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F A B U L O U S
Fiordland
Story & photoS By SuSie WilliamS
The drive from TeAnau to Milford Sound is the
most spectacular sight I have ever seen. The
moment we enter the Fiordland National Park
the forest changes into very thick beech trees.
Further into the park we go, the more the trees
are thickly covered in moss and lichen – like
a magical forest fairytale. Luckily for us, prior
to our visit, the area had two constant days of
rain. This meant that all the mountain faces
were covered in cascading waterfalls. The forest
becomes catastrophic as the soil gets replaced
by rock on the mountain sides. Occasionally
we see a tree and land slip, showing us how
fragile this area is and how dependant the trees
are on each other’s rooting systems . Aboard
our ‘Milford Sound Scenic Cruise’ with Real
Journeys we meander our way along to the
water’s edge, getting us up close and personal
to all the waterfalls, plant life and a few yellow
eyed penguins along the way. We followed
the full length of Milford Sound, including out
to the Tasman sea, and back along, hugging
the coastline to the other side of the Sound.
Magic!
The drive back to Te Anau allowed for us to stop
off for many spectacular photo opportunities.
The short walk to visit The Chasm is well worth
the stop. Listening to the roar of the water
through the chasm is quite something. The size
and depth of the Chasm is astonishing, as is
the amount of water rushing its way through.
Watch for those glasses resting on your head,
before looking down!
It’s well worth stopping at the Mirror Lakes,
whereas the name suggests, the water behaves
like a mirror to the adjacent mountains.
Eglington view is a great spot to see the
changing landscape. It’s a flat relatively bare
area, and looking down the valley, far into the
distance are wonderful views of the mountains
capped in snow.
Doubtful Sound is a longer day trip. Starting
on Lake Manapouri, you embark on a relaxing
scenic trip out the West Arm. Back on land in
our comfy coach, we travelled across the forest
lands of Wilmot Pass were we next boarded a
boat to explore the beautiful Doubtful Sound.
The trip, like Milford is breathtakingly beautiful.
This sound is much larger than Milford. Still
plenty of waterfalls, but felt as though there
is more undergrowth to soak up some of the
water, therefore not quite as prolific. Doubtful
sound is three times longer and 10 times larger
than Milford Sound. You can feel the isolation of
Doubtful sound, but the scenery and mountains
are not as vertically imposing as Milford.
On the way home we called into Crooked Arm
into a lovely sheltered bay covered in rainforest,
turned the boat engines off and all remained
silent. We listened to the quiet, enjoying the
total peacefulness and hearing the bird songs,
truly nature at its best.
Like much of Fiordland it receives a lot of rain,
with an annual rainfall in excess of six metres –
so bring a good raincoat.
There are many hiking tracks and great walks in
this area. This is a place where staying a week
or more would be easy! Check out the web sites
and conditions of the tracks before you go – the
weather really does change severely down
there.
New Zealand’s most famous walk, the Milford
Track has been thrilling hikers for more than
150 years.
The massive glaciers that tore the landscape
apart 15,000 years ago left 14 fascinating
fiords, the northernmost being the famous
Milford Sound, with its narrow valley and
steep cliffs, and the southernmost being Dusky
Sound, and Chalky and Preservation Inlets.
If you wish for something more luxurious and
the ability to well and truly soak up this special
place visit our friends at Fiordland Discovery.
They offer exclusive 7-day cruises covering this
untouched southernmost section of the fiords.
The beauty of a Fiordland cruise on the
Fiordland Jewel is that you can take it at your
own pace, either enjoy the scenery around
you onboard the luxury nine-cabin boat, or get
out and about and explore the area.