Having flown from Australia to New Zealand in the morning and checked into the hotel, we devoted our entire first day to exploring the city of Queenstown - New Zealand - The Land of Long White Clouds. Queenstown. Queenstown is located in the middle of the lower third of the South Island of New Zealand and from here it is very convenient to make excursion trips to different parts of this region.
And there is something to see here. The shores of the southern side of the island are very beautiful - they are indented by numerous bays, bays and fjords. There are interesting mountains and well-equipped trails with parking lots and shelters where you can wander for your own pleasure. But all this takes time. And we are running out of time - only 12 days for both New Zealand islands.
Road to the fjord Early the next morning Richard picked us up and we drove out to the Milford Sound fjord, one of the main attractions of the southern part of New Zealand.
The road from Queenstown to Milford is not close and is 286 kilometers. And even with good quality roads, it takes more than four hours one way. It is interesting that in a straight line (from A to B) there will be only fifty kilometers, but in these places all roads depend on the location of the mountain valleys. So our road twists and turns in different directions, winding up extra kilometers.
Having left Queenstown, the road climbed a small pass and the expanses of the South Island opened up before us.
Then it goes south, skirting a long appendix extending from Lake Wakatipu and finally breaks out into the expanses of a large plain, on which we saw the main wealth of New Zealand - millions of flocks of sheep.
Richard comments on the places we pass and says that during the trip we will stop at several points of interest from a tourist point of view. The first will be the small town of Te Anau, then the small lake Mirror Lake, then the interesting geological formation Chazm and a one-way tunnel.
Having stopped in the town of Te Anau, we cheered ourselves up from an early rise with a cup of coffee and walked along the embankment of the lake of the same name. Despite the early morning, there were a lot of people in the town - who, like us, made a stop on the way to the Milford Sound fjord, and many came here to do hiking trails in the surrounding mountains. In just a few days, walking along mountain paths, you can also reach the coast and fjords. Te Anau is the last settlement before the deserted road to Milford Sound.
Near the cafe there is a monument to some strange blue chicken bird with a red beak and paws. It turned out that this is a statue of the Takahe bird, which was previously considered extinct. But, fortunately, some lucky people found her alive and unharmed in the vicinity of this town.
At the exit from the town there are warnings about the need to fill up with gasoline both ways. There are only mountains ahead. We are entering the territory of the Fiordland National Park.
Our next stop is in a place with the loud name Mirror Lake. In fact, it is some kind of lake in a swamp. There are bridges along the lake. There was no wind and there was a mirror below us. But only from the water. It reflected the mountains standing nearby and sunken driftwood was clearly visible in the depths.
Walking along the shore, it seemed that I would now see Alyonushka, bending over a stone over the water. But - alas. But, seeing tourists, some fish swam too close to the surface of the water in the hope of a crust of bread, and all the fairy-tale mirror image was broken...
Then there was a stop at the interesting formation The Chasm. It’s even difficult to define it - probably an underground waterfall. Waterfalls are generally difficult to photograph, but this one is especially so. You can't approach him. The peacefully flowing Cleddau River suddenly breaks under the bridge into a narrow gap and disappears with a roar into the darkness. As a result of its millennia of activity, The Chasm has carved a complex canyon inside the rocks.
After walking a hundred meters along bridges laid directly above it at a height of many meters, we come to a place where we can see how water is already escaping from a rocky crevice. The famous New Zealand researcher David Henry Thoreau said, describing this phenomenon: “no stone craftsman using a diamond tool can do what water, air and time have done with their gentle touches.”
Let's move on. The road begins to climb up the mountain and goes past the sheer walls of the canyon. On the right the river roars, on the left, waterfalls fall from steep walls and from crevices. Soon we arrive at a large mountain crater. All around there are steep walls with snow-capped mountain peaks. The Homer tunnel is ahead. It has one lane and a line of cars stands in front of it, waiting for the signal to move.
The tunnel is about 2 kilometers long and is cut into the rock mass. The work in it has not yet been completed and it is uncomfortable to drive in it - water is flowing from the ceiling, there is no lighting inside, the asphalt has potholes. For most of it the road goes downhill. The tunnel is closed for the night and repairs are slowly being made.
Having passed through the tunnel, we found ourselves in a different climate - there was snow in places, despite the fact that it was hot. The road down went faster and after half an hour we arrived at the small harbor of the Milford Sound fiord (44°40’S, 167°55’E). The departure of our three-deck beauty “Milford Sovereign” is in half an hour.
