Into Fiordland

Yesterday we drove into Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland, a unique ecosystem of temperate rainforests in southwestern New Zealand. This is the place that put New Zealand on the map -

Te Anau is a small stretch of shops and houses on the banks of Lake Te Anau. Outside of town its rolling hills and sheep pastures, snow capped mountains in every direction.

We drove to Milford Sound this morning - 119km through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen. The pastures give way to fields of long grasses, lakes narrowing into rivers, the mountains growing larger and more rugged. There's this mist over all the peaks and forests - low clouds that rise as the sun warms the ground. These are truly Tolkien's Misty Mountains.



We ascend higher into the mountains, above the tree line. There are rivulets of mountain water spiraling down cliff faces, moss of all colors on the boulders. Then a tunnel cut into the rock, dark and dripping, straight through the heart of the mountain.

Milford Sound is a deep fjord where the sea meets the rivers, guarded by the immense Mitre Peak. We spend a few hours walking around, grab a coffee, snap some photos. We're incredibly lucky with the weather - this is truly a rainforest, enormous and dripping moss on every tree branch. But we only have blue skies and the mystical rising cloud.


We drive back out from the sound and check out a few more spots. The Chasm is an amazing sight, where the rushing Cleddau River bores smooth and twisted passageways through black rock in a dense jungle.


We also make short stops at Gertrude Saddle, where the glacial meltstream is clear and pure blue; and Lake Gunn, a mossy forest straight out of the Two Towers.






It's tough to photograph because of the intense contrast between blue sky, icy white peaks, grey stone and lush green forests. These shots can't really do justice.

Amazing place. I'd love to come back and do the Milford Track, named "The finest walk in the world" - 54km through the backcountry, from the Sound to Lake Te Anau.

But for now we must bid farewell to this place. Tomorrow we drive to Christchurch.