Fjordland New Zealand. Fjordland National Park

New Zealand is a country of volcanoes and geysers, rain forests, snow-covered mountains and pastures. Residents of this island country are proud of her unique nature And make a lot of effort to preserve the ancient species of plants and animals that are not able to independently adapt to human effect. A third of the area of \u200b\u200bthe country (over 5 million hectares) occupy protected areas, including 14 national parks covering all natural landscapes of two islands - from mangrove thickets in the tidal and tidal zone North Islands, Central Plateau volcanoes to the albate forests and fjords in the south.

The South Island is the largest New Zealand National Park - Fjordland. The park occupies the northwest angle of the island; Its length 230 kilometers is a total area of \u200b\u200b1200 thousand hectares. It was created in 1952, and now this territory is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In this park, a very high level of annual precipitation, which is generally characteristic of the west coast of the Southern Island of New Zealand. In the area of \u200b\u200bFjord Milford Sound, 6526 mm of precipitation falls annually, there are 180 rainy days in the year (data for the period from 1969 to 1998). But humidity rapidly decreases to the east. In those Ana, 1200 mm of precipitation per year. The temperature is moderate, especially in low latitudes, the average maximum temperature in January + 18.8 s, and in July, the minimum temperature is +13 C. Fjordland is a sharp transition from the ocean coast ecosystem to high-altitude peaks and protected from external influences to valleys. The mountains cover the inside of the island from the rain, while their atmosphere is experienced all weather popsicles.

Basic natural attractions famous Park - Fjords Milford Sound and Dutful Sound, Lake those Anau. Through the entire park passes an ancient Maori road, and a few more pedestrian routesopen to the general public.

These fjords are a real paradise for lovers of observation of marine birds. Over the ocean, it is often possible to see Albatrosov, the colony of which is nearby on the island of Sander, and also see other representatives of the detachment of tubing birds, prions (their other name China birds) and several types of petrels, nesting or millions of migrating from the northern regions Pacific Ocean on the nesting on the Antarctic Islands. One of the most rare Penguins in the world - New Zealand Crested Penguin breeds the coastal islands, as well as a small penguin, usual for New Zealand.

Lake of the Lake of the National Park Fjordland deserve. Lake Manapuri is an excellent example of how a person can wisely use the forces of nature, keeping her beauty. His first name is Roto-UA, that translated from Maori means "rainy lake", later the lake became called the Moturau ("Many Islands"), and etymology modern name Unknown.

The serene deep water of the lakes are those Anau in the West bordered by a lush virgin forest. This is the largest lake of the southern island and the second largest in New Zealand. From here, tours to fjords and other lakes begin.

The forests cover the entire territory of the Pjordland Park - from the valleys to the border of the growing zone of trees and the mountains. These are predominantly beech forests. In almost all parts of the park, the herbivores of the Potsum and the noble deer delivered here are the first colonizers. They were the main factor Forest biotope changes. Deer pulled the litter and rare plant species, and the posses not only feed on the fruits of plants, eggs and chicks of terrestrial nesting birds, but also divert tuberculosis.

The main treasure of the forests of the poultry fjordland. Here lives the world's only population in the world. These large non-flying birds of the shepherd family were considered extinct, like many other feathered New Zealand, who became easy prey at the beginning of Maori, and then brought to the island of dogs and other predators. However, in 1948, scientists discovered these birds in Murchison Mountains and Stewart. The population was immediately taken under protection, and now its number is approximately 120 individuals.

In the Park, the protection of the disappearance are nesting: Kiwi, Parrot, Kaka, Sheca, New Zealand Falcon and Mokhua (Slavkov family).

Fjordland was also the last refuge in the world's unauthorized parrot of Kakapo. Now these unique, leading night lifestyles of birds are bred on the coastal islands where there are no predators.

