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Homer Tunnel Ice Field

Tunnel-Mouth Ice Adventure With Kea Parrots

Difficulty: 70m of cool!
Homer Tunnel Ice Field
NZGps: 44° 44' 34.6344" S 167° 57' 17.2044" E
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Average: 5 (2 votes)

Homer Tunnel pierces Fiordland’s craggy peaks on the drive to Milford Sound. The Homer Tunnel is one of the most impressive road engineering feats on the South Island. The tunnel has stoplights on either side to regulate the one-way traffic. You’ll often have to stop and wait to get through the tunnel…but this is a GOOD THING, as this is jawdrop Fiordland territory!

At the Tunnel’s east side you’ll find sky-scraping peaks laced with waterfalls pouring down into a roadside snow field. Kea parrots flutter about the scene. People play atop the snow field. The impressive glacier-like snow field often has a fog-belching snow cave at its foot. Heaps of people walk down to take a photo at the snow-cave entrance, but few dare to set foot inside. For some silly reason people think walking atop the snowfield is safe, whereas walking into it would be dangerous. This beckoning snowfield cave is a WAY safer place than the Milford Road, but tourists seem afraid of it. Go figure.

If you’re in NZ for some true natural adventure, then lace-up the sandals, roll up the pant legs and in you go for an odyssey of wonders! The cave is only about 70m long, but dark and foggy enough to need a good flashlight. A waterfall often pours into the upstream end of the cave. Upon re-emerging out of the ice cave after a 5-minute look-see, you’ll smirk at the gaggle of snap-happy tourists who’ll look at you like some phantom of the ice. Shake your head at their timidity, shoo the Keas off your path, then continue on to find more of Fiordland’s amazing amazingness. Hurry, you’re in a frenzy!

FYI: Across the road there’s a DOC track that escapes the tourists to explore the sights ‘n’ snowfields on that side of the tunnel.

Excerpt from "NZ Frenzy Guidebook" by Scott CookNZ Frenzy Guidebook

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Comments

No more ice there, but a

Klaas's picture

No more ice there, but a great location for a short break to admire the views. Unfortunatel the hiking track, which went to the waterfall wall, is closed now.

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Submitted by Klaas on Wed, 2017-12-06 10:33

This is a really cool

samhankin's picture

This is a really cool experience. The cave is amazing and once you get to the end be sure to climb the waterfall; about 30 feet up you can get a cool pic from behind it where it over hangs. Prepare to get wet, it's worth it when you're stood sheltered under the rock face with water cascading down in front of you (makes a great pic for the glacier on the opposite side) ?

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Submitted by samhankin on Sat, 2015-03-14 16:10