On the morning of January 12, we work early and had breakfast at our hostel in Te Anu before 
tossing our packs into the truck and setting out in our car on the road to Milford Sound. The earliness of our departure was planned so that we would be on the road before the gaggle of tour busses, but the fear of being flooded by tourists proved to be groundless the day that we traveled. The Rough Guides warns that buying petrol in Milford Sound is an exercise in throwing away money, so we made sure that our tank was full before we departed. The fiordlands receives an annual rainfall of up to 9m (over 27 feet!), but we had marvelous weather on the day that we made the drive.
tossing our packs into the truck and setting out in our car on the road to Milford Sound. The earliness of our departure was planned so that we would be on the road before the gaggle of tour busses, but the fear of being flooded by tourists proved to be groundless the day that we traveled. The Rough Guides warns that buying petrol in Milford Sound is an exercise in throwing away money, so we made sure that our tank was full before we departed. The fiordlands receives an annual rainfall of up to 9m (over 27 feet!), but we had marvelous weather on the day that we made the drive. The 120 km drive from Te Anu to Miford Sound starts at the aquamarine colored Lake Te Anau and goes trough woods into the Eglinton Valley where the road winds its way past fast flowing rivers, between snow covered mountains and through narrow, rocky walls of ascending rock. All along the road are places where cars can pull onto a dirt shoulder or entrances leading to overnight camp sites where we could stop. We stopped at most every opportunity to drink in the amazing views and to take photographs. At one point, we pulled into a campsite and were rewarded with views of the mountains across the glass-like surface of a 
pond. What was extraordinary was that you could see straight to the bottom of the pond, the water was so clear. Others had stopped there as well and one man spotted a large eel picking its way between the rocks close to shore. For some reason, no one was too eager to swim that morning.
Periodically, we would see signs along the road which indicated status of the road and if it is passable. There are also gates along the way that are shut if the road can not be driver. Driving the road is not a problem during the summer, but the road can be quite dangerous during the wintertime when heavy snows or rockslides can render it impassable. Chains are required to be carried by all cars during the winter months.
The road continued to winds its way through the alpine wonderland until we arrived at the steep rock walls of the Cleddau Valley. In the past, the Maori and early settlers had to climb over the cliffs to get to Milford Sound, but during the Great Depression, work began on a tunnel through the rock wall. The Homer Tunnel was started in 1929 but wasn’t finished until 1953 due in part to difficulties presented by the steep grade of the tunnel which led to flooding during construction. Traffic in the tunnel is one way and the flow of traffic is regulated by stop lights at each end. As one approaches
Milford Sound, the tunnel descends rapidly at a 10 degree decline through living rock. The lights in the tunnel are dim and so one must rely on headlights to guide them through the dark, fume obscured, rough, stone walls that drip with running water.
We had to wait for the light before entering the tunnel so we got out of our car to take photos. The entrance to the tunnel is home of a flock of Kea, a large bird with colorful wings which waddles as it walks. The Kea are one of the seven parrot species native to New Zealand and a they have a tendency towards mischief such as pulling windshield wipers off of cars. Signs throughout the country ask people not to feed the kea to prevent them from becoming dependant on people for food.
After a short wait, the traffic light on the tunnel turned green and it was our turn to enter the tunnel. Emerging from the other end, we were met by a series of hairpin turns as the road quickly descended to approach Milford Sound. About 10km further on we came across The Chasm where we walked up to where a river pours through a deep, narrow channel that it has worn down over the years. The rocks around the channel have circular channels cut into them by the water and grinding stones which have formed the rocks.
It wasn’t long until we entered Milford Sound. I had expected Milford Sound to be a small town catering to the crowds of tourists which flock there every day, but instead found what could have been mistaken for a boat launch and an airport.
