Story: Landscapes – overview

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a drowned glacial valley that penetrates over 15 kilometres into the Fiordland mountains. This sketch, looking out to sea from the head of the sound, shows a maze of steep-sided mountains. Milford Sound itself is a valley on the left – but it is not immediately obvious that it leads to the sea. Explorer James Hector drew the scene in 1863, when he was looking for a port in western Otago that linked to a pass over the mountains.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: E-296-q-006-1
Wood engraving after a drawing by James Hector

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Eileen McSaveney, 'Landscapes – overview - Southland and Stewart Island', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/13060/milford-sound (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 24 Sep 2007, updated 1 Jul 2015