Fjordland has been preserved in pristine beauty due to the overall mountainous relief. Mountains Darran reaching 2746 m covered with glaciers. But to the south of Darran, the height of the mountains does not exceed 2000 m and gradually decreases to 1000 - 1200 m. The underlying rock is predominantly granite, gneis and a dioritis with the residues of tertiary limestone in some places in the East. These volcanic mountains (Formed in Ordovic, i.e. approximately 450 million years ago) - Some of the oldest in New Zealand. They are also most resistant to erosion, and traces of the last glacial period are still noticeable, when their entire central part was covered with ice. The languages \u200b\u200bof the glacier flowing down from the highland mainly in the West and East, the fjords and lakes were wounded (those Anau, Manapuri, Hauro and others), located symmetrically on the eastern and southern outskirts of the park. As a result, a combination of deep valleys, sheer cliffs (sometimes up to 1500 m in height) and steep slopes were formed. The depth of lakes and fjords exceeds 400 m, so the bottom of some lakes is below sea level.

The nature of the Fjordland National Park has practically not suffered from human activity, such a destructive in other areas a little ball. There were no settlements of Europeans for a long time, only Maori's tribes hunted on birds, caught fish in the sea and mined Punama (jade) in rivers. Later in these places found refuge of the kitobi and hunters on the sea seals, they founded small settlements in the fjords.

In fjord, only two boats run in its opposite ends and outside the field of visibility of each other, which allows tourists to experience the sense of loneliness in the middle of primitive nature. The annual level of rainfall here is 762 mm and above, but even on a rainy day, the fjord is still beautiful, water flows are praised from nowhere, and their sound disappears in a mysterious haze.

At the coast and in open Ocean You can admire the humpback and southern whales, coushlots and tales. Numerous New Zealand sea seals: their colony is scattered around the coast, the largest - on the island of Sander. Sometimes the southern sea elephants appear here, and sea leopards - with nomads from their reproduction places in Antarctica. New Zealand Sea Lions, whose most numerous colonies are located on the Oakland Islands (therefore, their second scientific name - Auckland sea lions), recently began to settle here small groups.

Trees are spread to a height of approximately 1000 m above sea level. Above this feature there are grassy communities of Tussa, formed mainly by ferry signs. 35 types of mountain plants are treated in fjordland endemics, and most of them grow in the zone of Tusksov. This is a number of species of cereals, hostness, olearia, acofillas and buttercups.

Before Fiorda Dutful Sound, the deepest (421 m), extended (40.4 km) and, as some of the most beautiful New Zealand fjord, can only be reached on the boat. When the motor turns off, travelers envelop the age-old silence of one of the most distant and beautiful corners of the planet. Captain James Cook, the first European investigated the coastline of the South Island, suggested that this is a strait, but he probably hurried and could not check if it was. Therefore, he gave fjord such a name (translated from the English bay of doubt).

As you know, Rudyard Kipling considered Milford Sound to the eighth miracle of the world, but New Zealanders disagree with his opinion - they put it on the first or, in the last case in second place. At hundreds of meters up, as far as the eye is enough, the rocks rise, not at all damaged or time, nor the wind, no water, as if the river would only pierce his way through these communes. Maori believed that these fjords were created by the Bricklayer-Giant Tuthet Rakivanoa, and rather believe this legend than scientists exploring the geological events that led to the phenomenon of perfect sculptures - rocks that are rummed from the ocean. And in cloudy, and in clear weather, Milford Sound is incredibly majestic. The fjord is 16 km long bordered by vertical granite rocks with a height of up to 1220 m, and the waterfalls of the cascade are erupted from the mountain range. In the center of Fjord, there is a pointed peak Mitre (1695 m), and its reflection in mirror calm waters is one of the most famous and photographed species in this corner of the planet.

Fauna National Park Fjordland. In the Fjordland, approximately 3,000 types of insects are found, 10% of them are endemics. Especially diverse here brightly painted alpine moths. Other species include Skry West (hairy alpine grasshopper) and 20 types of giant weevils.

Also here you can meet the flocks of young Nestors KEA, attracted by human activity. These parrots are famous for their bloodthirsty inclination. Among the farmers there is an opinion that they kill sheep, punching them skull with a durable beak. If such cases were, then they are single, although even unlucky tourists suffer from the beaks of Nerstors KEA.

