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Winter 2016
PARADISE PURSUER
Milford Sound isn't quite the secret it was a
century ago when Rudyard Kipling gazed upon
this timeless fjord encased in glacially carved
cliffs and 1,000-meter waterfalls and dubbed
it the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Today,
the aqueous jewel of the South Island's
Fjordland National Park receives more
than 300,000 visitors a year — who are still
quick to agree with Kipling's assessment.
Tucked on the island's remote southwest
coast nearly 200 miles from the closest major
town, New Zealand's premier natural tourist
attraction is one of the prettiest and wettest spots
in the Antipodes. Visitors can experience Milford
Sound via boat cruise, helicopter flightseeing tour
or long, circuitous car or bus ride. A favorite, up-close
method: paddling deep into this rapturous water world in
a sea kayak.
Bucket list hikers will want to reserve several days and plan far
ahead for the most dramatic (and strenuous) approach to Milford Sound:
by foot along the rugged Milford Track, which rambles for more than 33
miles (one way) through lush rain forest and over craggy mountain passes.
Eighth Wonder
of the World
THE
"
"
"
"
Adventure
capital of
the World
Photo
by
Chris
Sisarich
