Transport in Milford Sound

As a popular tourism destination in the South Island, Milford Sound (the fiord) and the village of the same name receive very large numbers of visitors.

These tend to arrive and depart within just a few hours each day, as there is little accommodation at the village, leading to strong demand peaks for tourism services during the noon and early afternoon period.

[2] Milford Sound is a fjord in the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand, located in Fiordland, the most remote and least populated region of the country.

Divided from more populous areas to the east by the high southern spurs of the Southern Alps, its only entry apart from a difficult mountain road is a narrow channel to the Tasman Sea, which explorer Captain Cook did not enter during his 1769/1770 journey, as he considered the entry too treacherous and was unaware of the large body of water sheltered behind it.

[3] By virtue of its great natural features, Milford Sound has long since become a major tourist attraction, receiving numbers of visitors unprecedented for such a remote location, over 550,000 per year.

[2] The above difficulties in reaching this extremely popular destination have led to a number of serious proposals on how to better connect the attractions of Milford Sound to the rest of New Zealand, and how to increase tourism without reducing sustainability for this national natural treasure.

[citation needed] Drivers are encouraged to start the drive from Te Anau with full tanks of fuel, as there are very limited options to refuel thereafter.

[8] All of this does not discourage up to 50 coaches and hundreds of private cars daily from making the 608 km round trip from Queenstown (slightly less from Invercargill).

[4] Future increases in traffic will have to take into account the limitations of the existing road, which features various areas lacking passing lanes (especially problematic if cars are held up behind slow coaches on the steeper sections), a number of one-lane bridges and a narrow carriageway width.

[4] The Department of Conservation has noted that aircraft noise and activity in the Sound are often remarked on by tourists as being unexpectedly substantial (even more so on the nearby Milford Track).

Operators are also required to pay for flight monitoring, and further restrictions may be declared if more than 25% of National Park visitors consider the aircraft noise annoying.

Some operators have already complained about the restrictions, and DOC has noted that flight numbers could conceivably be increased if noise emissions would be reduced.

Starting at the northernmost edge of Lake Te Anau, the 53 km track takes four days to complete and includes one mountain pass and many areas prone to flooding.

Due to concerns about degrading the natural landscape, the track can be walked on a quota system only (and only westwards, with walkers having to stop at designated huts every night).

With only several dozen walkers allowed on the track every day, places in the quota system are usually booked out many months in advance from the administering New Zealand Department of Conservation.

[4] In April 2001, a tabloid publication was circulated via daily newspapers in the South Island by backers of the plan for both the Haast-Hollyford and Karamea-Collingwood links.

[12] Prior to the 2002 general election, the Leader of the National Party Don Brash and others were given a reconnaissance helicopter flight over the full length of the route; all were very receptive to the concept and proposal.

According to the study, the costs would be acceptable due to the local benefits and additional tourism income it would provide, though conservation groups oppose the project.

[17] In March 2010, Minister of Economic Development Gerry Brownlee met with the Westland and Southland district councils and with Hagaman, saying "I'm personally supportive of [a road] but it's not something that the Government is actually considering at the present time.

[citation needed] This proposal intended to combine a number of innovative transport options into one trip (hence 'Experience'), while still cutting the travelling time to the Sound by about one hour each way (previous hopes of longer savings seem unlikely to be realised).

Arriving at the Kiwi Burn swing bridge terminal, tourists will continue on a mechanical (as opposed to maglev) monorail travelling 35 minutes through high country and native bush for a distance of 41 km, which would be the longest monorail connection in the world, before joining up with a bus park and ride facility on the existing road to Milford Sound north of Te Anau.

Kiwi Burns Saddle, the highest point of the journey, is 675 m above sea level, and the higher-altitude section of the rail would be heated to prevent snow-buildup in winter.

Proposed by a group of South Island businessmen who also have an interest in some of the tourist operations in the Sound, this scheme would make use of the fact that the Hollyford Valley, where the existing road to Milford Sound from Te Anau turns west up to Homer Tunnel, is only a few dozen kilometres away from the Routeburn Valley (of Routeburn Track fame), in turn easily reached by existing roads.

[23] In January 2012, Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson gave notice of her intention to grant a concession for the Milford Dart proposal, subject to public submissions and hearings.

[24][25] Southland District Council Mayor Frana Cardno submitted that the Department of Conservation's support of the proposal was inconsistent with the values of World Heritage status associated with Fiordland National Park.