Quick Facts
Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: Hundreds of Feet / Meters
Length of Hike: Roadside
The Record
Whether you call it the Valley of a Hundred Waterfalls or simply a rainy day in Fiordland National Park, the stretch of road leading into Milford Sound is nothing short of amazing. While the permanent giants like Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls steal the spotlight, the area is famous for the hundreds of ephemeral waterfalls that spring to life after a heavy downpour. It turns the entire highway into a moving gallery of water and stone.
As I was driving along the Milford Sound Highway, I caught sight of two particular waterfalls that really stood out (that were easily captured and distinct). I can’t say for certain if they were truly ephemeral. One of them was far larger than what I’d expect from a temporary flow, especially given the weather. We weren’t exactly in the middle of a deluge. There were only light sprinkles, a few flurries, and bouts of mild but constant rain. In my mind, the rain from a single day shouldn’t have been enough to explain the sheer volume of these falls, though in a place as wet as Fiordland, I could easily be proven wrong.
I managed to view both of these falls from across the road while visiting The Chasm. The first was a bit of a challenge to capture from a distance, but the second was substantial enough that I could pull it in with a zoom lens. For these to be viewable with a zoom lens, they must be rather large (50-100 meters at a minimum). If these falls were more easily accessible, they would likely be world-famous tourist stops in their own right. Of course, it’s not the park service keeping people away. It’s the sheer, vertical cliffs that make them strictly viewing only.
Directions
- Drive from Te Anau along NZ-94 to Milford Sound. You’ll see some of these after you exit the Homer Tunnel and others from more designated viewing areas, such as the stop for The Chasm.
Waterfall Record 
Leave a comment