Saturday 24th March 2007. Milford Sound. New Zealand.

If the major attraction of Southland is the Fiordland National Park then Milford Sound is its glorious heart.

Milford Sound is commonly referred to as New Zealand's most beautiful spot...and that is saying something in this fabulous country.

Enroute this morning we stop at the Mirror Lakes. These lakes were created by the Eglinton River as it flowed through the valley. At some point in time the river shifted position and abandoned these deep pools. Deposition partially filled the channels leaving isolated pools called Oxbow Lakes. The lakes are fed by the snow and rain-fed Black Creek.

The Eglinton River starts at The Divide and flows down the valley to Lake Te Anau.

Today we cross that Divide to the West Coast.

West Coast folk are known as Coasters and are regarded as a rare breed of independent, feisty, down to earth and hospitable folk. This may be a reflection of the isolation of the West Coast which sits between the towering Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea.

The Maori were the first to discover the West Coast as they sought out the sacred greenstone or pounamu; in the 1860's gold fever was to draw many Europeans.

Within its borders the West Coast is home to five of New Zealand's fourteen National Parks: Kahurangi, Paparoa, Arthur's Pass, Westland and Mt Aspiring. A landscape of rushing rivers, wild coastline, ancient rainforests, mountains, lakes and glaciers; the area is infact home to more than 60 glaciers in the Westland/Tai Poutini National Park including Franz Josef where I am heading in a few days.

Today I am Kayaking on Milford Sound and it is a spectacularly beautiful spot on this splendid day. My partner in crime is Joanne and we set quite the pace.

Out on the Sound for over four hours (a Sound is a flooded river valley and Milford Sound was actually wrongly named as it is a fjord and thus cut by glacial activity); we see many fur seals. We are also lucky enough to see a White Heron and some Cormorants up close.

Milford Sound was where according to Maori legend the fiords were created not by rivers of ice, but by Tu Te Raki Whanoa, a godly figure who came wielding a magical adze and uttering incantations. Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) is without a doubt this God's finest sculpture and they say that whatever the fiord's mood, be it teeming with rain, or glistening with the sun on the deep waters, you will be inspired...and I have to agree.

Our afters are at the Blue Dock Cafe before we head out back to Te Anau.

On the way back we visited The Chasm which is a true wonder of nature. Carved by the power of water, where hard and soft rock meet, this area is a reflection of the fact that water continues to shape our geological history.

As waterfalls cascade down steep rockfaces and mists cover the mountain tops the feeling of Gandalf is confirmed by the Kea birds circling above us as we pull to the side of the road. They seem totally unconcerned by human interaction.

Dinner tonight is with the group at Redcliff, a rather pretentious little place with average food.