[1] However, the project then languished in planning for 40 years, possibly because in 1889 road building had been removed from the brief of the Public Works Department, and only reinstated with much more limited authority in 1909.

Improvements to the Homer Tunnel portals are ongoing and remain on the NZ Transport Agency's plans, with the aim of reducing closures of this important tourist route.

The road runs for a further 20 km towards Mossburn, the self-proclaimed deer capital of New Zealand (name change to Devon Street).

A car park at the Mirror Lakes on the northbound side is a popular stopping point for tour buses, as it is roughly halfway between Te Anau and Milford Sound.

Continuing from there, the road rises steadily to the head of the valley, a large cirque surrounded by sheer cliffs of the towering mountains around it.

After descending steeply via three hairpin turns, the road follows the valley floor for its last 16 kilometres down to sea level at Milford Sound, passing one last car park at The Chasm along the way.

Before the sealing of the road in the 1980s, it was treated as a day's adventure from the township of Te Anau and Milford Sound the climax of the journey.

Modern marketing and faster buses have made Milford Sound a destination from Queenstown involving 8 hours of bus transit, a round trip with few stops.

Ironically, Peter Jackson picked an area that once contained New Zealand's only place names from J. R. R. Tolkien that was removed from the official maps in the 1980s, as they were deemed inappropriate for this region.

[11] There are many places of Local History not signposted by Transit New Zealand, such as the Cleddau Horse Bridge, the Hollyford Hydro Powerstation remains, the Old Homer Tunnel construction village site, however, Transit New Zealand has kept the historic White Mile Posts that are a feature of the early days of the Milford Road Construction.

Mossburn is the closest settlement to the Mount White Wind Farm which at full capacity can power almost all the entire Southland region.

The Ōreti, Mataura and Waiau Rivers that dominate the flatter regions of SH 94 between Gore and Te Anau are popular fishing spots for brown trout.

[12] Tourists to Milford Sound arrive mainly via coach over the length of SH 94 from Mossburn, a predominantly high mountain road which is prone to avalanches in winter.

[2] There are no petrol stations on the length of the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound, meaning that vehicles need to take enough fuel for a return trip.

The road is closed an average 8 days a year, mainly during the winter months, when the entire length of SH 94 is susceptible to snowfall.