Fiordland National Park, National park in South Island, New Zealand
Fiordland National Park is a protected wilderness area in the southwest corner of New Zealand's South Island, covering mountains, valleys, rainforests, and fourteen deep inlets carved by ancient glaciers along the coast. The landscape shows steep rock walls rising from dark water, thick forest with moss-covered trees, and waterfalls that drop hundreds of meters into narrow basins.
In 1904, 10,000 km² were set aside as a national reserve after proposals by Thomas Mackenzie and John Hay. The Milford Track, opened in 1889 by Quintin McKinnon and Donald Sutherland, drew walkers, and a 1908 London Spectator article called it the "Finest Walk in the World". The National Parks Act of 1952 formally made Fiordland New Zealand's third national park, coinciding with the Homer Tunnel opening for public road access to Milford Sound.
In Māori tradition the fiords were carved by Tū Te Rakiwhanoa to make the coast habitable, and Hine-nui-te-pō created sandflies to keep people from idling in so beautiful a place. Māori made seasonal visits to fish, hunt and collect greenstone at Milford Sound, and the name Fiordland comes from the Norwegian word fjord.
Access is usually through the town of Te Anau on the eastern edge, where roads and marked trails lead into different parts of the area. Weather conditions change quickly, so it helps to bring layers of clothing and waterproof gear, especially for longer walks.
Some of the rainforest trees have been growing for over 800 years, forming a canopy so thick that little light reaches the forest floor. The flightless kakapo parrot, active only at night, survives in protected pockets of the area through intensive management programs.
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