My partner Jeremy and I decided to find out.
We stopped en route at Te Anau to pick the brains of the staff at DoC’s Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre. The centre contains a vast source of information on the area, and staff also have a wealth of knowledge on wheelchair accessible walks between Te Anau and Milford Sound. No less than five staff approached us to see if they could assist, but what really blew us away was the fact that a couple of perfectly mobile staff had taken a wheelchair to experience the walks and facilities first-hand, from the viewpoint of a paraplegic.
As we entered Fiordland National Park the dramatic tussocky landscape of Eglinton Valley was replaced by tall trees arching over the road. We stayed at Knobs Flat, about half way between Te Anau and Milford Sound. It’s just a short drive to the Mirror Lakes, where a short wheelchair accessible boardwalk provides lots of opportunities to photograph the Earl Mountains.
We drove to Lake Gunn Nature Walk, a 2km gravel loop track through beech forest, covered top to toe with spongy moss. Although flat, the gravel surface is a bit hard going for wheelchairs and a tree blocked the path halfway round when we visited.
This otherworldly forest is worth visiting even if you only sit at the entrance to the track.
We continued towards Milford through the mountains – quite literally – as we drove through Homer Tunnel. After several hairpin bends the road passes the car park to the Chasm walk, which is a mostly sealed track through bush, but is reasonably tough going for a wheelchair due to steepness. We were rewarded at the end by the impressive Chasm waterfalls and unusual formations that have been carved into the soft rock, as the Cleddau River cascades down the valley.
Milford Sound was another awesome sight – Mitre Peak loomed above the fiord in its full glory. We took the late afternoon fiord cruise and sailed all the way to open sea. Unfortunately, the sea was pretty rough and the downside of the trip for disabled passengers became immediately obvious when Jeremy felt seasick – the storm step on each doorframe that stops water from getting in also stops wheelchairs from getting out.
We were soon distracted from the queasiness when we passed rocks adorned with dozing seals, then were chased by a pod of about 20 playful bottlenose dolphins.
What does Fiordland offer? We would certainly recommend it to travellers of all abilities – whether they are using their own two legs or wheels to get around.
