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Clifden Caves and Fiordland 15.-16.12. 2019

The way from the south coast to MIlford Sound led us through a small town called Clifden. The landscape changed and the bedrock appeared to be limestone.

And indeed, there were caves there that we intended to visit. Clifden Caves are 300 m long with a sinking stream.

The first entrance seemed to have been floodded after the recent rain.

There was luckilly a second entrance few tens of meters away that, however, required a bit of climbing to enter.

Fossil passage with potholes.

The cave offers also some squeezes and easy climbing.

More spacious parts.

Also with some flowstone.

Unlike other caves, New Zealand's caves are often not completely dark if you turn of the light.

There blue lights on the walls are glowworms (Arachnocampa luminosa) that emit light through bioluminescence to attract cave animals.

These are insect that spend most of their life (9 months) as larvae.

They build a silky nest and hang down up to 30 silk threads where they regularly place sticky droplets.

Glowworms mostly feed on small flies that enter caves, although they consume also other sorts of cave animals.

The molecule that these animals use to generate light is, interestingly, called luciferin.

Larvaes move inside its nest.

Waiau River on the eastern edge of Fiordland Mountains.

Locals are not happy about the power plant and aluminium factory projects.

By the Te Anau Lake further north.

Another photo from the campers compilation.

Peaks of the Southern Alps are again appearing on the horizon.

They drive on left in New Zealand and tourists are there often reminded about that with arrows on the road.

The road to the MIlford Sound goes through Eglinton Valley.

Next morning in the Cascade Creek Campsite.

Keas shouting up on the trees.

Endemic beech forest in the national park. There are five species of beech trees and all have significantly smaller leaves than the european beech tree.

Milford Sound is one of the most besieged attractions in New Zealand. We took a boat rode through the fjord as thousands of the tourists did on this day.

Boats waiting for the hordes of the tourists.

Milford Sound with the iconic Mitre Peak (1683 m) on the left.

We wanted to hike up, but they rip you off just for driving you to the starting point with a boat.

A nice example of a hanging valley.

Spectacular fjord landscape with valley walks reaching 1200 m height and the fjord itself reaching 500 m depth.

We reached the fjord inlet in the Tasman Sea after 20 km of cruise.

Waves from the Roaring Forties made the ride a bit more unstable.

Returning back.

Kayakers by a waterfal.

A seal that is trying to impress us by jumping on this rock.

Back at Stirling Falls.

That cruise companies use this opportunity ...

to make people on board wet.

Harrison River valley

Southern Alps uplift rates are high and thus there are many rockfalls.

Nearby mountains rise above 2000 m.

Impressed about the landscape.

Starting point to Mitre Peak is by the boat.

Bowen Falls, just by the wharf.

And the wharf that can accept 10 boats.

A short walk through the forest. They fortunately don't rip you off for that.

They closed foot access to the waterfall so that they can charge boat rides to it.

Not much infrastructure ... and also not much space for it in the valley. They bring most of the tourists by bus and put them directly on the boats.

Mount Tutoko (2723 m) is the highest mountain in the Fiordland.

Parking spot for the The Chasm. Another photo from the campervan compilation.

And another one, the far the most irritating one. Kea, in front of it, is, like many other parrots, known to be very inteligent. They unfortunately learned quickly how to get and steal food from tourists.

How would be kea called if it was invented by Apple? ... iKea.

Rainforest. They get here more than 6000 mm of rain per year.

The Chasm is a series of kettle holes made by Cleddau River.

Cleddau River Valley that the road to Milford Sound crosses. There is an impressive similarity between Fiordland and Norwegian Mountains: http://jarosobu.net/index.php/event/KolstindenandSunnmreAlps#&gid=gallery74e56d27baf975b3dfaaf8a0cac81a0d&pid=1249159

Darran Mountain range at the Homer Saddle.

Homer Tunnel is passing through it here.

Hollyford River Valley on the other side of the tunnel.

Christie Falls nearby.

Afternoon break in the lower Hollyford. The notorious sandflies started to bite here close to the West Coast.

Making of the photographer's and his better half's afternoon snack.

Suspension bridge often required to cross troubled waters.

Back in to the rainforest.

Many of the native birds are on the edge of extinction due to invasive predators such as stoats. They are spreading mammal poisons with the helicopters around the forests.

Came to see the Humboldt Falls, but it was as far as we could get.

Abundant ferns in the forest.

This is also a fern. Kidney fern (Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum) is another one that is native to New Zealand.

Last glance over the Hollyford Valley before leaving Fiordland.