Fjord cruise Milford Sound is one of 14 fiords located within the Fiordland National Park and Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. Milford Sound is the hallmark of New Zealand. In the Aboriginal Maori language it is called Piopiotahi. This is a narrow bay of the Tasmanian Sea about 15 kilometers long with steep and steep banks up to 1200 meters high. Like most fjords, it is shallow at the neck and deeper at the opposite end.
The fjord was formed during the last ice age, when a glacier, moving towards the sea, squeezed out a deep depression in the rocky ground. About 10,000 years ago, the glacier retreated and the Tasman Sea flooded the resulting basin. Among the mountain peaks surrounding Milford Sound, the most significant are Miter Peak (1692 m), The Elephant Mountain (1517 m) and Lion Mountain (1302 m).
Rain forests grow on the mountain slopes, clinging to rocks, and you can often see fur seals, penguins and dolphins frolicking in the water. The steepness of the slopes does not at all prevent all kinds of plants, intertwining with each other, to densely cover the rocks.
If we go ashore, we will find ourselves in the Mesozoic rainforest. Ferns and horsetails are as tall as a man, huge trees bear unprecedented fruits, and large lizards run under your feet. Oh, if only there were dinosaurs here! And all these miracles are due to the amazing humid climate. On the one hand, it is provided by the snow covering the mountains, and on the other, by the warm waters of the ocean, which have nourished the forest for millions of years.
These places are among the wettest on Earth. According to official data, there are 182 rainy days a year and during this time 6,813 mm of precipitation falls, which turns into streams of water that fall down in the form of waterfalls.
Only here, and even in Patagonia, where we were last year, glaciers descend almost to sea level. Here are virgin places and there are no traces of human activity. The banks are very steep and there is absolutely no place on them not only for settlements, but also for tents. And most importantly, there are no pastures for livestock. That is why the virgin primordial nature of these places has been preserved here. Episodes of the famous film “The Lord of the Rings” were also filmed in Milford Sound.
Finally, our ship slowly moves away from the pier and enters the waters of the fiord. Everyone immediately takes out their photographic equipment to capture all the beauty that lies ahead. And, of course, yourself, your loved ones - “I was here”! Immediately after leaving the harbor, a powerful waterfall, Bowen Falls, 160 meters high, appeared on the right.
The watery expanses of the fjord and sharp mountain peaks stretched ahead. Tourist boats drove on the same left side of the road as cars on the roads.
Not far from us there were several other ships from other travel companies, but they were much smaller than ours, and they were mercilessly tossed about by the waves. I don't envy their passengers. But we didn’t feel any pitching at all. In about an hour, the ship reached the exit to the Tasmanian Sea and turned around in the opposite direction.
The neck of the fjord is not very wide. This is probably why Captain Cook, sailing through these places twice, did not notice the entrance to this fiord. We were very lucky with the weather. There is not a cloud in the sky, but there is a very strong wind.
On the way back we go on the right side of the fiord. There are dozens of waterfalls here - from thin streams to wide streams. On one of the flat rocks protruding from the water is a seal rookery. Calmly, not paying attention to anyone, they lie in the sun and slowly turn over, exposing their other sides to the sun.
A large stream of the Stirling Falls waterfall appeared ahead, shining in the sun, and the captain steered the ship straight towards this watery radiance. Everyone on the bow of the ship was in complete delight! Cascades of stunning beauty fall from a height of 155 meters directly onto the deck, splashing those who are gaping. Beauty and stunning!
Then the ship moves away from the waterfall, freeing up this adrenaline-filled place for the next ship. It is impossible to describe the magnificence of this fjord in words. He is unrealistically beautiful. You can give 10 points. Somewhere, once upon a time, I read a test about female beauty: 9 points - you can hardly find a couple of minor flaws. 10 points – sheer perfection. You can endlessly, without stopping and without getting tired, look at the object of your adoration. Just like this fjord and these waterfalls.
And old Kipling was right, who visited these places at the end of the 19th century and called this fjord “the eighth wonder of the world.” Up to 1 million tourists visit it annually. And this despite the fact that the entire population of the country is just over 4 million! What is it like!?
