Fiordland & Southland
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© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 642 Fiordland & Southland FIORDLAND & SOUTHLAND FIORDLAND & SOUTHLAND The bottom end of the South Island has some of the country’s most spectacular landscape. To the west is Fiordland National Park, with jagged misty peaks, glistening lakes and an air of forbidding remoteness. The park can be accessed via the world-famous Milford Track, one of the various trails that meander through dense forests and allow views of spectacular mountains and glacier-sculpted canyons. Fiordland is also home to Milford and Doubtful Sounds, with forested cliffs soaring almost vertically from the still, deep waters, and relatively easy to access by road, boat or kayak. In Southland’s east, a sharp left turn off the beaten track, the peaceful Catlins are an area of bird-rich native forest, luxuriantly green farmland and rugged, windswept coasts. In addition to the forest birds the area is home to penguins, seals, sea lions, dolphins and the occasional whale. Wonderful accommodation abounds along wild beaches, in the midst of forests and in tiny waterside settlements. Southland has the kind of New Zealand scenery that travellers dream of and postcards fail to capture. More than once, you’re likely to round a corner, stop in your tracks and just say ‘oh, wow’ before you reach for the camera. HIGHLIGHTS Sea kayaking, dwarfed by the steep cliffs of Milford Sound (p 653 ) Exploring side roads, forest waterfalls and lonely southern beaches in the peaceful, windswept Catlins (p 666 ) Hollyford Track Walking through forest and mountains on Milford Sound Milford the stunning Milford Track (p 651 ) and Hol- Track lyford Track (p 651 ) Te Anau–Milford Hwy Doubtful Overnighting on the vast, remote Doubtful Sound Sound (p 656 ) Sharing a beach with dolphins, whales, sea lions and penguins at Porpoise Bay (p 668 ) in the Catlins Admiring the art at Invercargill’s Anderson Park Art Gallery (p 660 ) Invercargill Catlins Diverting from the Te Anau–Milford Hwy Porpoise Bay (p 650 ) to explore forest walks and still mountain lakes Telephone code: 03 www.southland.org.nz www.fiordland.org.nz FIORDLAND & SOUTHLAND FIORDLAND & SOUTHLAND lonelyplanet.com FIORDLAND 643 Climate Winter months can yield crisp, sunny days, Southland has a rather temperamental cli- and it’s generally a few degrees cooler here mate, and downpours can occur frequently than further north. in summer. Always prepare well for a cruise on the sounds (where the average annual Getting There & Around rainfall is over 6000mm), a bush walk, road Air New Zealand connects Invercargill with trip, or any other type of activity in the great Christchurch, while Stewart Island Flights outdoors. connects Invercargill with Oban. 0 50 km FIORDLAND & SOUTHLAND 0 30 miles Haast To Fox Glacier (117km); Haast Franz Josef Glacier (142km); River Mt Ward (2646m) Greymouth (317km) Okuru 6 ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈJackson Bay Mt Brewster (2519m) Haast Pass Mt Aspiring National Park Makarora Lake Te Wahipounamu Ohau Southwest NZ Ohau World Heritage Area To Twizel (28km); Awarua Bay Mt Cook (91km) Mt Aspiring 8 Martins Bay M Hollyford (3035m) Lake ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈa Omarama t Wanaka Lake uk i Hawea T A S M A N tuki Mt Tutoko Lindis Pass S E A Track River Milford Sound (2746m) Rv Hawea 8 Mitre Peak Dart (1692m) Centauar Peaks Milford Mt Earnslaw (2525m) Wanaka See Milford Track (2819m) Map (p652) 6 Paradise Tarras DunstanTo RangeRanfurly (25km) Bligh Sound Gunns St Bathans Milford Camp Glenorchy Cardrona ὈὈὈὈὈGeorge Sound ὈὈὈὈTrack The Divide Skippers Fiordland Arrowtown Lake Becks Dunstan National Park Lauder Lake Cromwell Stuart Mtns Wakatipu Queenstown Oturehua Remarkables Bannockburn Caswell Sound Frankton Omakau Earl Ophir 94 The Te Wahipounamu Walter Peak River Clyde Southwest NZ Mountains (1815m) s 85 World Heritage Area Te Anau Downs vi Secretary Ne Alexandra Lake Te Anau Mavora Island Lakes ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈTe Anau Kingston Doubtful Sound Mtns Glowworm Caves Livingstone Jane Peak Kepler (2035m) 8 Mountains See Kepler Track Kepler Te Anau Map (p646) Deep Cove Track Eyre 6 Roxburgh Clutha River West Arm Lake Mountains Manapouri The Key Five Rivers Manapouri 94 Mossburn Track South ᝲ Lumsden Resolution Dusky ern Takitimu Garvie Mountains Raes Junction ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈHunter ὈὈὈὈὈὈ Island Forest Monowai 90 Mountains Blackmount Waiau Sc Riversdale Lawrence Dusky Lake e nic Tapanui Sound Monowai Beaumont Ohai Forest Park Route Oreti River Rv ᝲ 96 Lake Takitimu Mtns Wreys To Dunedin Hauroko Bush Hokonui Hills (59km) Cameron Mountains Clifden Gore West Lake Winton Hokonui Milton Forest Park 1 Clinton Cape Poteriteri Otautau Kaitangata Preservation 96 Mataura Balclutha ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈHump Tuatapere ὈὈὈὈ 6 Inlet Ridge Te Waewae Track Bay Te Waewae Orepuki Edendale Monkey Island 98 1 Catlins 99 Riverton Conservation Park Lighthouse Rv Wyndham Colac Bay Invercargill Owaka Nugget Otatara 92 Point Papatowai Foveaux Strait Mataura Tokanui Fortrose Chaslands Bluff Stewart Island Waikawa ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈCurio Bay (Rakiura) See The Catlins Map (p667) Ruapuke Fresh wa Island Codfish Island ter S O U T H Rv P A C I F I C Oban O C E A N.