Milford Sound
Wet or fine, Milford Sound is breathtaking but the majestic scenery begins long before you reach Milford It is the only fiord in New Zealand accessible by road and this overland route offers a rare chance to get a close view of the spectacular scenery the region is famous for.
The glacial carved Milford Sound is a 15 kilometre waterway that connects with the Tasman Sea on the west coast and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres or more on either side. Lush rain forests cling to these granite walls which are often awash with thundering waterfalls. Resident seals, penguins, dolphins and sometimes whales can be seen at times in the fiord’s waterway below.
European pioneers named Milford Sound after Milford Haven in Wales, while the Cleddau River which flows into the sound is also named for its Welsh namesake. However in New Zealand Māori mythology, Milford Sound is known as Piopiotahi by after the thrush-like piopio bird which is now extinct. Piopiotahi means "a single piopio", which refers to the legend of Māui trying to win immortality for mankind - when Maui died in the attempt, a piopio was said to have flown here in mourning.
Enroute from Te Anau travellers are soon awestruck with the beauty of the Eglinton Valley, where snow-capped mountains loom 1000 metres above the road, streaked with waterfalls, and reflected in mirror lakes before you cross the Southern Alps at The Divide. The road then climbs steeply into a sub-alpine wonderland at the Homer Tunnel entrance. You emerge from the tunnel to an instantly breathtaking view of the canyon which descends into Milford.
The glacial carved Milford Sound is a 15 kilometre waterway that connects with the Tasman Sea on the west coast and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres or more on either side. Lush rain forests cling to these granite walls which are often awash with thundering waterfalls. Resident seals, penguins, dolphins and sometimes whales can be seen at times in the fiord’s waterway below.
European pioneers named Milford Sound after Milford Haven in Wales, while the Cleddau River which flows into the sound is also named for its Welsh namesake. However in New Zealand Māori mythology, Milford Sound is known as Piopiotahi by after the thrush-like piopio bird which is now extinct. Piopiotahi means "a single piopio", which refers to the legend of Māui trying to win immortality for mankind - when Maui died in the attempt, a piopio was said to have flown here in mourning.
New Zealand Māori also refer to the legendary 'titanic mason' Tu Te Raki Whanoa whom they attribute the creation of the fiords to. With his magical adze, he sculpted Milford Sound's sheer cliffs and towering mountains.
View Milford Sound in a larger map