We continued on to Milford Sound which I expected to be a small town, but instead one could understand if one mistook the town as being just a boat and plane launch for tourists to view the fiords which is the main reason why people come here. The small airport of Milford Sound is a hornet’s nest of activity as planes and helicopters constantly depart to bear passengers who don’t want to take a cruise, but still want to see the fiords and have a lot of money.
There were a lot of tour busses which had made the five hour drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound despite the fact that the Milford Sound is only about 50km from Queenstown. The problem is that there is not a direct route between the two towns. There have been plans in 1994 and 1996 to build a monorail between the two towns to get tourists in and out more quickly. However, the early plan was scrapped after people protested its route and the second plan was protested by people who saw it is being unpractical. For every supporter in Queenstown, there was a protester in Te Anu who is dependant on the cars and busses which stop there on the way to Milford Sound. A monorail would essentially cut of Te Anu’s livelihood. However, there has recently been a new proposal to use an existing road that was built in 1936 but never finished and to build a gondola to shuttle people to the road from Queenstown. But for now this plan is reported to be on the backburner.
The sound itself is a drowned glacial valley rather than a river valley which makes it a fiord. We easily found a large car park and by walking along a path on the water’s edge, one came to the large, modern boat launch where four companies compete to take people out into the fiords. All of the companies follow similar routes and offer quick rides or boats that have more time to stop if they come across wildlife. There are also boats that will take passengers overnight. Not to miss a trick, the boats with launch times that coincide with the arrival of the busses from Queenstown are the most expensive, whereas boats that launch in the morning or afternoon cost less.
One of the attractions besides the fiords themselves is the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory which is a floating platform moored to a sheer rock wall and extends three stories under the surface of the water. Milford Sound has an Entrance Sill at its mouth which is only 70m below the surface as compared to the deepest point in the sound which is 450m. The sill prevents the natural recirculation of the ocean water and therefore the fresh water from rivers flowing into the sound is hindered from mixing with the salt water. A 10m layer of tannin-stained fresh water builds up on the surface of the sound, preventing light from penetrating to deep. The resulting darkness means that red and black corals and fish which normally live much deeper in the ocean can survive close to the surface of the sound.
Sue was justifiably quite keen on seeing the observatory and she booked one of the cruises. I opted to save my dollars and instead wandered about the short tracks around the town. There is a large waterfall close to the boat dock, but access had been blocked by a rock slip. Sue reported that the cruise was nice, but after seeing the fjords of Norway, the fiords of Milford were a bit disappointing but that the observatory was fascinating. I had hoped to do a bit of tramping while she was on her cruise, but was disappointed to discover that there was only one short tramp in the area which was currently closed due to a land slip. But, Milford Sound is still connected with tramping because town is the ending point for the Milford Track which is a legendary four day hike through the fiords. In 1908, a London newspaper declared the track to be “the finest walk in the world” after which it became wildly popular. From 1903 to 1966, a company held a monopoly on guided tours of the track. However, a tramping club challenged the government for public access and in 1966 huts were built for independent trampers.
Unlike other tramps in the country, the guide book says that the majority of the hikers are Kiwis rather than tourists. Access to the track is strictly regulated by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and trampers are only allowed to walk from Te Anu to Milford Sound. Only a limited number of people are allowed to start the tramp each day and reservations must be made months if not longer in advance. As the number of trampers is limited, one can walk without seeing anyone else. My friend, Gerke was lucky in that there was a cancellation at the time that she wanted to tramp and so she was able to make a booking only a month in advance, but this is rare. The fee to make the tramp is $250 which includes transportation to and from the trailheads and accommodation in the huts. Because the track is so well regulated, the huts are clean and have cooking facilities and toilets. Alternatively, there are guided tramps where your pack is transported from hut to hut for you and you stay in private huts which have staff to cook your meals, all for only $1600.
After a few hours in Milford Sound, we began our drive back to Te Anu. We again made many stops along the way and were rewarded with seeing the mountains, lakes and rivers in the evening light. The fiordlands are described as being one of the highlights of the South Island and although the trip had taken us all day, but it was well worth the time.
