Milford Sound is the most visited of the sounds in Fiordland National Park. It is the smallest, but it sure isn't small, and it is the easiest to get to, though it takes a long time to get there. There is a road that goes north from Te Anau along the mountain range that runs up the coast. It takes a sharp left after about an hour and goes through a one-lane tunnel that passes under the mountain range. After it emerges from the mountain, the road winds down a steep track into a valley and eventually to the head of the sound.
It was hard to take pictures of the trip, as it was early in the morning and we were trying to make sure we got to our boat on time. However, at the tunnel there was a long wait, as it is only one lane, is very long, and has a low speed limit as it is also on a steep grade. While we waited, we got out of the car and took a photo of the cliffs over our heads:
Here is the tunnel. Crazy, right? The sign to the right of the tunnel tells you how many minutes you have to wait until you get a green light.
Evelyn took a photo or two out of the window of the car as we made our way down to the water:
One bad thing about the South Island near water - sand flies. I had never encountered these beasts before. They are awful. They bite, they make you bleed, and they are everywhere. Here is a photo of the window at the ticket office for the cruises. Those flies are on the inside of the window:
The sound is glorious. When you think of scenic New Zealand, you might think of Milford Sound, as photos of it are often used on the covers of guide books and in other tourist publications. Here is a photo from the dock, looking out at a hanging valley. To the right is the iconic Mitre Peak, which is the most photographed part of Milford Sound, though it is shrouded in cloud in my photo:
The morning started a little cloudy, giving the mountains an air of mystery, and then it cleared up after an hour or two. We were told by a guy who worked on the boat that we had the best weather you can really expect in Milford Sound, as it is a very rainy place.
Here is a photo of a cliff. The walls of the sound are sheer and nearly vertical, adding to the drama and grandeur of the surrounding mountains. Once they hit the water, the cliffs continue on for many meters underwater at the same steep angle.
Here are some fur seals. American and British hunters did a brisk trade in killing and skinning seals 120 years ago and it has taken some time for the populations to recover. They are protected now and are a common sight in Fiordland.
Aidan and Jasper alternated between looking out the windows and playing Hangman.
The inside of the boat with Evelyn and Jasper:
The cruise went basically down the length of the sound and eventually reached the Tasman Sea, the body of water between Australia and New Zealand. Here is a shot of the end of the sound - it looks somewhat ominous and we were glad to turn back into the relative safety of the sound:
Looking down the coast at the rocks that mark the mouth of the sound:
Looking back into the sound:
Courtesy a Canadian tourist - a photo of all of us!
Here are some more shots of the sound - the scenery is just breathtaking. I don't think the word "scenery" really captures it.
More seals enjoying a rock.
Waterfalls were everywhere. There is a lot of rain here and the rain comes off the mountains and ends up in the sound, often cascading off the cliffs in waterfalls. There is so much rain, the top layer of water in the sound is fresh water and a whole separate ecosystem thrives in the top, fresh layer of water above the dark, salty abyss below.
Seal close up. There were a lot of seals.
A cool mountain photo:
My father and his epic environs. It was hard not to just sit on the front of the boat and snap photos.
Another waterfall. The boat operator ran the boat right up to this cliff and under the waterfall. Very touristy, but fun. At that point, it became hard to remain on the front of the boat and take pictures. I ducked inside at the last minute.
My folks were smart enough to sit inside and enjoy the waterfall from some comfy seats. Here they are through the still wet windows.
Another cool waterfall:
A good shot of Mitre Peak. As I said above, this is a mountain that appears on a lot of tourist adverts and guidebooks.
Here it is again - no cloud cover this time, but with a nice cloud halo behind.
We returned from the cruise and drove back up the very steep road to the crazy tunnel, stopping along the way for a little hike. Here are a few photos from the forest we stopped in:
We were still in the glacial valley and the walls were still very steep above the forest. Here is a shot almost straight up out of the forest:
We passed through the tunnel and drove back down the long valley on the other side. It was a very long drive back to Queenstown, but I couldn't resist stopping to take a few photos of one of my favorite valleys. Remember this one back a few posts ago? The kids and Evelyn were running through the red tussock with the mountains in the background. Here is another shot down that valley. I love this view.
We passed alongside Lake Wakatipu as we made our way back up to Queenstown. As ever, the water glowed turquoise and the mountains did their majestic thing.
We finally made it back to Arrowtown for our last night in the South Island. We grabbed Thai take-away and I took a photo of the sunset over the Remarkables before heading to bed.
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