THE ROAD TO MILFORD

Southland Times, Issue 22348, 13 June 1934, Page 6

THE ROAD TO MILFORD

Having carried the road from Lake Te Anau so far in the direction of Milford Sound, the Government was wise in deciding to carry on the ‘ work and to complete the road to the Sound. About twenty miles of road has to be constructed, but this is the most expensive of the route, and it will involve tunnelling. The motor-road will increase the traffic into Milford Sound, but it is not clear that it will lead to large additions to the tourist traffic from overseas, which is the principal means by which the outlay of this additional piece of road can be made to yield a return. It is necessary, however, to look past Milford Sound. At the moment the hostel is there and this new route will make the hostel much more valuable, but it is possible to envisage the ultimate development of the West Coast Sounds as a tourist attraction unrivalled in the Dominion, and without peer in the fjord scenery of the world. The road into Milford Sound and the construction of a wharf there will open the way to the introduction of a service which will carry passengers from this base to the other sounds, which offer more varied scenery than can Milford. Such a service could be operated by boats small enough to make the exploration of the sounds more comprehensive than any yet attempted for tourists, and it would be possible to link up Manapouri with this scheme. Aerial surveys have given people a new view of the sounds and revealed to them some idea of the beauties of the fjords, but it is only from the water that the marvels of this coastline can be fully appreciated. Ultimately a road may link all the sounds, but small boats will be necessary to carry visitors about the sounds, and if they are provided it will be possible for the visiting tourist to spend a month in this region with new joys to greet them every day. While the vision is restricted to Milford and the route to that sound, the prospect of the full exploitation of the coast cannot be seen, but it is through the development of this region to the fullest extent that the South Island can contribute to the Dominion’s tourist attractions something which will of itself augment the number of overseas visitors coming to spend holidays in this country. This is the first step in a scheme which, it is to be hoped, will ultimately embrace the larger idea.