The drive back to Queenstown was uneventful, apart from getting caught in a traffic jam of thousands of sheep being herded along our only road. All management of this huge herd was carried out by one shepherd and three dogs - the shepherd walked calmly along the side of the road, and the dogs drove the herd along the road, collecting and driving the lost along the way.
The last evening in Queenstown was spent on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, hand-feeding ducks and celebrating the birth of our Pavel’s grandson. The next day we leave hospitable Queenstown and go to conquer the icy peaks of the Southern Alps - New Zealand. The long road to the glaciers of the Southern Alps.
In the Appendix is a documentary film by the author - “New Zealand - The Land of Long White Clouds” - 37 min. - overland.com.ua/films/new_…
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Covering an area of 1260 hectares, Fiordland Park is New Zealand's largest national park and is located in the southwest of the South Island. This vast area is home to some of the country's most scenic landmarks, including Milford Sound, Sutherland Falls, Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau.
In 1990, Fiordland was included in the UN World Heritage List and was named Te Wahipounamu - "the place of jade", due to the largest jade deposits in the area.
Fiordland is one of the wettest regions of New Zealand - it rains here 200 days a year. Huge masses of water, discolored after flowing through forests and many layers of rotten foliage, flow into the fiords. This water then acquires a yellow-brown color and forms a layer above the seawater that fills the fjords, and thus only greenish light penetrates the surface. 
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The hilly terrain, isolation and humid climate created a natural habitat where many species of plants and animals, dating back thousands of years, existed peacefully here. The takahe bird, thought to be long extinct, was rediscovered in Fiordland in 1948. Fiordland was also the last refuge of the flightless parrot, the kakapo, a species for which a separate program was created to restore its population. ()
Takahe
They were hunted by local Maori tribes for their plumage. By the time Europeans arrived on the islands, it was believed that the birds had been completely destroyed. Only in 1948, an amateur naturalist from a small New Zealand town, Jeffrey Orbell, after almost a year of systematic searches in the area of Lake Te Anau, discovered a small colony of birds.
The birds were photographed, banded and released. The New Zealand government decided to declare this area a nature reserve.
Fifty takahes lived peacefully. But since there was a threat in the form of voracious weasels and possums, a nursery was created as a safety net.
The nursery was built on Mount Bruce, one hundred and thirty kilometers from Wellington. It was decided to get takahe eggs and place them under the bantam chickens.
The most diligent hens were specially selected. They trained them like paratroopers. We chose one, but misfortune happened: a box with a chicken and training eggs fell out of the car. However, I was lucky - not a single egg broke. When they opened the box, they saw a ruffled hen covering the eggs with her body.
The operation began successfully, two chicks hatched in due time, from which the revival of Tahake began.
Rare takahe birds can be seen in their natural habitat, Lake Te Anau.
Kakapo
This is a representative of the genus of owl parrots or, as they are also called, kakapo. The number of these birds barely reaches 125 individuals, which makes them the rarest birds on the planet.
The only parrot that leads a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, it hides in burrows or rock crevices. At night, it comes out along well-trodden paths to feed on berries or plant juice (chews leaves and shoots without tearing them off). ()
Covering an area of 1260 hectares, Fiordland Park is New Zealand's largest national park and is located in the southwest of the South Island. This vast area is home to some of the country's most scenic landmarks, including Milford Sound, Sutherland Falls, Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau.
In 1990, Fiordland was included in the UN World Heritage List and was named Te Wahipounamu - "the place of jade", due to the largest jade deposits in the area.
Fiordland is one of the wettest regions of New Zealand - it rains here 200 days a year. Huge masses of water, discolored after flowing through forests and many layers of rotten foliage, flow into the fiords. This water then acquires a yellow-brown color and forms a layer above the seawater that fills the fjords, and thus only greenish light penetrates the surface.
The hilly terrain, isolation and humid climate created a natural habitat where many species of plants and animals, dating back thousands of years, existed peacefully here. The takahe bird, thought to be long extinct, was rediscovered in Fiordland in 1948. Fiordland was also the last refuge of the flightless parrot, the kakapo, a species for which a separate program was created to restore its population. ()
Takahe
They were hunted by local Maori tribes for their plumage. By the time Europeans arrived on the islands, it was believed that the birds had been completely destroyed. Only in 1948, an amateur naturalist from a small New Zealand town, Jeffrey Orbell, after almost a year of systematic searches in the area of Lake Te Anau, discovered a small colony of birds.
