New Zealand Escape: Fiords, Forests and Freedom

If there are two things New Zealand isn’t short on, its activities and beautiful scenery. Fiords, snow capped peaks, glaciers you can walk on, silky blue lakes, rain forests laced with beech trees and feathered with ferns, as well as mountains green with wild thyme and tall pines were just some of the reasons.

New Zealand’s South Island lures you in. New Zealand is a perfect, something-for-every-age-group choice with its wacky soft adventures, gorgeous scenery, sophisticated wineries, good shopping, and wonderful walking trails. Here’s some of what you might discover during your cruise or on an extended stay.

EXPLORING FORESTS AND FIORDS

From Queenstown, enjoy a scenic a three-hour drive (about 100 miles) to Te Anau, the lakeside town that serves as the base for “tramps” (walks/hikes) on the Milford Track, part of Fiordland National Park. Reaching the trailhead required an hour-long lake cruise. This scenic cruise will have you captivated by the numerous waterfalls cascading down cliffs and crowned by rainbows. Although the Milford Track, dubbed “the finest walk in the world,” extends for 34 miles, there’s also a shorter 6.6-mile easy loop. Here you can amble through beech tree forests covered with mosses, pause for a picnic lunch alongside the fast-moving Clinton River, then walk a boardwalk trail laced with waist-high ferns that open up to a glade rimmed with mountain peaks.

MEETING THE SHEEP

Did we mention the sheep? In New Zealand, sheep outnumber humans 10 to 1 and on every drive you’ll see meadows full. At one of the region’s many sheep farms, you can kneel in a meadow, holding the front legs of a wiggly ewe dubbed Dolly to admire their thick, curly locks. While watching how the sheep dogs, impressively respond to different whistles, herding Dolly and a flock of her mates into a tight circle. In the national park, you can also saunter along easy paths that wind along the river and through the forest. You’ll spot yellow mistletoe in a grove of beech trees, the peaks of Black Mountains, soaring 6,600 feet, and a gurgling stream to a clearing showcasing the snow-covered, 8,000-foot high Bealey Spur.

DOUBTFUL SOUND

Sometimes called the 'Sound of Silence' Doubtful Sound is the deepest (1382 Feet) and second longest (24 Miles) of the South Island's fiords. The powerful serenity of the fiord, named Doubtful Harbour by Captain James Cook, who didn't sail into the inlet because it looked a bit tight, contrasts with the nearby Milford Sound.

Like other fiords in the area, Doubtful Sound contains two distinct layers of water that don't mix. The top few feet is fresh water, fed by runoff from the surrounding mountains. Below this is a layer of salt water from the sea. The difference in refractive index between these two layers makes it difficult for light to penetrate. As a result, many deep-sea species - such as black coral - grow in the comparatively shallow depths.

Doubtful Sound has some splendid waterfalls, particularly during the wetter seasons. In the Hall Arm, the Browne Falls cascades 2000 feet; Helena Falls at Deep Cove tumbles 721 feet. Wildlife is another reason to visit this fiord - keep an eye out for bottlenose dolphins, fur seals and penguins.

From a great glass of wine to an adventurous hike to moments of pure awe, you’ll find it all on your New Zealand vacation.