We had built an extra day into our stay in Te Anu in case the weather had been too bad to make the drive to Milford Sound, so the next day we had the chance to explore the Te Anu area. The main attraction in the area is the Te Anu Lake and the Doubtful Sound which is an alternative for fiord cruises to Milford Sound for many people. Captain Cook named it Doubtful Sound because he didn’t enter it because he was doubtful of his ability to sail out again in the face of winds amongst the steep walls of the fiords.
All of the lakes in the area have long been recognized for its potential to generate electricity. In 1950, Consolidated Zinc Pty of Australia wanted to smelt their Queensland bauxite into aluminum, a very energy hungry process and the New Zealand government agreed to build an hydroelectric plant to accommodate them. The scheme called for blocking Lake Manapouri’s natural outlet and building a vast powerhouse 200m underground. As part of the plan, the water level in the surrounding lakes would be raised by 12m. The government underestimated the anger that flooding the lakes would stir amongst the fledgling environmental movement. Although work on the plant had been started by the time that the protests started in earnest, the protestors succeeded in stopping the flooding of the lakes. Instead, a governing body was created to regulate how much the water of the lakes would be allowed to fluctuate based on a complex scheme. This scheme is still followed today.
The aluminum plant and the hydroelectric plant are sore spots amongst many Kiwis. Completed in 1971, the Wes Arm Power Station hydroelectric plant was one of the most ambitions projects ever carried out in New Zealand. Due to the Resource Management Act, the building of any new power plants in New Zealand including hydro requires a lengthy application process during which time anyone with any complaint regardless of the validity of the complaint can delay a project. Therefore, there hasn’t been a significant increase in the production of electricity in the country despite the growing demand. Therefore, whenever a new plant is proposed, people turn their eyes on the aluminum smelter which consumers 80% of the power generated by the West Arm Power Station and at a fraction of the cost that consumers pay and ask if the smelter is really necessary.
After checking in with the DOC in Te Anu, we spent a few hours tramping on the Kepler Track
(3-4 days) which was finished in 1988 with the intention of taking some of the load off of the Milford track. The track itself is wide and surfaced with crushed stone. Obvious care has been taken to direct rainwater from ruining the track and it is amazingly maintained. The walk we took was nice and ran along the side of Lake Te Anu through trees and ferns. The only downside to the walk was that the lake was quite busy with motorboats and helicopters and so we heard a constant noise of engines as we walked through the woods.
We also ventured up to the nearby town of Manapouri which is the gateway to cruises to the Doubtful Sound. It is more of a town that Milford Sound but the lakes are the primary lure to the area.
We only touched on a small and heavily traveled part of the fiordland. It truly is beautiful and many refer to it as the most beautiful part of the South Island.
pond. What was extraordinary was that you could see straight to the bottom of the pond, the water was so clear. Others had stopped there as well and one man spotted a large eel picking its way between the rocks close to shore. For some reason, no one was too eager to swim that morning.Periodically, we would see signs along the road which indicated status of the road and if it is passable. There are also gates along the way that are shut if the road can not be driver. Driving the road is not a problem during the summer, but the road can be quite dangerous during the wintertime when heavy snows or rockslides can render it impassable. Chains are required to be carried by all cars during the winter months.
The road continued to winds its way through the alpine wonderland until we arrived at the steep rock walls of the Cleddau Valley. In the past, the Maori and early settlers had to climb over the cliffs to get to Milford Sound, but during the Great Depression, work began on a tunnel through the rock wall. The Homer Tunnel was started in 1929 but wasn’t finished until 1953 due in part to difficulties presented by the steep grade of the tunnel which led to flooding during construction. Traffic in the tunnel is one way and the flow of traffic is regulated by stop lights at each end. As one approaches
Milford Sound, the tunnel descends rapidly at a 10 degree decline through living rock. The lights in the tunnel are dim and so one must rely on headlights to guide them through the dark, fume obscured, rough, stone walls that drip with running water.We had to wait for the light before entering the tunnel so we got out of our car to take photos. The entrance to the tunnel is home of a flock of Kea, a large bird with colorful wings which waddles as it walks. The Kea are one of the seven parrot species native to New Zealand and a they have a tendency towards mischief such as pulling windshield wipers off of cars. Signs throughout the country ask people not to feed the kea to prevent them from becoming dependant on people for food.