IN national Park The usual birds are also presented, fanokhvostka, New Zealand Tui, New Zealand fruit dove, Petroika and Macomaco Mukholovka. The endemic of New Zealand is found - the wrath of the shooter. This little bird is remarkable with the fact that biotopes modified by man modified by man unlike other types with narrow domains of distribution.

One more unique trait Fjords are their underwater world. Cool rocks go to a depth of 100 - 450 m. The layer of fresh water located above the salted sea water dissipates the light, and therefore usually deep-sea types of animals dwell in these places near the surface itself. By visiting the research underwater observatory located here, you can see the paintings, rarely accessible to the human eye.

Many types of marine mammals live in this national park. In Milford Sound and Dutful Sound float of playful bottled dolphins, here you can also meet an ordinary (casual) dolphin-Beloboby and Dark Dolphin. And in the bay, those Waeva can notice the hector dolphins nearby.

National Park Fjordland, the largest in New Zealand, was founded in 1952. It is located in the northwestern part of the southern island. Its length is 230 kilometers, the total area is about 1,200 thousand, ha. A rare bird is found here - Outless Sultanka. She was considered extinct until 1947, when on the shores of Lake Te-Anau, not far from Milford Sound, about 100 individuals of these birds were discovered. Almost as rare living on Earth Cocapa, or the Sovic parrot. He looks like the owl and spends a bright day of day in Norah, it is believed that this bird does not know how to fly. Before he was taken under protection, he was also on the verge of extinction.

Fjordland National Park is amazing lovely Park With wildlife in New Zealand. It forms a large territory of untouched forest in combination with water bodies and mountain arrays. Another very much popular place At tourists. (12 photos)

Awesome beautiful view National Park Fjordland

Fjordland is unique in its kind. Looking at his own photos, it immediately becomes clear how beautiful it is. Mountains arrays are rolled with Tasmanov's fjords, all sorts of waterfalls, with crystal clear water, create a deed atmosphere beauty.

First of all, the Park favorable conditions. The oceanic climate reigns here, with warm weather, while it is quite humid, without droughts and sharp temperature difference.

In 1952, the Government of New Zealand was decided to secure such beauty from possible human encroachment. And the National Park was created. Today, the Pjordland Park is listed by UNESCO World Heritage List.

The park is quite large, its area is 12,500 km². Another of the sights of the park are His Mountains. Their nature is such that they are protected from the destructive actions of the surrounding nature. Thus, we can observe the mountains that appeared here 2 million years ago. The height of the mountains in the park reaches 2746 meters above sea level. This is certainly not, but also high enough.

The nature of the park is unique in its combination. Only here you can see how completely next to each other, there are lianas of the rainforest and mountain glaciers, which are proudly banging penguins. Also, tropical lianas are combined with huge beech trees. By the way, the age of beech is over 800 years.

Also, the Fjordland National Park is rich in various lakes, which are characterized by crystal clear water. Also fascinate steep waterfalls, descending from the plateau. Sometimes it is possible to meet the rainy waterfalls, but they are so small that often the wind will spread them earlier than they have time to touch the land.

Special attention deserves animal world parka. Here in all diversity presented various types of animals. Particularly valuable and unique are birds. A large variety of feathered in the park lives in the park. Well, of course, color, which is inherent in the park. A parrot with a penguin can fight for a place under the sun.

New Zealand earns good money from visiting tourists. The entrance to the park is paid. Also, everything is done here for the convenience of holidaymakers. For example, for a fee, you can admire the mountain plateau, from the helicopter. Also there are various types of escalator and walks on the boat. What to say, tourists here love and always wait to visit.

On the territory of New Zealand is located the Fjordland National Park. This is one of the largest national parks on our planet, its area exceeds 12,500 square kilometers. The park was created in the distant 1952 to preserve the incredible beauty of the southwestern part of the South Island of New Zealand. And in 1990 he became one of World Heritage UNESCO.

