Fiordland Information

Fiordland Information

Fiordland is a land of timeless beauty, where waterfalls cascade into crystal fiords, rainforests blanket verdant slopes and the snowcapped peaks are mirrored in glassy lakes as they have been for thousands of years. The Fiordland has long been a special place in Maori culture whose gods are said to have hewn it from the living mountains with massive axes and it is easy to see why.

Fiordland is on the south-western side of New Zealand's South Island not far from Invercargill or Wanaka. The Fiorrdland National Park has exquisite scenery and some of the tallest waterfalls in the world can be found here including the 700+m (2,300 foot) high Browne Falls and the 580m (1,900 foot) high Sutherland Falls. Three of New Zealand's deepest lakes can be found here as well, all of them more than 400m deep - Lake Te Anau
is 417m (1,370 ft), Lake Manapouri is 444m (1,450 ft), and Lake Hauroko is a massive 463m (1,520ft) deep.

This land is raw wilderness and as a result it is largely untouched by the modern world and is home to some pristine wilderness areas. World famous Milford Sound is probably the most accessible of the fiords with daily cruises over the dark black waters with towering mountains all around. The Milford Track is hailed as one of the world greatest walks. It's a 53 km (33 mile) trek over 4 or 5 days and takes in some of the South Islands most pristine countryside. There are many other nature trails available in the park with varying levels of difficulty. If trekking in winter it's important to check the weather conditions and avalanche dangers.

If you'd prefer to take things a little easier there are dozens of tours and cruises that will show you some of the best sights to see, but if you want to get a birds eye view take a helicopter trip through the fiords. It might be expensive but the views of the towering peaks reflected in mirror-like pools will stay with you forever.