After a short wait, the traffic light on the tunnel turned green and it was our turn to enter the tunnel. Emerging from the other end, we were met by a series of hairpin turns as the road quickly descended to approach Milford Sound. About 10km further on we came across The Chasm where we walked up to where a river pours through a deep, narrow channel that it has worn down over the years. The rocks around the channel have circular channels cut into them by the water and grinding stones which have formed the rocks.
It wasn’t long until we entered Milford Sound. I had expected Milford Sound to be a small town catering to the crowds of tourists which flock there every day, but instead found what could have been mistaken for a boat launch and an airport.We continued on to Milford Sound which I expected to be a small town, but instead one could understand if one mistook the town as being just a boat and plane launch for tourists to view the fiords which is the main reason why people come here. The small airport of Milford Sound is a hornet’s nest of activity as planes and helicopters constantly depart to bear passengers who don’t want to take a cruise, but still want to see the fiords and have a lot of money.
There were a lot of tour busses which had made the five hour drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound despite the fact that the Milford Sound is only about 50km from Queenstown. The problem is that there is not a direct route between the two towns. There have been plans in 1994 and 1996 to build a monorail between the two towns to get tourists in and out more quickly. However, the early plan was scrapped after people protested its route and the second plan was protested by people who saw it is being unpractical. For every supporter in Queenstown, there was a protester in Te Anu who is dependant on the cars and busses which stop there on the way to Milford Sound. A monorail would essentially cut of Te Anu’s livelihood. However, there has recently been a new proposal to use an existing road that was built in 1936 but never finished and to build a gondola to shuttle people to the road from Queenstown. But for now this plan is reported to be on the backburner.
The sound itself is a drowned glacial valley rather than a river valley which makes it a fiord. We easily found a large car park and by walking along a path on the water’s edge, one came to the large, modern boat launch where four companies compete to take people out into the fiords. All of the companies follow similar routes and offer quick rides or boats that have more time to stop if they come across wildlife. There are also boats that will take passengers overnight. Not to miss a trick, the boats with launch times that coincide with the arrival of the busses from Queenstown are the most expensive, whereas boats that launch in the morning or afternoon cost less.One of the attractions besides the fiords themselves is the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory which is a floating platform moored to a sheer rock wall and extends three stories under the surface of the water. Milford Sound has an Entrance Sill at its mouth which is only 70m below the surface as compared to the deepest point in the sound which is 450m. The sill prevents the natural recirculation of the ocean water and therefore the fresh water from rivers flowing into the sound is hindered from mixing with the salt water. A 10m layer of tannin-stained fresh water builds up on the surface of the sound, preventing light from penetrating to deep. The resulting darkness means that red and black corals and fish which normally live much deeper in the ocean can survive close to the surface of the sound.
Sue was justifiably quite keen on seeing the observatory and she booked one of the cruises. I opted to save my dollars and instead wandered about the short tracks around the town. There is a large waterfall close to the boat dock, but access had been blocked by a rock slip. Sue reported that the cruise was nice, but after seeing the fjords of Norway, the fiords of Milford were a bit disappointing but that the observatory was fascinating. I had hoped to do a bit of tramping while she was on her cruise, but was disappointed to discover that there was only one short tramp in the area which was currently closed due to a land slip. But, Milford Sound is still connected with tramping because town is the ending point for the Milford Track which is a legendary four day hike through the fiords. In 1908, a London newspaper declared the track to be “the finest walk in the world” after which it became wildly popular. From 1903 to 1966, a company held a monopoly on guided tours of the track. However, a tramping club challenged the government for public access and in 1966 huts were built for independent trampers.