Fjordland National Park - an amazing place with picturesque landscapes and unique Florato and fauna. The flow of tourists here is so large that the government has to limit their number. Here are hiking excursions for numerous guests of the country and local residents. It is noteworthy that in the territory of this huge park you will not meet animals that may be dangerous for your life.

The western part of the park is decorated with fjords - long bays with steep rocky shores. In the east are located beautiful lakes, among which the famous lake Manpowers is the deepest lake in New Zealand.

All these beauties dilute mountain arrayswhose height reaches 2746 meters here. Western slopes of these mountains are among the most wet corners on our planet. It rains here are 200 days a year, but the sediments fall very evenly.

The climate in the territory of the Fjordland National Park is sharply oceanic, the temperature difference is small, the air temperature indicators range from 5 to 23 degrees. The coldest month of the year is July, and the hottest is January.

Such weather conditions contribute to the safe existence of wet rainforests on the slopes of the mountains, these forests are considered the most ancient on our planet, and the water level in the fjord remains unchanged, they reach about 40 meters deep, the water in them is fresh.

Flora and Fauna National Park

The rarest species of plants and animals live on the territory of National Park Fjordland. Here you can find a rare tree of wood - silver Notofagus, whose age can reach 800 years. Numerous swamps on the territory of the park possess unique vegetation.

The population of forest birds in the National Park is the highest in New Zealand. There are such rare species as a parrot of Kakapapo and Taki. In addition, such species of birds like southern kiwi live in the park, a yellow bunning parrot, a crooked jew, the arrows, a blue duck, a rocky wheel, shepherd-wake. A huge number of seabirds chose the rocky shores of fjords. In addition, New Zealand sea seals and thick-fruned penguins live in fjords.

Pondland National Park Ponds are famous for the species variety of plants and animals, subtropical sponges, mollusks and corals live here. It is worth noting that the greatest one on the planet of the Black Coral colony is found here.

Among other things, approximately three thousand different types of insects live on the territory of the National Park, the tenth of which is found only here. In Fjordland, you can meet representatives of flora and fauna imported from other mainland, for example, rat or wapiti deer.

Fjordland glaciers

Bays in the West of the National Park long ago were cut by glaciers. Once a huge glacier covered the whole territory of the current fjordland, now in this unique corner Planets can be seen what remains from it. However, the look opens just amazing.

Lakes National Park

Between mountain peaks On the territory of the park there is a huge number of lakes. On their background, the lake of the Vakatipu is standing out, the length of which is 80 kilometers! In the people, he is called the "heart of the South Island", a lot of legends go about it.

Fjordland waterfalls

After heavy rains on the territory of the largest National Park in New Zealand, you can see an incredibly beautiful sight - water flows begin to drain along steep slopes, forming many waterfalls. Small streams do not reach the surface of the earth, falling down, even on the way they swell by the wind.

However, in the park there are two permanent waterfalls - this is a waterfall of Bowen, whose height reaches 162 meters and Sterling waterfall, the height of which is 155 meters. They both complement the already exciting landscapes of the National Park Fjordland.

National Park of the South-West Island of South New Zealand .. Created in 1904, an area of \u200b\u200b1.2 million hectares. Protected natural complexes Wet evergreen forests with tree-like ferns, laurels, nicknames, rustic, pool, pool and lianami, complexes of subtropical forests with southern beech and shrub thickets, as well as alpine and subalpine meadows on the slopes of the South Alps. The park is known for its unique fauna, among which the rare parrot of Kea, the Forest Parrot of Kaka or the Green Nestor, living in the Nora, the Sovic Parrot, the Best Singer of New Zealand Forests - Bird Tui (Shrub Malinovka) and Shepherd Taki, until recently, who was considered extinct and discovered only in One of the Valleys of the Fjordland, as well as the symbol of the country is a blatant bird Kiwi and a yellow-eyed penguin. In the waters of the coast there are dolphins and sea seals. A special color of the park gives an exclusively picturesque landscape of the coast rugged by deep fjords, to which the mighty glaciers are descended from the mountains, in places reaching a height of 300 m.

