A zinc oxide (ZnO) whisker network array with sixfold symmetry was fabricated on ZnO-buffered (0001) sapphire substrate by the vapour-phase transport method using a mixture of zinc oxide and graphite powders as source materials and patterned gold as catalyst. From the ZnO buffer layer, hexagonal ZnO nanorods with identical in-plane structure grew epitaxially along the [0001] orientation to form vertical stems. The branches grew horizontally from six side-surfaces of the vertical stem along [01¯10] and other equivalent directions. Most whiskers were confined along the six preferential orientations and interconnected with each other to form a regular network structure. The growth mechanism is discussed.