Exceptional Travel Writing
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| According to Maori legend, New Zealand's fiords were sculpted by Tu Te Raki Whanoa, a godly figure with a magical adze. Milford Sound, the most northern of the fiords, was his finest piece of work. The cruise boats that work here look like toys against the backdrop of sheer cliffs and towering mountains. |
Remote
Fiordland lies at the southwestern corner of the South Island and it
is so rugged that some of its interior valleys have yet to be explored.
The ancient grandeur and immense proportions of Fiordland bear witness
to the power of ice. Glaciers from ice ages past have gouged deep fiords
and the many steep sided lakes, including Te Anau, the largest lake
in the South Island and Manapouri at 480 meters (1,455 feet) the deepest
and some consider the most beautiful lake in New Zealand. The vertical
glacier-carved walls of Milford Sound are the tallest sea cliffs in
the world.
Visitors not prone to claustrophobia can take a break from the spectacular
scenery by burrowing into the Te Anau caves or taking a two-kilometer
bus ride down a spiral tunnel leading to the hydroelectric station under
the west arm of Lake Manapouri. Hewn out of solid granite, deep in the
heart of the mountain, the seven generators churn out 760,000 kW of
power.
The head of Milford Sound can be reached by bus or car along an unforgettable
120-kilometer (75 miles) stretch of road from the town of Te Anau which
functions as the park headquarters. The road passes the Mirror Lakes,
which, as their name implies, reflect the surrounding mountains with
perfect symmetry.
The other route to the head of the sound is via the 53-kilometer (33
miles) Milford Track that, 100 years ago, a British newspaper called
"the finest walk in the world." A "walk" they may
have considered it, but it's more like a three to four day grueling
hike and should only be considered by the physically fit.
The
hike may be undertaken independently or with a guided tour. A woman
from South Africa signed on for the latter but cancelled when she discovered
to her consternation that no porters were provided.
Another was going to pack a cocktail dress and high-heeled shoes for
a change of clothing at the end of the day's hike.
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Day three of the Milford Track brings you to the MacKinnon Memorial, a cairn built to remember the adventurous spirit of Quinton MacKinnon, who pioneered this walking route in 1888. Mackinnon was the first Milford Track guide and was famous for his ability to cook pompolonas, a type of scone made with mutton fat. |
The Milford track will take you past mist-bowed waterfalls that spill hundreds of meters down granite walls, hanging valleys, glaciers and snow-fed rapids that cut knife-like into the forested hills. Maori poet Hirini Melbourne wrote:
The sap weeps
From the lacerations
Of the ancestral land
That lies here ...
A
sidetrack off the Milford will take hikers to the Sutherland Falls.
At 580 meters (1,900 feet) high it ranks as the second highest in the
world.
The surrounding native beech forests provide a refuge for some of the
world's rarest and most endangered flightless birds - the kakapo, the
world's largest parrot, and the takahe, a giant rail. Penguins and fur
seals can be seen in the fiords along the coast.
For those in a hurry the Milford Sound is best seen from the air. Travelers
not fighting the whirligig of time should enjoy a lunch of New Zealand
crayfish and champagne aboard one of the many cruise vessels that, for
example, will take you right up to Stirling Falls, a 146 meter (505
feet) plunge that is particularly sensational after a heavy rain. Heavy
rains are not infrequent in this part of New Zealand so travelers should
be prepared.
From a boat you will also see Sinbad Gully, an excellent example of
a hanging valley, enclosed by the steep slopes of Mount Phillips to
the left with Mitre Peak on the right and the Llawrenny Peaks in the
background. The 1,836 meter (6,240 feet) high Mitre Peak is one of the
highest mountains in the world to rise directly from the ocean floor.
It was so named because its shape resembles a bishop's headpiece.
The boats stop each day at Sandfly Point at the end of the Milford Track
to return hikers to their hotel.
Milford is the "Sound" fed by waterfalls of "fury"
and to the traveler in New Zealand they signify a great deal.
MILFORD
SOUND AND FURY
was first published in the Vancouver Sun
