New Zealand is a place Fiorland National Park which is famous for its natural beauty and charm of Milford Sound to the top of a natural attraction to invite admiration of the visitors in every season. Here's the story Pungky Utami visiting Milford Sound, a summary of the natural beauty of the natural phenomenon of a long process of formation of fjords. executive summary by darmansjah
WintertemperatureinAugustwasstabbedwhenwe lefttownthat morningtoQueenstownParkFiorland. FromQueenstown, we went toTe Anau, asmalltownto be takenfor approximately twohours away. Unfortunately the weather wasnotonourside. We left thecityQueenstownaccompanied by afogso that Wakatipu Lake, located on the right sidecannotlookat allthe snowandrainheavyenoughto makea layerof snow onthe roadare becoming increasinglybold.
Thankfully, nearTeAnau, the snow stoppedandthe skywasbrightagain. It is true, the weather in the mountainous areais rapidly changingandunpredictable.Pause atthe parkVisitor Centre, wegetinformationabout thecurrentweatheralong theMilfordRoadandMilfordSound. It is veryimportant to knowbecause ofthewinterroadroutealong theMilfordRoadwhich dividesthe parkis oftencovered withsnowslidesso thateveryvehiclethat crossesthe routemustcarrysnowchainsto keep thevehiclefrom sliding. For safety, you will berentinga pair ofsnow chainsforNZD35.
TeAnauis thelast placeto refuelbeforeheadingto tasteMilfordSound. Travelingback and forthfromTeAnauto MilfordSounda distance ofapproximately240 km. brochurecomplete withthe followingroutesareinterestingplacestostop offalong theMilfordRoad, off we went. Sightsalong thespectacularMilfordRoad. The series oftoweringmountainswithsnowon topmakeseverything inbetween,even thebigbusesthat passthe time,lookedstunted. Inmyimagination, locatedatMilfordRoadas ifthrowninto thepast when thedimension ofhumannatureandyetthereis stillpurein its form, complete with an atmosphere ofdesolation.Along theMilfordRoad, Iincreasinglyrealizethat manis nothingat allcomparedwith the universeis sogreat. Along the way, we stoppedtovisitMirrorLake. Inshallow lakes, we canseea perfectreflection ofaseries ofEglintonMountainscovered with snowand vegetationuniquemountainplants. So pretty!.
Entering the Monkey Creek, there is a prohibited area to stop along the 17 km in the winter because of avalanche-prone. And sure enough, there are many traces of avalanches from the mountain range. Shortly thereafter, we entered along the 1.2 km Homer Tunel which again covered in snow. The final stop before reaching Milford Sound is The Chasm, Cleddau river flow results with the pressure that resulted in such a way against the rock carvings in its path. The Chasm into areas such as entering the green forest full of secrets and when we looked down from the bridge, I saw a giant rock grotto complete with a sound resembling the roaring water make this place as well as the creepy but intriguing.
Finally we arrived at Milford Sound before sunset and stay at the Milford Lodge, one of two specialty epidermis contained within this area. Profits stay in the area of Milford Sound is that we can choose the itinerary is quite flexible, in contrast to when we book a ticket to the point of initial departure from Queenstown or Te Anau. There are many carriers that serve the cruise down Milford Sound, and each has a shipping schedule for morning, noon, and evening. In general, most carriers are pursuing passengers sailing during the day time so that at almost the same moment of silence in the park will be replaced with a large group of tourists crowd and rows of tourist buses on any interesting attractions. This is in contrast to our experience, in which almost every place we visited only the sound of silence and the breeze is heard. There are several types of cruises are offered, ranging from cheapest to most expensive price, depending on the operator, the type and duration of the voyage. At the inn, we took a cruise early schedule for Encounter Cruise with Southern Discoveries operator who departed from the port at 09:45 and lasted 135 minutes. If the Scenic Cruise focuses on the beautiful places along the Milford Sound and a duration of 90 minutes, then Encouter Cruise took us to look more closely at the life of existing vegetation along this beautiful fjords.
The starting point ofthe cruisestartsatMilfordWharfVisitorCentrelocatedinFrehwaterBasin. Misty morningdoes not diminishthe beauty ofMilfordSound. It was truewhat waspresented byour lodginginQueenstownreceptionist, thatrainor not, in winterorsummer, thepanoramic view ofMilfordSoundwillnotdisappointanyonewho visits. Throughoutthe cruisewe sawa series oftoweringmountainsandicemeltin thehigh mountainpeakscreatingwaterfalls inseveral places. IconicMilfordSound, MitrePeaktoweringapproximately1.682metersfrom the surface ofstandingwateras ifto keepthe naturalpeacethattrulyeye-catching.Froma short distance awaywe couldseethe region'svegetationseriesfollowsthecuteanimalinhabitants, from the colonyof sealsloungingbytinypenguins. Unfortunatelywefailed tomeetthat morningwith theotherinhabitants oftheMilfordSounddolphins.
MilfordSoundis an example offjordsformed bythemelting oficeresulting inthe valleys oftheU-shapedwithsteepcliffsasseen alongmany ofourvoyagethat morning.Thesefjordshavevarieddepthsup to300m. Accordingbeliefsof the Maoritribe, the ancestors of thosewhohavecarved ahalf-god Tuterakiwhanoaicebergsat this timeon its waytoachievingPiopiotahi(Milford) MilfordSound, forming as wesee today.
Once in themouth ofthe fjordsaredirectly adjacent to theTasmanSea, the shipwasturnedbacktook usto see sometinypenguinsstanding onthe rocks. FiordlandCrestedPenguin, which is one type ofpenguinis rare in theworld is sosmalltomeandother passengerswhowereon the deck ofthe shiphad troublefindingthem. Conservation regulationsin New Zealandandrockslimit theshiptomoveclosertoseethisfunnyanimalclearly.However,almostallpassengers, includingus, arequite happytomeet withone ofthe originalinhabitants ofMilfordSound
Shippingcontinuestoplacea sealcolonySealRock, rockylandon the seafrontwherea bunch ofcutesealsareoftenseensunning. It turned outjustright, when he got inSealRocknumberof sealsseenwere lyingidle,presentinga uniqueview oftheextraordinaryadorable! Satisfiedlooking atthe familydogfrom theseanear theshipto take us toStirlingFalls, one ofthe threemajorwaterfallsinMilfordSoundareestimated tohave existed15.000years ago. The skyslowlybrightenedwhenthe shipmovesbacktowardthe harborandwe werefinallyable toenjoy acruisein the sunshine.
PanoramaandbiodiversityMilfordSoundis very special, so do notbe surprised ifthis placebecame one ofthe most famoustourist destinationsinNew Zealand, andeven around the world. With a locationsoremotefjords ofMilfordSoundto bethe only one inthearea ofFiordlandNational Parkwhich is accessibleby roadvia theMilfordRoadwithstunningpanoramicexceptional. FiordlandNational Parkitself is thelargest national parkin New Zealand, covering an area of approximately1.2millionhectares, and is partofTeWahipounamuSouthWestNewZealandWorldHeritageAreaUnesco.
How To Get There
Milford Sound is located in southwest South Island, within Fiordland National Park. There are no direct flights linking Jakarta with cities in New Zealand. You should at least do one-time transit. Of Jakartra you can use the Singapore Airlines (http://www.singaporeair.com) destination transit in Changi Christchurch with Qantas Airways transit or using one-time in Sydney, Australia. You can also use AirAsia (www.airasia.com) Christchurch with one goal in Kuala Lumpur transit. Of Bali you can use for later transit Jetstar Airways in Sydney dang anti aircraft to Christchurch Qantas Airways.
How To Explore
To visit Milford Sound you should spend the night in Queenstown which is about 479km from Chirstchurch. You use the bus (www.intercitycoach.co.nz; www.newmanscoach.co.nz; and www.toplinetours.co.nz) or use the airline Air New Zealand or Jetstar Airways (www.jetstar.com) to fly from Christchurch to Queenstown. From Queenstown you could drive a rental car or tour bus trip to Milford Sound with about five hours. If you drive a car or bus, you have to leave early. Prepare yourself to face congestion during the holiday season, good jams on the way home or while using the facilities at tourist spots. You can explore Milford Sound boat ride or cruise ship. Some tour operators also offer overnight cruises, which gives more time for you to enjoy the scenery in Milford Sound. You could also try some water sports such as canoeing and kayaking.
Where To Stay
To date there is only one inn in Milford Sound, and as always you should book a place full of far-distant day.
Mildford Sound Lodge