The birds were photographed, banded and released. The New Zealand government decided to declare this area a nature reserve.
Fifty takahes lived peacefully. But since there was a threat in the form of voracious weasels and possums, a nursery was created as a safety net.
The nursery was built on Mount Bruce, one hundred and thirty kilometers from Wellington. It was decided to get takahe eggs and place them under the bantam chickens.
The most diligent hens were specially selected. They trained them like paratroopers. We chose one, but misfortune happened: a box with a chicken and training eggs fell out of the car. However, I was lucky - not a single egg broke. When they opened the box, they saw a ruffled hen covering the eggs with her body.
The operation began successfully, two chicks hatched in due time, from which the revival of Tahake began.
Rare takahe birds can be seen in their natural habitat, Lake Te Anau.
Kakapo
This is a representative of the genus of owl parrots or, as they are also called, kakapo. The number of these birds barely reaches 125 individuals, which makes them the rarest birds on the planet.
The only parrot that leads a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, it hides in burrows or rock crevices. At night, it comes out along well-trodden paths to feed on berries or plant juice (chews leaves and shoots without tearing them off). ()
Fiordland is a national park in New Zealand. With an area of 12,500 km2, it is the largest in the country. Fiordland National Park was founded in 1952. The park is bordered on the western border by the fjords of the Tasman Sea, and on the eastern side by lakes. The lakes in Fiordland are some of the deepest in New Zealand, and the mountains are up to 2746 meters high.
Together with Mount Cook, Westland and Mount Aspiring National Parks, Fiordland forms the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. The park contains some of the oldest natural complexes on the planet. The nature of these consists of alpine valleys and subtropical forests, which sharply distinguishes the park from the rest of the island. Previously, this area was covered with glaciers, which formed fjords and gorges.
Tourists arriving here are struck by the lack of human activity. It’s as if these places have never even been visited. It is difficult to find a suitable place to live here. In addition, the proximity of glaciers to evergreen forests is surprising.
The lakes of the national park deserve a separate article, because they have a rich history. One of the deepest and longest of them is Waikatipu. Its length is more than 100 km, and its depth reaches 400 meters. 25 rivers without names carry their water to it; they are simply numbered on the map. Because of its peculiarity, the lake is sometimes called the “heart of the South Island”. The water in the lake rises by 7 cm approximately every 5 minutes and almost immediately returns to its previous position. A reasonable explanation has not yet been given for such a phenomenon. But local residents have an explanation for this - the giant’s heart beats there.
According to an ancient Maori legend, the daughter of Chief Manata once lived here, who fell in love with the hunter Matakauri. One day a mighty giant attacked their tribe and took the girl captive. then he called all the warriors and ordered them to save Manata, and he promised to give her to the one who saves her as a wife. Everyone except Matakauri was afraid of the giant and he had to go alone to the monster to his death. Having risen high into the mountains, the hunter found the leader's daughter tied to a tree, and a giant was sleeping nearby. The young man took the girl to the tribe, and he himself returned to the mountains, since the giant must be killed, otherwise he will take revenge. While the giant was sleeping, ahead of the mountains, Matakauri covered him with brushwood for several days. He set fire to the brushwood and the flames engulfed the giant, the sun was clouded with smoke, and the heat was so strong that it burned the ground, forming a huge depression. Over time, rainfall and the waters of mountain rivers filled the hole, which was later called Lake Waikatipu. But what was left of the giant was a mighty heart, lying deep under the water, and with each blow the water in the lake rises and immediately falls.
The national park is home to unique birds - rare kakapo parrots, which live underground, feeding on worms and snails. Also living here is a predatory parrot, the kea, which can cut the carcass of a dead sheep down to its skeleton. They were almost completely exterminated by farmers, because they believed that kea sat on the backs of sheep and tore them apart alive. Previously, there were no ships with freezers, so the wool was sent to the UK, but the cape was thrown away, and the winged “orderlies” ate it. According to zoologists, kea does not attack living sheep.
The South Island was once called "the habitat of the takahe". Tatahe is a bird the size of a goose and unable to fly. It is distinguished by its bright and lush plumage, powerful legs and a short, thick red beak. With the arrival of Europeans it was exterminated. But in 1948, near Lake Te Anau, amateur naturalist Orbell found a bird that was previously considered extinct. This became one of the largest ornithological discoveries of the 20th century.