Fjordland
The extreme southwest of the Southern Island of New Zealand is called a fjordland-country fjords. Nature here is straightely different from the North Island hilly plateau, and only in some places low cones of young volcanoes rise. South Island - mainly mountain country, the ridge of which is the powerful chain of the southern Alps, which takes his snow vertices to almost 4 km height.

The huge glacier covered the huge glacier in the slopes of the ridge deeply awesome gorges in which one and a half of the tens of narrow long lakes were formed and at least thirty deep fjord bays that gave the name of this picturesque corner of the country. New Zealand is rare rich natural beautyBut the scenery of Fjordland is the most beautiful thing that can be seen in this fabulous edge, and maybe on the whole of our planet. The traveler who came here at the first moment loses the gift of speech, when the ship enters into the cliffs surrounded by kilometer walls of the cliffs and takes the course of deep into the island, where snow whites on the slopes of the southern Alps.

And the farther the motor ship is floating, the longer the tourist is familiar with the amazing and diverse nature of the Fjordlandland, the stronger covers his admiration for the magical beauty of the surrounding places. And it is difficult to decide what the most picturesque, the most interesting, the most majestic and most exciting in this wild and deserted country: bays or mountains, forests or waterfalls, lakes or glaciers, rare, disappearing birds or the longest mosshigh in the world ... twenty-moving mountains Thousand years ago, giant glacial languages \u200b\u200bwere cut into the rocky shores of the southern island. His main decoration - flowing at a time by 50 km deep into the winding fjords, in which three hundredth waterfalls will be overthrown. And in the vicinity of Fjord Milford Sound Waterfall Saterland, whose height reaches almost six hundred meters, is among the top five on our planet.

From no less beautiful fjords of Norway or South Chile, New Zealand bays are beneficial to the complete lack of traces of human activity. Their shores go to the water so cool that it is not easy for them to find a place not only for the village, but also for the tourist tent. The second characteristic feature of the Fjordland is an unusually close neighborhood of forests of his coast with mountain glaciers. Nowhere else on the Earth of the River Ice is not descended directly to the border of wet evergreen forests. The contrast of a bluish-tied-up cracks of the semi-kilometer thickness of the glacier with the bakery of its footballs from the Mirate, the southern beech and laurel literally affects the traveler who saw the cruise ship from the deck into the binoculars of the proud slopes of the majestic South Alps ridge.

Meanwhile, the seemingly definiteness of this picture is easily explained. Because of the steepness of the Western Facade of the South Alps, New Zealand glaciers move much faster than their congratulations somewhere in Pyrenees or Himalayas. Some of them, such as the Tasman Glacier, are moving down half meter daily. Before melting, the language of the glacier has time to come down sometimes to a height of 300 m above sea level. And the upper boundary of the forests on this latitude reaches 1000 m. As a result, ice and tropical forests meet with each other, ignoring the "intermediaries" like alpine meadows or mountain tundra.

Even more beautiful than the numerous mountain lakes of the southern Alps. Narrow, extended and squeezed rocky slopes, rising by 1.5-2 km above their blue waters, they resemble the reservoirs of the Taimyr Plateau Puratorna in Siberia. But, of course, the forests surrounding Lake Te-Anau, Wakatipu, Uanaka, Okhau or Rakaiia, is immeasurably richer, thicker, above and luxurious than Poultaya larchaeons. Valley in depth mountain areas Absolutely not populated. In many places, Fjordland has not yet stepped a man's leg. And each new expedition opens the previously unknown peaks, waterfalls, lakes and passes here.

The longest lake in New Zealand - Waicatipu - stretched from the northwest to the southeast almost 100 km, cutting the ridge with a blue transverse zigzag. Its depth reaches 400 m. There are so many rivers in Waicatipu, in the lack of people who did not have local names that the topographers prefer not to exercise fantasy, but to designate them on a map simply by sequence numbers: from the first to twenty-fifth. Mysterious is connected with this lake a natural phenomenon, explanations to which science has not yet found. Water in it every five minutes then rises to seven and a half centimeters, then lowers until the previous level. The lake is like breathing. New Zealanders love to say that the heart of the southern island beats under the waters of Wicatipu.

