes, and accommodation or hut stays.
3. Opening Hours: The national park is generally accessible year-round, although individual tracks, roads, facilities, and attractions may be temporarily closed.
4. Duration: Visitors can spend a few hours to several days exploring Fiordland, depending on the selected walks, scenic drives, cruises, or multi-day hikes.
5. Walking & Hiking: Visitors should remain on marked tracks, follow DOC signage, and choose routes appropriate to their fitness, experience, and current weather conditions.
6. Weather Conditions: Fiordland experiences high rainfall and rapidly changing weather. Heavy rain can cause flooding, slips, swollen rivers, and temporary track closures.
7. Safety: Visitors should carry suitable waterproof clothing, warm layers, food, water, navigation equipment, and emergency supplies appropriate to the activity. Conditions can become challenging quickly.
8. Water Activities: Kayaking, boating, and scenic cruises should only be undertaken with appropriate safety equipment and according to operator instructions.
9. Wildlife & Environment: Visitors must protect the natural environment by staying on designated tracks, carrying out rubbish, avoiding wildlife disturbance, and not removing plants, rocks, or other natural materials.
10. Photography: Photography and video recording are generally permitted for personal use. Commercial photography may require permission.
11. Children: Children should remain under appropriate adult supervision, particularly on hiking trails, near waterways, and around steep or exposed terrain.
12. Accessibility: Accessibility varies significantly between tracks, viewpoints, roads, visitor facilities, and individual attractions.
13. Camping & Huts: Overnight stays are subject to Department of Conservation (DOC) rules, designated camping areas, hut availability, and applicable booking or permit requirements.
14. Cancellation: General access to the national park has no cancellation policy. Paid tours, cruises, accommodation, huts, and guided activities are subject to the respective operator or DOC booking conditions.
15. Changes to Access: Tracks, roads, campsites, huts, and attractions may be closed or restricted because of weather, flooding, avalanche risk, conservation work, maintenance, fire risk, or safety concerns.
16. Important: Fiordland National Park is renowned for its dramatic fiords, ancient rainforest, alpine mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and exceptional wilderness landscapes. Visitors should check current track and weather conditions before entering the park.

Fiordland National Park is a protected natural area and does not generally require an admission ticket or reservation for general sightseeing. Therefore, no separate cancellation or refund policy applies to visiting the national park. If Fiordland National Park is included as part of a guided tour, cruise, hiking excursion, or travel package, the cancellation and refund conditions of the respective booking or service provider will apply.

If access or an activity is affected by adverse weather, safety conditions, or operational reasons, alternative arrangements or a refund may be offered according to the applicable operator’s policy.

1. Access to public areas is subject to DOC regulations, track conditions and any applicable access restrictions.
2. Visitors must follow instructions from DOC rangers, guides, tour operators and authorised personnel.
3. Visitors must remain on designated tracks, trails, roads and approved visitor areas.
4. Visitors must not enter closed, restricted or hazardous areas.
5. Trails may include steep, uneven, muddy, rocky or slippery sections; suitable hiking footwear is recommended.
6. Visitors should carry sufficient water, food, warm clothing, rain protection, sun protection and other appropriate outdoor equipment.
7. Weather in Fiordland can change rapidly, with heavy rainfall, strong winds, low temperatures and reduced visibility possible.
8. Visitors should be prepared for wet and challenging conditions, even during warmer months.
9. Children must remain under the supervision of an accompanying adult, particularly near waterways, cliffs and remote tracks.
10. Visitors must not cross safety barriers or approach unstable cliffs, river edges or other hazardous locations.
11. Visitors must not damage, remove or interfere with native vegetation, rocks, historic features or other natural resources.
12. Littering and pollution are strictly prohibited; visitors should carry out all rubbish.
13. Visitors must not feed, touch, chase or deliberately disturb native wildlife.
14. Camping is permitted only in authorised locations and may require a booking or fee depending on the campsite.
15. Fires are permitted only where specifically authorised and subject to current fire restrictions.
16. Visitors must follow all biosecurity requirements, particularly when entering or moving between sensitive wilderness areas.
17. Fishing and hunting are subject to New Zealand regulations, permits and specific park restrictions.
18. Drones may be subject to DOC permission requirements and aviation restrictions, particularly around wildlife and conservation areas.
19. Photography for personal use is generally permitted, subject to DOC, wildlife and site-specific restrictions.
20. Commercial photography, professional filming or organised shoots may require a permit or prior approval.
21. Boat cruises, kayaking, hiking tours and other activities may have separate operator-specific safety, participation and booking conditions.
22. Visitors should follow all emergency, weather, track-closure and evacuation instructions.
23. Tracks, roads, facilities and attractions may be temporarily closed because of flooding, landslides, storms, avalanches, maintenance, conservation work or other safety concerns.
24. Visitors are responsible for their personal belongings and safety, particularly on remote trails.
25. Cancellation and refund conditions depend on the specific tour, cruise, transport service or activity booked.
26. If a Fiordland tour or cruise is cancelled or modified due to weather, road or track conditions, water conditions, park closures or safety requirements, refund or alternative arrangements will be handled according to the operator's terms.
27. Late arrival or failure to join a booked tour or cruise may result in loss of the booking without refund, subject to the provider's conditions.
28. If Fiordland National Park is included in an organised Queenstown or Fiordland package, the tour operator's cancellation and refund policy will apply.