©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Fiordland & Southland

Wh y Go? Welcome to scenery that travellers dream of and cameras Fiordland ...... 607 fail to capture. Te Anau ...... 607 To the west is Fiordland National Park, with jagged misty Te Anau–Milford peaks, glistening lakes and a remote and pristine stillness. Hwy ...... 612 Enter this beautiful isolation via the world-famous Milford Milford Sound ...... 615 Track, one of the various trails that meander through dense Manapouri ...... 617 forest and past spectacular mountains and glacier-sculpted Doubtful Sound ...... 618 canyons. Fiordland is also home to Milford and Doubtful Southern Scenic Sounds, with verdant cliff s soaring almost vertically from Route ...... 619 deep, indigo waters. Both fi ords are relatively easy to access Tuatapere ...... 619 by road, boat or kayak. Central Southland ...... 621 In Southland’s east, a sharp left turn off the beaten track, the peaceful Catlins showcase bird-rich native forests and Invercargill ...... 621 rugged, windswept coasts. Abundant southern Pacifi c wa- The Catlins ...... 625 ters host penguins, seals, sea lions, dolphins and the occa- Stewart Island ...... 630 sional whale. Keep heading south for the rugged isolation of Stewart Island, and the opportunity to spy New Zealand’s beloved Best Outdoors kiwi in the wild. » Milford Sound (p 615 ) » Doubtful Sound (p 618 ) When to Go » Nugget Point (p 629 ) Visit from February to March for the best opportunity of settled weather amid Fiordland’s notoriously fi ckle climate. » Ulva Island (p 632 ) Linger until May for the opportunity to sample local beers and NZ’s favourite bivalve and at the annual Bluff Oyster Best Places to and Food Festival. The Milford, Kepler and Routeburn Stay Tracks are three of NZ’s iconic tramping routes, and clas- sifi ed as Great Walks by NZ’s Department of Conservation. » Misty Mountain During the Great Walks season from late October to late Eco-Retreat (p617 ) April you’ll need to book your time exploring these three » Milford Sound Lodge popular tracks in advance. (p 615 ) » Hilltop (p 628 ) » Pounawea Motor Camp (p 630 ) 606 606 0 50 km Haast Haast Mt Ward (2646m) 0 30 miles River Okuru 6 Jackson Bay Mt Brewster Mt Aspiring (2519m) National Park Haast Pass Lake Te Wahipounamu Makarora Southwest New Zealand Ohau World Heritage Area Ohau Awarua Bay Mt Aspiring (3035m) To Twizel (28km)

T A S M A N Martins Bay M 8 S E A a Lake Omarama Hollyford Track tu Wanaka Lake Lindis ki tuk Hawea Mt Tutoko Pass e River g (2746m) i Milford Sound art Rv an D Hawea R Mitre Peak (1692m) Centauar Mt Earnslaw Peaks 8 (2819m) (2525m) Wanaka 6 unstan Milford Paradise D To Ranfurly Bligh Sound Gunns Camp Tarras (25km) St Bathans George Sound Lake Glenorchy Cardrona Milford Skippers Lake Becks Track The Wakatipu Arrowtown Dunstan Fiordland National Park Divide Queenstown Stuart Cromwell Lauder Caswell Sound Mtn Te Anau–Milford FranktonRemarkables Highway Bannockburn Omakau s Earl 94 Te Wahipounamu Mtns River Walter Peak The Clyde Ophir Southwest New Zealand Lake Te Anau 85 (1815m) vis World Heritage Area Te Anau Mavora Ne Alexandra Secretary Island Downs Lakes Te Anau Kingston 8 Jane Peak s Doubtful Glowworm Caves LivingstoneMountains(2035m) Sound Kepler tain n Mountains yre Te Anau ou Deep Cove E 6 Roxburgh Clutha ountains

West Arm Lake ManapouriSouthern M Five ie M Manapouri tns 94 River M Rivers arv r Track G ts Takitimu te Mossburn Resolution n Forest Lumsden Island Dusky Raes Junction FIORDLAND & SOUTHLAND M 90 Hun Blackmount Sc Lawrence Dusky Monowai u e Waiau Sound Lake nic Ohai Tapanui Monowai Rou Beaumont Lake Oreti River Hokonui H Forest Park Takitim te 96 ills Cameron MountainsHauroko Clifden Hokonui Milton West Lake River Forest Gore 1 Clinton Cape Poteriteri Winton Kaitangata Park 96 Mataura Preservation Tuatapere Te Tuatapere 6 Balclutha Inlet Hump Ridge Waewae River Track Te Waewae Edendale Nugget Bay 98 1 99 Catlins Tawanui Point Monkey Island Riverton Conservation Porridge Invercargill Owaka 92 Park Purakaunui Colac Bay Tokanui Foveau Otatara The Bay Mataura Catlins Papatowai x Strait Fortrose Waikawa

Stewart Island Bluff Curio Bay (Rakiura) Porpoise Bay Freshw Ruapuke River Island Codfish Island ater Stewart Island Oban S O U T H P A C I F I C O C E A N

Fiordland & Southland Highlights 1 Sea kayaking, dwarfed 4 Overnighting on the vast, 7 Saying g’day to the by the steep cliff s of Milford remote Doubtful Sound (p 618 ) tuatara, New Zealand’s living Sound (p615 ) 5 Sharing a beach with dinosaurs, at Invercargill’s 2 Exploring side roads, forest dolphins, whales, sea lions Southland Museum & Art waterfalls and lonely southern and penguins at Porpoise Bay Gallery (p 621 ) beaches in the peaceful, (p 627 ) in the Catlins 8 Chancing on a snuffl ing, windswept Catlins (p625 ) 6 Diverting from Te Anau– shuffl ing band of kiwi on 3 Walking through forest and Milford Hwy (p 612) to explore a twilight kiwi-spotting mountains on the Milford and forest walks and still mountain expedition on Stewart Island Hollyford Tracks (p613 ) lakes (p 630 )