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Scenic Highlights - Part Three
Te Anau To Milford
Dorothy - 18/2/00
An engineering achievement opening up magnificent scenery
The day trip from Te Anau
There is limited accommodation at Milford Sound, but there is ample time
to
make a day trip and visit the Sound and the Observatory.
Some visitors travel to Milford by in their own cars. This gives you
the
advantage of choosing where and how long you will stop along the way.
However many travellers come by bus from Te Anau or even from
Queenstown.
Designline has designed special vehicles to allow
visitors to have the maximum view of the high mountains along the
way.
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The Mirage known as the Bullet, specially designed for the Milford trips
Photo source Designline
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Whether you travel from Te Anau by car, by bus or by plane the majesty
of
the mountain scenery makes an impact which is awesome in the true sense
of
that word. In fine weather the mountain tops are clearer, but in rain
the
numerous waterfalls are even more impressive.
The journey an experience worth reliving
We have made the trip to Milford several times, but each time as we
enter
the towering mountainous terrain we realise that we had forgotten just
how
magnificent the country is. With different weather and the changing
seasons the views are never just the same.
Every time we travel that road we are impressed by how much it has been
improved over the years since our first visit. In the rugged country
with
its taxing weather the building and the maintenance of the road
represent
an engineering triumph, but one not achieved without suffering and loss
of
life in the early years.
The development of the road
The route for the road was recommended by W. H. Homer after he and
George
Barber discovered the Homer Saddle on 27 January 1889. Homer
persisted
in the suggestion that a tunnel through the saddle would open up the
Milford area in spite of opposition from the surveyor whom he took to
assess the viability of the idea.
A year later R. W. Holmes, then District Engineer for Wellington, was
asked
to conduct an investigation and reported that the construction of a
tunnel
was feasible. He estimated that the cost would be ?000 for a tunnel
eight
feet high and six feet wide, suitable for horse traffic. In view of
the
major difficulties encountered in the building of a larger tunnel in the
1930s this was a very optimistic estimate of the cost.
No action on building the tunnel was taken until the depression years
from
1929 onward when a number of roading projects were implemented to
provide
jobs for the unemployed. The work was hard labour as it was all done
with
shovels and wheel barrows. This method of construction first took the
road
from the Te Anau township for 30km (19 miles) to reach the Te Anau Downs
Station.
The road reached the Divide by 1934. Then the workmen had to face the
difficult challenge of building a road down the steep side of the
Hollyford
Canyon. Blasting and using wheelbarrows and shovels to carry away the
debris was heart- and back-breakingly slow.
Tunnel construction begun in 1935
From there to the site of the Homer Tunnel near the head of the Hollyford
Valley there was only a pack track, but in the middle of winter - in a
climate of snow, ice, torrential rain and avalanches - five men began
work
on the tunnel - again with only manual labour with picks and shovels.
The engineers had made a decision to take the shortest route for the
tunnel
with the portal near the left side at the head of the valley. Some
local
mountaineers had advised that avalanches were frequent in the vicinity
of
the proposed portal, and had suggested a longer tunnel from a portal a
few
hundred metres to the right. However this advice was not taken and a
shorter tunnel was put through on the left.
The men's first task was to get through the outer scree to the solid
rock
to begin blasting. Avalanches during the construction period made the
project difficult and over two years caused the deaths of three men and
injured others. To prevent a repeat of these disasters an extension was
added to the tunnel mouth. The work continued until 1940 when the
mountain
wall was finally pierced. The length of the tunnel was 1,219 metres
(4,000
ft). With all resources and manpower being directed to the war effort
work
was halted until after the war. Damage occurred once again in 1945 when
the air blast of an avalanche from high above acted like an explosive,
knocking flat the tunnel extension.
Opening 1954
In 1953 Downer and Company finished the enlarging of the tunnel to 18ft
x
24 ft wide (5.5m x 7m), and in 1954 the tunnel was opened to private
cars.
At that time it was only wide enough to take one way traffic. Now it
accommodates two way traffic in comfort.
Take plenty of film with you.
The distance from Te Anau to Milford is 121 km (75.5 miles) and the
sealed
road surface makes for confortable travelling, but you need to allow at
least two hours for the journey, as you will want to pause at the
viewing
areas and take photographs of the mountains and lakes along the way.
After travelling through farmland to Te Anau Downs Station you enter the
beech forest, mainly red beech, with a canopy of trees over the road.
At
about fifty kilometres you enter Fiordland National Park and travel
beside
the Eglinton River up the Eglinton Valley. Huge mountains tower along
the
valley sides, some two thousand feet sheer above the valley floor.
The Mirror Lakes as the name implies, give the photographer a great
opportunity to take impressive pictures especially when the mountains
that
they mirror have snow on the tops.
The next stretch of road is known as the Avenue of the Disappearing
Mountain. An optical illusion means that the mountain ahead appears to
grow smaller as you approach it.
Further on past Knobs Flat the beech forest closes in again and at 76 km
(48 miles) you reach Cascade Creek where a camp was set up for the men
working on the road construction. A short distance beyond it is the
Lake
Gunn Nature Walk.
Soon you come to The Divide - the lowest of the passes across the
Southern
Alps. This point is the start of the Routeburn Track and the Greenstone
Track (three day walks to Lake Wakatipu) and the half-day tracks to Key
Summit and Lake Howden.
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Mt Crosscut from Key Summit - painting by Bill Moore
(Click here
for a larger version)
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From the Divide the road goes gradually downhill and after a short distance
there is a vehicle stop and viewing platform.
From this point on the road runs parallel to the Hollyford River in the
Upper Hollyford Valley. Note the turnoff on the right to the Lower
Hollyford where are the Hollyford Camp and historical museum.
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Mt Talbot from the Upper Hollyford - painting by Bill Moore
(Click here
for a larger version)
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You can see more about Bill Moore and his paintings here
As you approach the Homer Tunnel you cannot fail to notice the
impressive
peak of Mount Talbot.
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Mt Talbot
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Drive through the Homer tunnel and begin the long descent to Milford
Sound,
but rather than hurrying to your destination stop at The Chasm where a
well
paved path takes you to view the Cleddau River which has scoured its way
through solid rock.
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The Chasm
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Back on the road you soon reach Milford Sound itself and the familiar
view
of Mitre Peak.
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