Fiordland National Park (Te Wahipounamu)
This remarkable natural environment features dramatic fiords, spectacular waterfalls and snow-capped peaks.
One of the most dramatic and beautiful parts of New Zealand, the power of Fiordland’s scenery never fails to enthral travellers. Waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres into massive fiords; ancient rainforest clings impossibly to the mountains; shimmering lakes and granite peaks look the same today as they did a thousand years ago.
A fiord is defined as a u-shaped glacier-carved valley which has been flooded by the sea. The fourteen fiords that fringe the southwest corner of the South Island were 100,000 years in the making, with the final details added during the most recent ice age just 10,000 years ago. The Maori attributed the creation of the fiords to a giant stonemason called Tute Rakiwhanoa, who hued out the steep sided valleys with his adzes.
On all sides of the fiords, spectacular waterfalls tumble incessantly as the region's plentiful rainfall finds its way to the sea.
The remaining two thirds of Fiordland National Park are covered by virgin beech and podocarp forest. A 500 kilometre network of walking tracks allows visitors to explore the primeval world of mountain peaks, alpine lakes and moss-carpeted valleys.
Three of New Zealand's 'Great Walks' can be found in the park. The most famous (and consequently most crowded) is the Milford Track, which takes five days to complete. The Kepler Track is a circular route that can be walked in four days and the Routeburn, which crosses into Mount Aspiring National Park, generally takes three days. There are many other less famous, but just as spectacular, tracks to explore.
Several of the fiords can be explored by sea kayak, as can lakes in Te Anau and Manapouri. Diving in Fiordland provides a rare chance to see deepwater sea plants growing near the surface. Local residents include dolphins, fur seals and penguins. Every day scenic flights and coach services deliver visitors to Milford Sound for scenic cruises. Eco-cruises of the less accessible fiords can be arranged in Te Anau or Manapouri.
