Best Vistas Of The World

Best Vistas of the World: Milford Sound

The Maori attribute the creation of the New Zealand fjords, such as Milford Sound, to Tute Rakiwhanoa, who cut the steep-sided valleys with his adze. What other explanation could there be for these spectacularly steep, sheer cliffs that rise nearly vertically from the ocean? In 1883, explorer James Hingston wrote, "For thousands of feet upwards the eye looks upon straight cut rocky frontages, not worn smooth by time, or by wind or water, but as sharply defined and as fresh looking in all respects as if riven asunder but yesterday by the stupendous wedges of Titanic Masons.” Milford Sound is the best known of the fjords, running nearly 10 miles from its head to the open sea. But being here is just half the fun. The steep and sinuous Milford Road makes the 74-mile drive from Te Anau a stunning immersion in numerous viewpoints of alpine scenery and massive scale, all of which build to the joyous, breathtaking sight of Milford Sound.