Fiordland
Our home base for exploring Fiordland was the charming little tourist town of Te Anau. Situated on the shore of the beautiful Lake Te Anau, it was a delightful town with great restaurants, charming shops and lots of tourists. Manapouri is about 15 minutes south of TeAnau where we began our journey to Doubtful Sound. The road to Milford Sound followed the shoreline of Lake Te Anau as it wound north to the Sound. Only 75 miles from Te Anau the drive took about 2 hours, winding through the beautiful countryside.
Doubtful Sound
It is hard to find
words to describe the beauty and majesty of this place. The journey to the sound was almost as
spectacular as the sound itself. Our
journey began in Manapouri, located on Lake Manapouri. We travelled across the lake by boat to Wilmot
Pass where we took a bus to the sound.
Each leg of the trip was amazing.
As we travelled across the lake we felt transported back in time. The views of untouched nature were
astounding.
Once we crossed the
lake, we boarded a bus at the power station to travel across Wilmot Pass. The road boasts as the most expensive road in
New Zealand costing $2 per cm to build.
It’s sole purpose was to allow the building of the hydroelectric power
plant on the Lake, connecting the sound and the lake. It crossed through a beautiful temperate rain forest. The road is now used to allow
sightseers access to Doubtful Sound.
Doubtful Sound did
not disappoint. This pristine wilderness was magnificently amazing. It is the longest sound in New Zealand, with
five arms stretching out from the main arm.
It is dubbed the sound of silence because of its remoteness and
isolation. It was an incredible
experience, one I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Fiordland.
Milford Sound
While much smaller
than Doubtful Sound, Milford Sound’s rugged, harsh beauty makes this sound just
as spectacular for entirely different reasons.
It is a very popular tourist destination and the road from Te Anau to
the sound is described as the most beautiful highway in the country. It’s hard to capture the true essence of this
beautiful area in pictures. It is truly
a treat for the senses.
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