The park's terrain is dominated by rugged mountains, deep valleys, and pristine lakes, such as Lake Manapouri and Lake Te Anau, which are surrounded by dense, temperate rainforests. These lush forests are home to diverse flora and fauna, including the endangered flightless takahē and the kea, the world's only alpine parrot. Fiordland's rivers and waterfalls, like the impressive Sutherland Falls, cascade down steep cliffs, adding to the park's otherworldly beauty.

We have hiked some of the Fiordland National Park's most diverse and breathtaking hiking tracks:

• Milford Track, often dubbed "the finest walk in the world," took us through lush rainforests, past the thundering Sutherland Falls, and over the dramatic Mackinnon Pass. The trail follows traditional Māori pathways the indigenous people used for gathering precious pounamu (greenstone) and accessing hunting grounds.

• Modified Routeburn Track, guided us through the lush beech forests of Fiordland and Mount Aspiring National Parks. We breathed heavily on the Deadmans Pass, marvelled at the panoramic views from Harris Saddle, explored the tranquil shores of Lake Harris, and admired the stunning beauty of the Earland Falls.

• Traversing Mount Titiroa (1715m) was something other than Fiordland's rest. The peak appears of lingering snow even throughout the summer months, due to exfoliation of the white granite rocks.

• Hiking to Lake Adelaide proved to be quite challenging, yet utterly beautiful, wild and remote. With the trail in bad condition and sometimes non-existent, the journey also included crossing numerous swamps and jumping through enormous boulders. Being woken up by a group of kea on our last morning repaid it well. 

• Gertrude Saddle is a dramatic mountain pass offering breathtaking views over the Fiordland wilderness, including glimpses of cascading waterfalls and expansive valleys below.