We’re surrounded by beauty Trupti Biradar
It was March 2019, and I was on a boat in the middle of Pa¯tea/Doubtful Sound, the deepest fiord in the South Island. More remote, and less accessible than Milford Sound, we had travelled pretty far to get here. We flew to Queenstown, drove to Manapouri, and had then taken a scenic, winding (thank you, Sea-Legs) bus ride over the Wilmot Pass to get to our Real Journeys boat.
My mobile phone had lost reception somewhere in Wilmot Pass and, for the first time in a long time, I was forced to disconnect and instead be present and mindful of my surroundings.
Aside from the crew, we were the only Kiwis onboard, and were surrounded by Australian and American tourists who could not stop raving about how beautiful our country was.
We cruised deep into the Sound, dwarfed by the ancient, towering cliff faces, while playful bottlenose dolphins raced alongside us.
As the Sound opened out to the Tasman Sea, we saw fur seals lazing idly on the rocks and penguins leaping into the icy water.
We got up close to so many waterfalls, the tallest of which cascaded down over 800 metres, spraying and soaking everyone who was brave enough to stand on the deck.
That night as we moored in the middle of the Sound, there was silence. A deep and resonating silence, pierced only by the occasional birdsong. It was this silence that earned the fiord the name Pa¯tea, meaning ‘‘place of silence’’ in Ma¯ori. It’s an experience I’m unlikely to forget.
Earlier this year I found myself back in Fiordland, on a road trip that took us from Manapo¯uri to Te nau and beyond towards Milford Sound.
Along the way we stopped at Eglinton Valley, carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago. Today, native beech covers the mountains (recognisable to some as the Misty Mountains in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), while the valley floor is covered in golden tussock. We carried on to Mirror Lakes, stepping out to stretch our legs as the clear and glass-like waters reflected the Earl Mountains. The 120km journey was dotted with photo stops, walking trails, and the kind of landscape that takes your breath away at every turn.
Ancient rainforests, glacier carved valleys, shimmering lakes and¯AGreat Walks, Fiordland National Park is as remote and untouched as it gets. And the best part is that there wasn’t another soul in sight.
From cruises, to scenic flights , driving routes and free walks, there are so many ways to see this incredible part of our country.
Join Brook Sabin on pages 36-37 as he takes us on his journey through one of the remotest parts of Aotearoa.