Fiordland | Divine International Explore & Treks

Fiordland National Park

'A cherished corner of the world where mountains and valleys compete with each other for room, where scale is almost beyond comprehension, rainfall is measured in metres and scenery encompasses the broadest width of emotions'.

Established in 1952, Fiordland National Park is now over 1.2 million hectares in size, and encompasses mountain, lake, fiord and rainforest environments. The National Park is administered by the Department of Conservation. The variety of habitats in Fiordland support a diverse range of flora and fauna, with many developing in relative isolation leading to a high rate of endemism, or plants and animals that have evolved to be completely unique to this area.

The Takahe is an example of a bird that developed to be much larger and flightless compared to its distant cousins in the rail species. The Takahe was in fact thought to be extinct for more than forty years before it was rediscovered in the mountains of Fiordland in 1948. Fiordland was also the final refuge for the world's only flightless parrot the Kakapo. Both of these rare bird species are now part of a recovery programme managed by the Department of Conservation.

Human activity within Fiordland has been limited. Early Maori hunted here, caught fish from the sea and gathered pounamu (New Zealand jade) from the rivers. Much later, European sealers and whalers took shelter in the fiords and built small settlements in some locations, but overall the sheer steepness of the terrain, the incredible isolation, and the wettest climate in New Zealand deterred all but the hardiest from settlement in the region.

Milford Sound

Wet or fine, Milford is incredibly grand. Mitre Peak magnetises photographers, and the fiord’s sheer cliffs excite both admiration and apprehension.

“For thousands of feet upwards the eye looks upon straight cut rocky frontages, not worn smooth by time, or by wind or water, but as sharply defined and as fresh looking in all respects as if riven asunder but yesterday by the stupendous wedges of Titanic Masons.“ James Hingston, 1883

The Maori were the first to attribute the creation of the fiords to a 'titanic mason', Tute Rakiwhanoa who hewed out the steep sided valleys with keen edged adzes. No other explanation seems to fit, as it is impossible to comprehend the sheer breadth of geological events that created this seemingly perfect sculpture, as sheer cliffs rise vertically upward from the ocean.

Milford is by far the best known of all of the fiords and the only one that can be accessed by road. It is approximately 16km from the head of the fiord to the open sea, which means visitors can comfortably travel the length of the fiord to open ocean and return on one of the many cruise options available in 1½ to 2 hours cruising time. The Milford Road: One of the most incredible and frequently overlooked features of Milford Sound is the journey to get there.

Doubtful Sound

Visitors feel humbled yet uplifted by the atmosphere of powerful solitude in the presence of the superb physical grandeur of Doubtful Sound. Sometimes called 'the Sound of Silence', there is a cloistered serenity within Doubtful Sound that contrasts with Milford Sound. The fiord is rich in flora and fauna, New Zealand Fur Seals and Fiordland Crested Penguins can be seen on many of the small islets at the entrance of the fiord.

At 421 metres deep, Doubtful is the deepest of the fiords and is long and winding with three distinct 'arms' and several outstanding waterfalls in the area from Deep Cove to the open ocean, a distance of around 40.4 kilometres.