New Zealand State Highway 94 - Tourist Attractions

Tourist Attractions

The Milford Road section began in 1926 when a local Station Owner, started making his own road from Te Anau Downs Harbour south to the Te Anau Hotel, starting a project which turned into the most scenic highway in New Zealand including iconic landmarks the Mirror Lakes, the Avenue of Disappearing Mountain, Lake Gunn, the Key Summit, Mount Christina, Mount Talbot, the Homer Tunnel, The Chasm, Mount Tutoko and Mitre Peak. Before the sealing of the road in the 1980s it was treated as a day's adventure from the township of Te Anau and Milford Sound the climax of the journey. Modern marketing and faster buses have made Milford Sound a destination from Queenstown involving 8 hours of bus transit, a round trip with few stops. This route is part of the Te Wai Pounamu Wilderness Area.

The Eglinton Mountains above Lake Gunn were used as a location in the Peter Jackson movie The Fellowship of the Ring where the actors walk along a mountain path with the Key Summit evident in the distance. The mountains here were also used in the Fellowship of the Ring introduction to represent the Misty Mountains. Emily Peak on the Routeburn Track can also be seen in this movie, as well as the Mavora Lakes near Mossburn. Ironically, Peter Jackson picked an area that once contained New Zealand's only place names from J. R. R. Tolkien that were removed from the official maps in the 1980s, as they were deemed inappropriate for this region.

There are many places of Local History not signposted by Transit New Zealand, such as the Cleddau Horse Bridge, the Hollyford Hydro Powerstation remains, the Old Homer Tunnel construction village site, however Transit New Zealand has kept the historic White Mile Posts that are a feature of the early days of the Milford Road Construction. The Department of Conservation has kept up the Latitude 45 South Marker but has abandoned the Avenue of the Disappearing Mountain to history as the avenue of trees beside the Road has become overgrown.

Outside of the Milford Road, Mandeville is the site of the Croydon Aircraft Company Link, and the local aerodrome is home to several rare vintage aircraft. Mossburn is the closest settlement to the Mount White Wind Farm which at full capacity can power almost all the entire Southland region. The Oreti, Mataura and Waiau Rivers that dominate the flatter regions of SH 94 between Gore and Te Anau are popular fishing spots for brown trout. Care should be taken while fishing to prevent the spread of Didymosphenia geminata.