Fiordland
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Fiordland - officially part of the administrative region of Southland - is a natural tourist destination par excellence!
Located on the South West Coast of New Zealand's South island, Fiordland is world famous for it's two main sea inlets - Milford and Doubtful Sounds. This coastline does of course contain numerous other beautiful inlets, but it is these two which have caught the world's imagination for sheer natural beauty. Indeed Milford Sound was granted World Heritage status as far back as 1986 for it’s outstanding natural beauty.
This area has also become famous as a walking centre, although visitors should be aware it is renowned as one of the wettest places on earth - so waterproof gear is a must at any time of year!
The main centre and focal point of the region is Te Anau, a lovely lakeside town with plenty of accommodation choices, restaurants, shops and activities. Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island with a dramatic backdrop formed by the Mt Luxmore and Murchison mounatin ranges. Te Anau is reached by road from either Queenstown, or along the Southern Scenic Route from Dunedin.
Some 20 minutes drive from Ta Anau is another smaller township called Manapouri. Not to be outdone by it's larger neighbour Manapouri is also situated on a lake, and has the Hunter and Cathedral Mountains for scenery. Accommodation and local services can be found in Manapouri.
The big attraction of the region is of course the two fiords. Milford Sound has stunning scenery with steep sides plunging to the water, and the beautiful Mitre Peak viewed part way along it's length. Milford can be reached from Te Anau by car along the twisting Milford Road, a journey of around 2.5 hours each way. The Sound is then a round boat trip of 2 hours from head to the Ocean and back.
Doubtful Sound, originally named Doubtful Harbour by no less than Captain James Cook, is the larger of these two fiords and is better accessed from Manapouri. Doubtful Sound is not quite as steep sided as Milford, although it is deeper at 421 metres deep! The Sound is only accessible to the tourist by crossing Lake Manapouri, then a short bus trip to reach Deep Cove on the fiord. This really does give it a much more remote feeling, and indeed the fiord itself is almost completely untouched by mankind. - a truly natural experience!
Often referred to as the "walking capital of the world" this region has three of the best walks in New Zealand - the Milford, Routeburn, and Kepler Tracks - and many other superb walks that will delight and reward with their rich tapestry of lakes, mountains and fiords. Te Anau and Manapouri provide the ideal bases, and bus or boat transfers are available for all the major routes.
The other main attractions of the area include: bird watching, diving, glowworm caves (at Te Anau), golf, horse riding, and kayaking. And for those who prefer to do things a little differently it is possible to sample the fiords from the air - taking either an aeroplane or helicopter tour!
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