The bus leaving for Milford Sound today left an hour later than I thought which at 7am makes a big big difference. Arse.
After yesterday's perfect weather in the evening today had turned grey and cloudy obviously known that I was out today for some sight seeing. Milford Sound ain't actually that far from Queenstown but still takes around 5 hours to get there due to the road taken a necessary more scenic route via Te Anau before heading into Fiordland. A more scenic route is a bit of an understatement though with the drive from here on in towards Milford being spectacular even with the low cloud obscuring some of the lower mountains surrounding us as we wound our way along the narrow road.
Stopping at Homer Tunnel which was started in 1935 but not finished until 1953 the reason was soon apparent with avalanche debris and leftovers lying around by the side of the road. Arriving in Milford around 2:30pm we were soon on the boat heading out onto the Sound/Fjord with the low cloud still hovering overhead cutting off the tops of the steep mountains. This was not as big a setback as thought though (or so kept telling myself) with the mist and rain really emphasizing the waterfalls and adding to the atmosphere but with 200+ rainy days bringing around 7 meters of rain per year it was not completely unexpected. Though certainly not wished for. Having barely sat down on the boat with lunch in hand everyone soon dropped their's with the announcement of dolphins of the port bow. Scampering to the top deck for a better view there was a large pod of dusky dolphins swimming around the boat showing off their acrobatic skills and stealing some of the attention of the sound itself for a while.
Continuing on down the sound we turned around at the opening onto the Tasman Sea before returning back cruising close to a few waterfalls and basking seals along the way munching on the free mince pies being Christmas Eve and all. Back on board for the 5 hour return bus trip the sun was annoyingly out by the time we reached Te Anau again. Sometimes you just can't win. Back in Queenstown joined Tom, Neil and Rob for a few card games and drinks wondering what the first Christmas away from home will bring. More thumbnails ...
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