Milford Sound is located in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park which is in turn part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. Milford Sound is named after Milford Haven in Wales, and is known as Piopiotahi in Māori, meaning “first native thrush.” The flora and fauna of the area is some of the best in world as the sound runs 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise almost 4000 feet (1220 meters) or more on either side with lush rain forests clinging to these cliffs. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled to catch a glimpse of seals, penguins, and dolphins that frequent the waters. With a mean annual rainfall of 6813 mm on 182 days a year, Milford Sound is known as the wettest place in New Zealand. Rainfall can reach 250 mm during a span of 24 hours and can create temporary and permanent waterfalls cascading down the cliff faces, some reaching over 3000 feet (9842 meters) in length. The beauty of this landscape draws thousands of visitors each day, with over 550,000 in total per year. This makes the Sound one of New Zealand’s most visited tourist spots, and also the most famous New Zealand tourist destination, even with its remote location and the long journey from the nearest population centers.
approximate scenic cruising times *
Enter Dusky Sound 8:00 am
Exit Dusky Sound 10:00 am
Enter Doubtful Sound 11:00 am
Exit Doubtful Sound 12:30 pm
Enter Milford Sound 3:00 pm
Exit Milford Sound 6:00 pm
* all scenic cruising times are approximate
Helicopter Hunting
As long ago as the 1920s, the park was plagued with introduced European deer, detrimental to the native New Zealand flora and fauna. The government placed a bounty on the deer, paying local hunters for each animal removed from the park. Combined with the market for venison and deerskin, by the 1960s this had proved a lucrative enough business for several hunters to invest in helicopters, the better to travel through this rugged landscape. The deer population plummeted as a result, and competition among hunters grew fierce. Arguments between men in helicopters with high-powered rifles resulted in more than one pitched battle mid-air over the park. The government soon stepped in to prevent such extremes; combined with a growing farm-raised deer industry, helicopter hunting has declined steeply in more recent years. However, its legacy lives on, as dozens of former hunting helicopters these days carry tourists on sight-seeing aerial journeys.
posted by Hills @ 3:47 PM
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