Fiordland National Park

During the cooler past, glaciers carved many deep fiords, the most famous (and most visited) of which is Milford Sound. Other notable fiords include Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound.

Fiordland's coast is steep and crenelated, with the fiords running from the valleys of the southern ranges of the Southern Alps, such as the Kepler and Murchison Mountains. At the northern end of the park, several peaks rise to over 2000 meters.

Ice has carved islands from the mainland, leaving two large uninhabited offshore islands, Secretary Island and Resolution Island. Several large lakes lie wholly or partly within the park's boundaries, notably Lake Te Anau, Lake Manapouri, Lake Monowai, Lake Hauroko, and Lake Poteriteri. The Sutherland Falls, to the southwest of Milford Sound on the Milford Track, are among the world's highest waterfalls.

Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains; the cooling of this air as it rises produces a prodigious amount of rainfall, exceeding seven meters in many parts of the park. This supports the lush temperate rain forests of the Fiordland temperate forests ecoregion.

Fiordland National Park is located on the south-west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. As one of the most dramatic and beautiful parts of New Zealand, Fiordland has achieved World Heritage status.

Visitors can explore Fiordland National Park by foot, sea kayak or boat, or take to the air and do it the flight seeing way. The park covers showcases dramatic wilderness on a grand scale. Waterfalls tumble hundreds of meters into pristine, forested valleys, sheer-sided fiords slide gracefully into the sea.

Fiordland is famous for its rainfall – visitors should always be prepared for wet weather. From the resort town of Te Anau, it is a scenic two hours drive to Milford Sound and an easy twenty minute drive to Lake Manapouri, the start of an excursion to Doubtful Sound. Compared to popular Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound is less visited and much more remote as it is only accessible by boat.

Famous multi-day walking tracks in the region include the Milford, Kepler, Hollyford and Routeburn Tracks. A guided 3 day tour on Hollyford Track as well as day and overnight cruises on Milford or Doubtful Sound can be arranged by Umfulana.