Unlikely Kiwi

FABULOUS 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.