TE ANAU TO MILFORD SOUND HWY

Climbing through the Southern Alps, State Highway 94 is one of the highest and most scenic state highways in New Zealand. The highest part of the road is at 940 metres above sea level. The Milford Road, part of SH94, takes you from Te Anau through Fiordland National Park to the major tourist gateway - Milford Sound.

Over one million people visit Fiordland every year and Milford Sound is one of their favourite destinations. A part of UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is no wonder that Milford Sound was described by Rudyard Kipling as the 'eighth wonder of the world'.One of the most incredible and frequently overlooked features of Milford Sound is the journey to get there.

Transit New Zealand looks after the Milford Road which provides the only road access to Milford Sound. It is therefore essential for Transit to keep this road safe and open all year round. In winter season (May to September) snow, ice and risk of avalanches make safe driving critical.

We visited this part of New Zealand in February 2003, in the middle of the Southern Summer. As you can see form the photos, there was still snow on the mountain peaks and Milford Sound was shrouded in clouds. It was all very beautiful nevertheless!

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme.