Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
knock your socks off, and the nature walk around the boggy tops and stunted beech is a
great excuse to linger.
From the Divide, the road falls into the beech forest of the Hollyford Valley (stop at Pop's
View for a great outlook) and there's a worthwhile detour off SH94 down the Lower
Hollyford to Gunn's Camp, 8km along the unsealed road leading to the Hollyford Track, a
further 9km away, where you will also find the track to Humboldt Falls (30 minutes return).
Also known as Hollyford Camp, Gunn's Camp ( www.gunnscamp.org.nz ; Lower Hollyford Valley Rd;
camping per person $15, dm $25, cabins $65, bed linen extra $5) is a stronghold of colourful pioneer le-
gends - of ridiculously difficult road-building, and of Davey Gunn, the hard-core bush-
man who drove stock then guided tourists through the valley for 25 years before falling
off his horse and drowning in 1950. This 1930s public-works camp has a small shop and
museum (adult/child $2/free), as well as original cabins with coal/wood-fired stoves, one
newer bunkroom and a similarly modern communal kitchen-lounge. Payment is by cash
or credit cards only, and the electricity generator gets switched off at 10pm.
Back on the main road to Milford, the road climbs through the cascade-tastic valley to
the Homer Tunnel , 101km from Te Anau and framed by a spectacular, high-walled, ice-
carved amphitheatre. Begun as a relief project in the 1930s and finally opened to motor
traffic in 1954, the tunnel is one way, with the world's most alpine set of traffic lights to
direct traffic. Dark, magnificently rough-hewn and dripping with water, the 1270m-long
tunnel emerges at the other end at the head of the spectacular Cleddau Valley . Any spare
'wows' might pop out about now. Kea (alpine parrots) hang around the tunnel looking for
food from tourists, but don't feed them as it's bad for their health.
About 10km before Milford, the wheelchair- and pram-friendly Chasm Walk (20 minutes
return) is well worth a stop. The forest-cloaked Cleddau River plunges through eroded
boulders in a narrow chasm, creating deep falls and a natural rock bridge. From here,
watch for glimpses of Mt Tutoko (2746m), Fiordland's highest peak, above the beech forest
just before Milford.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Milford Sound/Piopiotahi
POP 114
The first sight of Milford Sound is stunning. Sheer rocky cliffs rise out of still, dark wa-
ters, and forests clinging to the slopes sometimes relinquish their hold, causing a 'tree
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search