But how does the ancient Maori legend explains the riddle of the Lake Lake: "Long-time," the daughter of the mother of the leader manat and a brave young hunter and a Matakauri, lived in one of the valleys of the island. The young man and the girl fell in love with each other, but the trouble happened - attacked them the evil Giant Mataau and took the manat to his possessions, far deep into the snow-covered mountains. In desperation, the old leader, the father of the girl, turned to all the warriors of the tribe, begging them to save her daughter. The one who will save the girl, he promised to give it to his wife. None of the men decided to join the fight with Giant, and only Matakauri ventured for this desperate matter. The young bench rose highly in the mountains and found a sleeping giant there, and next to him - a manat attached to the tree. Freeing his beloved, he descended to her village, but he did not stay there with a girl, and returned to the mountains. After all, it was clear that, waking up, the evil gigan will come back to the valley and deal with the kidnapper, and the girl will take back.

And Matakauri decided to destroy the giant. While he slept, putting his head on one mountain, and his feet - on the other two, the young man began to carry from the forest of the twig, bruising and logs and laid the sleeping giant. Matakauri worked many days and nights. Then, lightening about a friend Two pieces of wood, he mined the fire and set fire to the fire. The flame enveloped the giant, and the smoke closed the sun. The heat from a huge campfire was so strong that the flame burned the earth. A giant vpadina was formed, a giant body resembling the outlines. The rains and mountain rivers filled it with water and turned into a lake that people called Oakatipu. And only the heart of the giant is not burned. It lies deep at the bottom of the lake and beats until now. And with each of his blow, lake waters are raised, then fall ... "

Over the past decades, such many rare birds have been found in the deaf corners of the country of fjords that the country's authorities decided to create one of the largest national parks in the world in a million two hundred thousand hectares in this part of the world. (This is more than the whole territory of Lebanon or Cyprus.) In the forests of Pjordland Park, such unicumes live such as the rarest owl parrot-cocapa, inhabitants in earthen nora and feed on snail and worms, or a huge and unusual Parrot Parrot parrot, capable , like the African vulture, to cut the carcasses of the fallen sheep, leaving only skeletons from them.

Kea was practically destroyed in other places in New Zealand, as the farmers workers believed that he could sit right on the sheep's backs and pull out the pieces of meat straight out of living animals, and therefore ruthlessly destroyed a beautiful bird, for the first time, by the way, the meat introduced only after The appearance of Europeans. After all, before that, in New Zealand, there were no mammals at all, except for the bats, and only settlers-the British taught KEA to an unusual diet. The fact is that until the invention of refrigerator vessels, New Zealand residents were sent to England only sheep wool, and carcasses were thrown out. Yes, and then around the battle enough foods for the fusion existence of a dozen of the winged "Sanitars". However, the accusation of attacks on living sheep most zoologists categorically reject.

There are also a beautiful emerald parrot, a vigorous bird of alpine forests, prosecically referred to as the Yellow Voronene, is also found in the mountain bowls of the Fjordland. And in 1948, on the shores of Lake Te-Anau, Orbell's naturalist Lovel discovered the previously extinct bird such that the herd was the largest ornithological discovery of the XX century. Taka is a fluttering bird with a large goose. It is distinguished by bright, beautiful plumage, strong legs and short thick bright red beak. Once, before the arrival of Europeans, there were so many things on the southern island that all west Coast Maori called "the place where they live."

Migrants from England hunting for unable to fly delicious game fell to taste, and at the end of the XIX century hunters stopped meeting the same. It was believed that they were fully exterminated, but after more than half a century it turned out that several pairs of unique birds found themselves on the shores of the hard to reach mountain Lake. Now the area of \u200b\u200btheir habitat is under strict guard, and a rare type of type seems to be saved from death.

