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Some of NZ’s wildest and most dramatic scenery can be found in Fiordland, from waterfalls
that tumble through dense forests of beech into deep ice carved fiords, to shimmering
lakes and small towns cradled amongst magnificent mountains. Fiordland has 14 fiords
which are carved through steep mountain ranges and span some 215 kilometres of coastline,
and of these Doubtful and Milford Sound are the most accessible to the visitor.
Fiordland also offers many hiking tracks from the popular Milford Track to the lesser-known
Kepler Track, Routeburn and Hollyford, as well as numerous short walks. We take
four days to explore Fiordland’s pristine wilderness. Bob fulfills his wish to hike
on the Kepler Track, we take a cruise on Milford Sound, visit the Te Anau Glowworm
Caves, discover tranquil Doubtful Sound aboard the Fiordland Navigator and Bob tries
his hand at sheep shearing!
day two: milford sound
Key
- Destinations
- Apex Locations
The sounds of a shearing gang setting up comes from the shed as we pass by bound
for Milford Sound. We’ve a 115km journey ahead of us through some of NZ’s most scenic
countryside yet the weather, which looked so promising yesterday, has packed in.
“What a shame,” cries Bob as we drive through the Eglinton Valley. After some 55
kilometres we stop at the Mirror Lakes, but there’s no refl ections of mountains
today. Fortunately Bob picked up a copy of the “Road to Milford Sound”, a 60-minute
commentary and he slips the disc into our trusty rental car’s CD player. It’s extremely
informative and takes our mind off the weather.
“Stop,” yells Bob suddenly as we pass a sign: “Latitude 45 Degrees South”. He insists
on having his photo taken, even though it’s pouring with rain. Soaked, and thankful
for our vehicle’s heating, we continue on past Cascade Creek, Lake Gunn and Lake
Fergus to the Kaka Creek Lookout overlooking the Hollyford Valley.
A kea joins us as we wait hopefully for the view, much of which is obscured by thick
clouds. Occasionally we catch provocative glimpses of what lies behind, before the
weather closes in again. We continue on, passing through an active avalanche area
where signs warn us that snow chains are mandatory from May to September.
Suddenly, without warning, we shoot through low cloud into the Homer Tunnel and
begin a sharp descent through the heart of a mountain. More low cloud follows and
then we arrive at Milford Sound village. After a hot meal at the café, we don raincoats
and walk to the harbour to board a Red Boat for our cruise of the Milford Sound.
To read the full story
Please click the link to download the full fiordland to milford scenic drive, courtesy of apex
car rentals new zealand... the kiwi way
to read more extracts from our driving holiday's guidebook please click on any of
the following links:
north island scenic drives
south island scenic drives
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