Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tables for evenings of pizza and beer in the bar. You'll find the Blue Duck on the edge of
the main Milford car park; activity booking office on site.
Getting There & Away
BUS
InterCity
( 03-471 7143;
www.intercity.co.nz
)
runs daily bus services to Milford Sound from Te
Anau (three hours) and Queenstown (six hours) on to which you can add a cruise when
services, with connections south from Invercargill, and north from Queenstown.
Fiordland
Tours
( 021 537 704, 0800 247 249;
www.fiordlandtours.co.nz
)
runs small-group day tours and trans-
port taking in Milford (with cruise) as well as the Hollyford.
All these buses pass the Divide and the start/end of the Routeburn, Greenstone and
Caples Tracks.
CAR
Fill up with petrol in Te Anau before setting off. Chains must be carried on avalanche-risk
days from May to November (there will be signs on the road), and can be hired from ser-
vice stations in Te Anau.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Manapouri
POP 230
Manapouri is the jumping-off point for cruises to Doubtful Sound, with most visitors
heading straight to the boat harbour for the ferry to West Arm. This leaves the town sleepy
and somewhat underrated, for not only is Lake Manapouri one of NZ's most beautiful,
with a backdrop rivalling Te Anau, there are ample interesting things to do and local
people to do them with.
In 1969 Manapouri was the site of NZ's first major environmental campaign. The ori-
ginal plan for the West Arm hydroelectric power station, built to supply electricity for the
aluminium smelter near Invercargill, required raising the level of the lake by 30m. A peti-
tion gathered a staggering 265,000 signatures (17% of voting-age New Zealanders at the
time) and the issue contributed to the downfall of the government at the following elec-