Some zoologists believe that in the impregnable corners of the Fjordland, the three-meter giants of the New Zealand fauna could be survived. The disappeared several centuries ago, they were the largest birds of the Earth, along with also extinct in the inhabitant of Madagascar - a giant ostrich-epiornis. Alas, the hopes of optimists are most likely groundless. Moa traces still failed.

And on the southern part of the island can often see unusual road sign With the image of a prisoner in a red circle of a penguin. So warns the road service on the places of transition of yellow-eyed penguins - small cute birds, very unlike lifestyle on their polar fellow. They arrange nests in the forest, a few kilometers from the coast, and daily leisurely walk to the sea, where they get the food of the afraid of themselves and their offspring.

From the southernmost in New Zealand major city Danidin to the country of fjords can be reached by land and sea. In the most popular Fjordland Bay - Milford Sound - leads from Lake Uaicatip a narrow road along amazing beauty of the gorge. New Zealanders nicknamed the path of wonders. The very developed legends of the lake is associated with the culminated areas. eastern coast An old tract laid by the gold kits. At one time, Oakatipu experienced the period of "gold fever", when on his shores, like mushrooms, arose tent corks And golden fores. But the reserves of the precious metal soon ended, and now only has become tourist old road Reminds of past times.

No less interesting, and more accessible to tourist unprepared for mountain campaigns on a motor ship. Such a swimming will make it possible regardless of the weather (which is replete with rains and fogs) to enjoy fantastic scenery of the country of fjords and, in particular, to visit the Duski-Sound Highlaskaya Island, where two extreme centuries ago were a Cook Expedition Camp, which made the first card The coast of Fjordland. He called the name of his vehicle resolist and the island, which closes the hospitable and picturesque bay from the autumn storms.

And in a hundred miles to the north, it crashes 40 km deep into the coast, the main attraction of Fjordland is a famous Milford Sound. And when the ship passes the guarding entrance to him Mithra, ascended his vertex on 1700 m above the sea, and it will be surrounded by steep wooded slopes of coastal ridges, the traveler begins to seem to seem to be in a fairy tale. That blue, then the emerald waters of the fjord do not pegs the slightest breeze. A gentle voice of the Tui bird comes from the green scale. Ahead, at the turn of the bay, silver the long foam ribbon of the waterfall, and even further, in the very depths, the snow peaks of the mountains of Humboldt are tested, followed by a mysterious and having to themselves Lake Wicatipu. At the foot of the mountains hid the only settlement on the entire coast of the National Park - the tourist base of Milford Sound, from where the picturesque trail will lead the traveler to the most amazing and grandiose miracle of the nature of the South Alps - a crazy leap of a mighty river with a black cliff, wearing a Saterland waterfall name.

From him a simple pass displays a tourist to the shores of the spacious and deep lake Te-Anau, the dwelling of the clumsy red coaches - insensitive, fortunately, the pearls of the bird kingdom. Further path will lead a traveler to the running slightly north trail Miracles on which you can return to Milford Sound. But the impression of the southern island will be incomplete if you do not continue the journey over the northern border of Fjordland - to the Fjords of Westland, located at the foot highest vertices New Zealand, Cook Mountains. A stunning landscape, which opens a tourist's eyes, can be very approximately described as a Swiss view in the Mont Blanc area with a seaside landscape of Norway in the foreground. Symphony of shapes and paints of the sea, jungle, snow, ice and stone will be remembered for a tourist who fell here.

Of course, you can truly feel the charming and some piercing beauty of this mountain landscape, only by passing the southern Alps itself along the circular and ice. In addition, the breathtaking journey through the bluish-white slopes of the Franz Joseph Glacier, reaching almost 600 m in thickness, will force a traveler to survive a lot of acute sensations when the cracks in snow bridges and descents with almost sheer icefalls. The exit from the ice zone to the sea through foggy wet forests, overgrown up to the belt to the moss and announceable by ringing bird singing will become a spectacular concluding chord in this full of bright impressions, amazing contrasts and unforgettable travel scenery to the opposite direction from Moscow globe, in the finest corner of Oceania - New Zealand Fjordland