Fiordland National Park Trivia Questions

Milford Sound was carved by glaciers during the ice age, not rivers. Its steep cliffs and U-shape are classic glacial features.

The name comes from the word 'fjord,' a Norwegian term for a glacially carved inlet. There is no Norse god named Fjord.

The Cropp River area in Westland receives mean annual rainfall of 11,516 mm, far exceeding Fiordland's Milford Sound at 6,400 mm. The highest recorded annual total in NZ was 18,440 mm at Cropp River in 1998, so Fiordland is not the wettest place.

The kakapo is a nocturnal, flightless parrot endemic to New Zealand, with a small population surviving in Fiordland and other sanctuaries.

Fiordland covers about 12,600 square kilometers, while Luxembourg is about 2,586 square kilometers. It's nearly five times larger.

The water in Fiordland's fjords is very cold (around 10-15°C year-round) due to runoff from mountains and deep ocean currents, not volcanic warmth.

Fiordland has no active glaciers today; its glacial landforms date from the last ice age. Active glaciers like Fox and Franz Josef lie further north in Westland Tai Poutini National Park.

The takahē was presumed extinct since 1898 but was famously rediscovered by Dr. Geoffrey Orbell in 1948 in the remote Murchison Mountains of Fiordland National Park.