In addition to these rare birds, other birds can be found in Fiordland National Park: kiwi, rock wrens, clubbills, New Zealand ducks, wekarallas, yellow crows, and many species of parrots. There are many types of food available for them, including 3,000 varieties of insects. Of these, 10% can be found exclusively in the national park. Deer, couscous, rats, and elk, brought by Europeans, were able to adapt here. In the waters of the fjords you can meet seals, sponges, mollusks, albatrosses, petrels, penguins, including the rare New Zealand crested penguin.
The Fiordland mountain ranges are considered to be some of the wettest areas in the world. It rains here almost 200 days a year, which falls uniformly throughout the year. Because of which, in the fjords there is always a layer of fresh water of 40 meters. The average temperature in July is 5°C, and in January - 23°C.
The largest National Park is Fiordland, located in the northwestern part of the island.
Nature and landscapes of the National Park
In order to preserve the unique nature of the island state, its rich flora and fauna, the New Zealand government decided to create the Fiordland National Park. This event took place in 1952, and in 1986 Fiordland was included in the UNESCO List of Protected Sites and is considered part of the World Heritage Site.
Traveling to Fiordland National Park is like a fairy tale. The nature of these places is generous in beauty and delights; you can often see absolutely incompatible things. For example, in the territory of Fiordland, tropical forests and snow-covered glaciers, exotic parrots and funny penguins exist side by side.
The Darran mountain range, which arose in the area more than 450 million years ago, deserves special attention. Its highest point is considered to be a peak at an altitude of 2746 kilometers. Darran has remained unchanged for many centuries, scientists explain this by the resistance of the mountain range to erosion.
Fiordland National Park is famous for its fjords, which are divided into large and small. The most beautiful are considered to be Milford, Doubtful, George, Brexi, Dusky.
The undisputed decoration of the Park are the permanent waterfalls: Stirling, Lady Bowen, Sutherland. After the rains, many small waterfalls form, but the wind blows them away, and the water of many of them does not have time to touch the ground.
Flora of Fiordland Park
The flora of Fiordland National Park is rich and diverse. This is facilitated by the remoteness from civilization and people, and a favorable climate.
Most of the Park's territory is covered with evergreen forests formed by beech. Some trees are up to eight hundred years old. In addition, here you can see laurels, leggings, rosaceae, myrtle trees, vines, shrubs, ferns, mosses, and lichens.
The forest ends and the mountain steppe begins, in which aciphylla, olearia, hionochloe, fescue, coelmisia, bluegrass, and buttercup grow.
The valleys of the Park are covered with numerous swamps, with characteristic vegetation.
Fauna of the park
Even more impressive is the fauna of the National Park, which is represented by different species of animals.
The most numerous family is birds, among which there are many endemics: southern kiwi, yellow-fronted jumping parrot, rock wren, weca rail, crooked plover, shooter, yellow-headed mohua. Endangered species: kea, kahe, kakapo. The fjords are inhabited by penguins, albatrosses, and petrels.
The sea giants that live in Fiordland include killer whales, sperm whales, and humpback whales. Colonies of fur seals, lions, leopards, and elephants settled on the coast. In the bays you can observe bottlenose dolphins, dark dolphins, and white-sided dolphins.
There are over three thousand insects in Fiordland Park; fireflies and fungus gnats are very interesting.
The underwater world of the Park fascinates with its beauty. Fresh water is located above the sea layer, so fish live near its surface. If you go on a boat trip, you may well see and, on occasion, touch some of the inhabitants of the local waters.
Rest in the Park
In addition to observing the beauty and inhabitants of the Park, tourists are offered a wide variety of recreation. If you wish, you can take a sightseeing flight over Fiordland, take a boat ride on one of the lakes in the park, and visit a research observatory located under water. Active recreation includes sea kayaking, scuba diving, cycling, car safaris, and fishing.
Helpful information
Fiordland National Park is open all year round. You can enter its territory for a fee. The administrative center is located in the city of Te Anau, which deals with all coordination issues. The city also has many comfortable hotels and modern restaurants serving national cuisine, and car rentals are available.
How to get to Fiordland?
The most convenient way to get to Fiordland in New Zealand is from the town. You can do this in a way convenient for you: by sea or by highway. The city has an international airport that accepts flights from abroad. Neighboring Glenorchy has a small airport specializing in domestic passenger traffic.
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