Fiordland National Park

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which rise to 2700m at Mount Tutoko. In the east a number of large lakes form a transition to the drier grazing country of Southland. In the west the mountains fall steeply to the Tasman Sea, which is lashed by the roaring forties.

The longest fjords are (from south to north), Preservation Inlet, Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound, George Sound and Milford Sound, which is the best known and most accessible of the fjords.

These narrow, deep inlets were originally valleys hewn out by glaciers, which were later drowned by the sea. On the eastern edge of the ridge of mountains that runs down the whole of the South Island the glaciers carved out a series of elongated lakes, of which Lake Te Anau is by far the largest. Others are Lake Manapouri, Lake Monowai, Lake Hauroko and Lake Poteriteri.