Be sure to include a visit to the observatory in your
Te Anau - Milford
itinerary
Have you ever
- looked at beautiful photographs or documentaries showing
underwater life and wished it were possible to see it yourself?
- felt dissatisfied because an aquarium can show you sea creatures
only in an artificial environment?
- envied those who have had the chance to dive and see the wonders
of underwater life for themselves?
Forget those unsatisfied dreams. Visit the Milford Deep Underwater
Observatory in Milford Sound.
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Milford Deep Underwater Observatory
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The brochure for the Observatory immediately caught my interest. An
intriguing photo taken by a diver shows two people looking out of a
window
at the underwater life in all its richness of colur and diversity. The
simple wording avoids the hype and extravagant language advertisers use
for
less significant tourist attractions.
It reads, "Learn about the marine life of the Piopiotahi Marine Reserve
from the interesting interpretation displays. Then descend to the
viewing
chamber nine metres below the waterline. Observe intimately and
undisturbed, the corals, anemones, sponges and fish species within their
natural habitat. This underwater community is vibrant and
everchanging."
I quote, because I couldn't express it better or more concisely. I have
praised the brochure for its restraint, but I find myself driven to
superlatives in describing the experience of visiting the
observatory.
Why choose to build an underwater observatory in Harrison Cove in
Milford Sound?
In the fiords of Fiordland there are many species which are either rare
or
usually live in much deeper water elsewhere. Black coral fits both
these
criteria, as it is rare and if found is usually at forty five metre
depths
or more.
The Piopiotahi Marine Reserve
This reserve has been formed on the northern side of Milford Sound to
preserve the special underwater environment. It extends from Dale Point
at
the outer end of the Sound to the Bowen Falls and along the end of the
runway. All of Milford Sound is closed to commercial fishing, and no
interference at all is allowed in the marine reserve half. Milford Deep
Underwater Observatory is in the middle of this reserve.
Why are deep sea creatures found in shallow water in the
fiords?
Milford Sound was formed by glaciers. The entrance is narrow and because
of
the debris which the glaciers pushed forward during the Ice Ages that
entrance is also shallow. The result is that the water is
comparatively
calm and gives a stable environment for the underwater creatures.
A further reason is that Milford Sound receives large quantities of
fresh
water from the high rainfall and the rivers that flow into it. That
fresh
water does not flow out to sea quickly because of the narrow, shallow
entrance. Being less dense than salt water it lies as a layer on top of
the salt water. The rain water that flows into the sound has come from
forested mountains and has been discoloured by the tannins in the litter
and growth on the forest floor. This results in a layer of dark
water
which covers the sea water and darkens the environment below. This
layer
varies from one metre to ten metres deep in the fiord, and below it sea
creatures can live in a dark environment such as would be found in most
other places only at 45 metres depth.
Report of the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute
After the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute visited Milford Sound in
1978
and reported on the unique life under the surface laws were passed in
1980
to protect black coral and red coral which are valuable and sought after
for use in jewellery.
The marine biologist, Dr Joyce Richardson, was part of the NZOI team and
had obtained a grant from the National Geographic to investigate black
coral.
The current manager of Milford Deep Underwater Observatory, Alistair
Child,
then a cray fisherman familiar with black coral sites, dived with the
NZOI
team.
The report of the research team led to the first tentative plans for the
Underwater Observatory. Dr Richardson had seen the Queenstown
Underwater
Observatory designed by her cousin Arthur Tyndall, and approached him
about
the idea of establishing an underwater observatory in Milford Sound.
Arthur Tyndall's firm undertook the development of the observatory
which
was a combined research and tourism project. He learned to dive as it
was
essential to see what was happening under the water. Considerable
experimentation was done with boxes of plants and animals growing under
water at the proposed site for four years before the observatory
opened.
Choosing the site
Harrison Cove was chosen as the site because it fitted the criteria for
the
observatory:
- it is sheltered from the day breeze blowing onshore - necessary for
berthing boats and taking passengers on to the observatory.
- there is minimal risk of a tree avalanche in which occasionally the
trees growing on a steep mountainside in minimal soil are
dislodged in a storm. (This was confirmed by the existence of
a 4.5 metre black coral tree growing at 18 metres below the surface
at the site.)
- the slope of the fiord below water level allowed for the
observatory to stay close to the side as it rose and fell with the
tide.
- it is an area which nurtures a cross section of the marine life in the
Sound.
Building the Observatory
A complex structure was planned. A viewing chamber with the reception
area
attached was to be held to the wall of the fiord by three hinged arms,
and
be able to rise and fall with the tide. Two docking platforms and a
generator shed to house two LPG fuelled generators to provide power were
to
be outside the reception area.
The planning was a long and detailed process. There was no room for
errors
in such an undertaking.
Gaining consents and permits under the Resource Management Act required
twenty seven consent processes.
If you've read the article on the road to Milford you will already be
aware
of how difficult it is to bring in any large structures by land. The
solution was to build the reception area, the docking and the generator
platforms at Deepwater Basin in Milford Sound and the viewing chamber in
Invercargill.
The viewing chamber was built in three sections which were taken by road
to
the port of Bluff and connected. The total structure was built of fifty
tonnes of steel and was more than twelve metres high and nearly nine
metres
in diameter. Taking it through the Homer Tunnel was an impossibility,
so
it had to come by sea for 380 kilometres through waters which were
subject
to gales and along a coast which is rugged and inhospitable.
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The completed viewing chamber just before launching at Bluff
Photo source Ian Hamilton
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With the windows protected and extra concrete poured in to make it
stable
the viewing chamber was towed from Bluff when the weather forecast
looked
favourable and reached Harrison Cove on 19 September, 1995 - a four day
trip in good weather just before severe gales hit the area.
One worry was that there would be damage from semi-submerged containers.
There had been news on the radio that a container ship had lost a
container
in Foveaux Strait. There was a light on top of the observatory which
would
go on if the viewing chamber took in any serious quantity of water. It
didn't go on. The only real problem occurred when the tow boat turned
at
right angles to enter the Sound. The tow rope slackened and dropped to
the
bottom and became snagged on a rock. Fortunately careful manoeuvring
set
it free and the towing continued.
The planners were scrupulous about ensuring that no foreign marine
organisms or other pollutants were brought into Milford Sound by the
viewing chamber, so all its underwater surfaces were scrubbed down on
leaving the Bluff Harbour and again at Anita Bay at the entrance to
Milford
Sound.
After long hours finishing the project for the next two and half months
the
observatory was opened on 6 December 1995. People from the Ngai Tahu
tribe
over many centuries visited the Milford area so it was fitting that a
party
from this tribe gave a Maori blessing at the opening. The heavens gave
a
blessing too as the heavy rain ceased briefly and the sun shone through
between the clouds.
Visiting Milford Deep Underwater Observatory
Your launch trip gives you a thirty minute visit. Disembarking is easy
and no time is lost. The programme for the visit begins with a short
talk
about the fiords and the marine environment. The reception area
features
displays and a news board noting recent special events in the underwater
environment.
Information sheets are given out and you can choose among five
languages.
Next comes the descent into the well of the building - the equivalent of
going down three storeys.
The view from the windows
I was immediately fascinated by the views out of the window - first in
the
dim natural light of the fiord, and then with low level lighting
switched
on. Our guide explains that sunlight is filtered as it penetrates the
water causing colours to be absorbed, but low-powered lights close to
the
subject give the true colours of marine life. And those vivid colours
give
a brilliant picture of the marine life outside.
