We hit the road by 8AM heading west for Fiordland National
Park. A short while later we found
ourselves at Florence Hill Lookout with spectacular views of Tautuku Bay to the
south and Tahakopa Bay to the north.
This area is popular for big wave surfing competitions but no one was in
the water this morning. In fact, we
drove for nearly an hour before we passed any vehicles along this stretch of
the Southern Scenic Route. Before
arriving at Invercargill, New Zealand’s southernmost city (latitude 46.41
south), we had a pleasant drive through the Catlins Forest, the very first
wooded area we encountered on our entire road trip, and the Waituna
Wetlands. The Scottish-named streets and
subdivisions of Invercargill left no doubt as to who its first settlers
were. Outside town, we picked up Highway
6 to Lumsden and then made our way west on Highway 94. The picture postcard scenery was punctuated by
sheep, sheep and more sheep! (There are
more sheep per person in New Zealand than in any other country in the
world. Supposedly there are 30 million
sheep in New Zealand but I think that number is a gross underestimate!) Just west of The Key, the green tussocks took
on a reddish hue as we entered the Red Tussock Conservation Area.
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| Tautuku Bay |
Finally we reached Lake Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland
National Park, a vast, remote wilderness of snow-capped mountains, fourteen fiords
(Milford being the best known and most accessible), untamed waterfalls, and
glacier-carved valleys and lakes. The
largest of New Zealand’s National Parks, it covers 8,100 square miles. Its unique, special geology has earned it a
place in the Te Wahipounamu/Southwest World Heritage Area. Our exploration of
the park would have to wait until tomorrow.
For tonight we would be at a campsite at Te Anau Top 10 Holiday Park.
There are a number of tours that leave from Te Anau to
Milford Sound/Piopiotahi and we were encouraged to choose Fiordland Tours for
their small group and personalized service.
Ray, the owner (and retired sheep farmer, of course), has been leading
visitors up the 75-mile Milford Road for five years. He was a great guide!
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| Lake Te Anau from the Milford Road |
The Maori were the first people to discover the Fiordland
and have many legends explaining its formation.
One of the more popular has the demi-god Tu-te-raki-whanoa carving the
mighty rock with his magical adze.
Starting in the far south, he had perfected his technique by the time he
reached Milford Sound/Piopiotahi and it was his greatest achievement. When the
goddess of the underworld, Hine-nui-te-po, saw his handiwork she was worried
that anyone who saw it would never want to leave. So she released the dreaded sandfly into
Milford Sound and, to this day, it still stalks the tourists.
Abel Tasman was the first European to see the Fiordland area
of New Zealand in 1642 but it was Captain James Cook and crew who first explored
the area in the late 1700’s. Captain
John Grono, an early Welsh sealer, visited in the early 19th century
when he sought shelter here from a storm.
He erroneously named the fiords ‘sounds’ because they resembled the
sounds of his homeland. However, there
is a difference. Sounds are V-shaped
valleys eroded by rivers and back-filled with sea water. Fiords are U-shaped valleys carved by
glaciers and back-filled with sea water.
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| U-shaped glacial valley |
The first few miles of Milford Road follow the shore of Lake
Te Anau, New Zealand’s second largest lake by area. By volume, it is the largest and averages 600
feet deep and is over 1,370 feet deep at its deepest. The native beech trees – silver beech,
mountain beech and red beech – grow quite thick in places along the road. And, of course, our van crossed paths with a
small flock of Romney sheep being moved from one field across the road to
another where the swedes (a flesh-colored bulb planted for their feeding
enjoyment) were more plentiful.
Just before crossing the 45th South Parallel
marking the halfway point between the equator and the South Pole, we stopped
for a short walk through the beech trees to Mirror Lakes. Here the perfect reflections of the Earl
Mountains were amazing!
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| Mirror Lake |
Another 20-minute hike with Ray brought us to Marian
Cascade, a cascade of glacier fed water that tumbles from Lake Marian.
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| Marian Cascade |
Lake Gunn also provide beautiful mountain reflections.
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| At Lake Gunn |
A nice diversion from Milford Road was a trip to Gunn’s Camp
where we were treated to fig scones and a spot of tea. Gunn’s Camp is a depression-era work camp
where the men who built Milford Road lived with their families. It is the only surviving work camp from that
era and it is still used by hearty Department of Conservation workers
today.
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| Gunn's Camp |
Homer Tunnel was started in 1935 and completed in 1954. Its one narrow lane through the sheer rock
wall runs for 3,940 feet.
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| Western entrance to Homer Tunnel |
Another short walk lead to The Chasm where the Cleddau River
drops 72-feet through a series of unusual rock formations.
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| The Chasm |
Four hours after leaving Te Anau we got our first glimpse of
Mt. Tutoko, the highest mountain in Fiordland.
And finally we had reached Milford Sound where we boarded Lady Bowen for a two-hour cruise on the ten
mile long sound!
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| Mount Tutoko |
Mitre Peak is one of the highest mountains in the world to
rise directly from the ocean floor. Its
shape resembles that of a Bishop’s mitre, or headdress.
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| Mitre Peak as seen from the Milford Sound Docks |
Fairy Falls is a temporary waterfall that dries up after a
few days without rain.
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| Fairy Falls |
Look carefully for the endangered yellow-crested penguin!
Seal Rock is one of the few places in the fiord where the
Southern Fur Seal is able to climb up out of the water onto the rocks.
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| Seal Rock |
Stirling Falls, named after an early explorer of the area,
is one of the two permanent waterfalls in the fiord. It drops 155 meters.
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| Stirling Falls |
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| Bowen Falls |
Returning from the Tasman Sea.
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| Returning from Tasman Sea |
Spectacular scenery from every vantage point. Before we knew it, Lady Bowen was on its way back to the dock at Milford Wharf Visitor
Center where Ray was awaiting our return.
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| Milford Sound |
On our drive home, we encountered another sheep farmer
droving 3,000 sheep across the road to another field in anticipation of lambing
which Ray guessed was less than 2 weeks away.
The two Aussie children in the van got a real thrill watching the sheep
blocking traffic on Milford Road. Ray
had us back in Te Anau by 6:00. Frank
and I grabbed some seafood chowder and adult beverages at the Moose Restaurant
before heading back to the holiday park.
It was a wonderful day!
Sounds like a fabulous time so far! Just be sure you see enough sheep while you're there. :)
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