Unlike other tramps in the country, the guide book says that the majority of the hikers are Kiwis rather than tourists. Access to the track is strictly regulated by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and trampers are only allowed to walk from Te Anu to Milford Sound. Only a limited number of people are allowed to start the tramp each day and reservations must be made months if not longer in advance. As the number of trampers is limited, one can walk without seeing anyone else. My friend, Gerke was lucky in that there was a cancellation at the time that she wanted to tramp and so she was able to make a booking only a month in advance, but this is rare. The fee to make the tramp is $250 which includes transportation to and from the trailheads and accommodation in the huts. Because the track is so well regulated, the huts are clean and have cooking facilities and toilets. Alternatively, there are guided tramps where your pack is transported from hut to hut for you and you stay in private huts which have staff to cook your meals, all for only $1600.
After a few hours in Milford Sound, we began our drive back to Te Anu. We again made many stops along the way and were rewarded with seeing the mountains, lakes and rivers in the evening light. The fiordlands are described as being one of the highlights of the South Island and although the trip had taken us all day, but it was well worth the time.
We had built an extra day into our stay in Te Anu in case the weather had been too bad to make the drive to Milford Sound, so the next day we had the chance to explore the Te Anu area. The main attraction in the area is the Te Anu Lake and the Doubtful Sound which is an alternative for fiord cruises to Milford Sound for many people. Captain Cook named it Doubtful Sound because he didn’t enter it because he was doubtful of his ability to sail out again in the face of winds amongst the steep walls of the fiords.All of the lakes in the area have long been recognized for its potential to generate electricity. In 1950, Consolidated Zinc Pty of Australia wanted to smelt their Queensland bauxite into aluminum, a very energy hungry process and the New Zealand government agreed to build an hydroelectric plant to accommodate them. The scheme called for blocking Lake Manapouri’s natural outlet and building a vast powerhouse 200m underground. As part of the plan, the water level in the surrounding lakes would be raised by 12m. The government underestimated the anger that flooding the lakes would stir amongst the fledgling environmental movement. Although work on the plant had been started by the time that the protests started in earnest, the protestors succeeded in stopping the flooding of the lakes. Instead, a governing body was created to regulate how much the water of the lakes would be allowed to fluctuate based on a complex scheme. This scheme is still followed today.
The aluminum plant and the hydroelectric plant are sore spots amongst many Kiwis. Completed in 1971, the Wes Arm Power Station hydroelectric plant was one of the most ambitions projects ever carried out in New Zealand. Due to the Resource Management Act, the building of any new power plants in New Zealand including hydro requires a lengthy application process during which time anyone with any complaint regardless of the validity of the complaint can delay a project. Therefore, there hasn’t been a significant increase in the production of electricity in the country despite the growing demand. Therefore, whenever a new plant is proposed, people turn their eyes on the aluminum smelter which consumers 80% of the power generated by the West Arm Power Station and at a fraction of the cost that consumers pay and ask if the smelter is really necessary.
After checking in with the DOC in Te Anu, we spent a few hours tramping on the Kepler Track
(3-4 days) which was finished in 1988 with the intention of taking some of the load off of the Milford track. The track itself is wide and surfaced with crushed stone. Obvious care has been taken to direct rainwater from ruining the track and it is amazingly maintained. The walk we took was nice and ran along the side of Lake Te Anu through trees and ferns. The only downside to the walk was that the lake was quite busy with motorboats and helicopters and so we heard a constant noise of engines as we walked through the woods.We also ventured up to the nearby town of Manapouri which is the gateway to cruises to the Doubtful Sound. It is more of a town that Milford Sound but the lakes are the primary lure to the area.
We only touched on a small and heavily traveled part of the fiordland. It truly is beautiful and many refer to it as the most beautiful part of the South Island.
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