Milford Overload!

Aboard our eco friendly small vessel we wait in line as this glass and steel monster weighing in at tens of thousands of tons belches diesel in the once pristine Milford Sound. The giant muscles in and spoils our view of the fabulous Stirling Falls.

Unpure New Zealand wonders what New Zealand is thinking of - allowing these things into our wonderful iconic places?- the risk of environmental disaster is just too huge! Local tour boats do not pose the risks that these international monsters do.

Unique Waters

The waters below our vessel are a very special marine environment indeed! There is nowhere else like this place anywhere in the world! There are precious black corals and many other rare and unique species some dating back some 600 million years.!

The Milford Sound Fiord is fresh water on the surface to a depth of 10m caused by the huge rainfall. This tannin stained fresh water cuts down the light and causes marine life that normally lives in very deep oceans, to be near the surface.

Huge Risks

A unique place, so special in the world that Unpurenz believes authorities and others are now putting at extreme risk by allowing overseas cruise ships to enter these fiords in our World Heritage Parks.

Oh, we know Environment Southland the consenting authority will have a great disaster plan in place to remedy and mitigate such disaster YEAH YEAH,NOW WHERE HAVE WE HEARD THAT BEFORE?

What are the risks?

The obvious is collision. Milford Sound is subject to extreme wind gusts that come out of nowhere.

Just as important though are the Bio security risks. New Zealand is already invaded by many nasty marine organisms (159) and of these 69 per cent arrived here attached to hulls of international vessels (NIWA) The impacts of many of these organisms is largely unknown but the potential effects include the total destruction of indigenous eco systems such as that in Milford Sound. That would be a tragedy and we in New Zealand would become an international environmental disgrace.

The risk is just too high !

Unpure New Zealand believes that Environment Southland is dicing with our eco systems because it believes that it is entitled to an "earn" from the tourism industry. It puts Milford Sound "on the line for that purpose.

Help save Milford Sound

Help us save Milford Sound please complete the form on the contact page and Put the words "Save Milford Sound" in the text field.

 

 

 

 

 

"The 100% Pure New Zealand brand does establish a level of expectation among potential visitors that New Zealand's natural environment will be clean and well cared for. Government, and our tourism agencies, recognize the importance of the natural environment in fulfilling New Zealand's marketing promise. This creates an incentive for all of New Zealand to take action to ensure we live up to the 100% Pure New Zealand promise."

Damien O'Connor, New Zealands Minister of Tourism
In reply to us 4 Dec 2007

Waiting for the smoke to clear!

When the New Zealand Government had the foresight to apply for World Heritage Status for Fiordland it made one very, very serious oversight in not including the waterways. It only included the land! Now that oversight is being exploited in ways we never thought possible back then.

This place was given to us. We have a right to enjoy it. We have a responsibility and a duty to preserve it and prevent it from being destroyed by those who would over exploit it. Starting right now!

 

 

Milford Sound

 

Wind Gusts turn waterfalls upside down

wind gust milford

Sudden wind gusts can come out of nowhere on Milford Sound. These gusts can be over 75knots and can heel ships and have caused near disasters in recent times. Read this report

Unpure New Zealand believes that the impacts caused by tourism overload at Milford Sound are seriously unsustainable. The Milford airport at time of peak operation has the most traffic movements of any airport in New Zealand. Peace and tranquility not likely around here if the airport is running that's for sure. Even in the high mountains many kilometers away we were troubled by the continuous drone of overhead aircraft flying between Milford Sound and Queenstown. These aircraft have impacted other users of the World Heritage Park detrimentally.

Arriving at Milford Sound ferry terminal is a bit like arriving at an Airport these days. it certainly has that look and feel. Huge granite like walls glisten in the sun of stainless steel and glass surrounded by row after row of tourist buses and camper vans.

Getting to the Milford is a bit like driving to an airport at times scenery or no scenery traffic is traffic and believe us the buses "own" this highway. Over 120 huge tour buses a day do travel this road between January and March plus hundreds of camper vans, mini tours, rental cars, and of course then there's is the rest of us! the distance is only 120km (75miles) yet the traffic at peak time is huge.

Greed gets the better of some people. Tourism interests are now looking at proposals for Tunnels through mountains and Gondolas across them to ship ever increasing numbers of visitors to this special place. We must act before it is too late.