New Zealand - Milford Sound
Trip Start
Dec 05, 2005
1
70
124
Trip End
Ongoing
Milford Sound,
New Zealand
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Pulling up at one lookout we took a few snaps and then noticed a rather large bird hopping around the car park. Andrew recognised it as being a Kea, one of New Zealand's native birds. At first it just seemed to be fairly accommodating in posing for photographs (PIC) but soon we realised that it was far from timid - jumping up onto our car and even confronting Andrew every time he tried to get back in to drive away (PICS). It even started hopping after us as we left - obviously craving the attention (or food) that the odd tourist gives.
Getting closer to Milford Sound the water flowing down the mountains became more and more prevalent, turning into huge waterfalls and rapids at various points along the way (PICS). On some of the larger rock faces it looked like white veins running through the mountain. We entered the Homer Tunnel (PIC) on the final stretch to Milford Sound - a huge 1200m long pitch-black tube cut through the mountain. The tunnels completion in 1953 allowed the Sound to be accessible to road traffic for the first time.
Our hostel room at Milford Lodge was in stark contrast to the apartment we had left behind in Queenstown; a four-bed bunkroom with four other unbuilt beds the only furniture to speak of (PIC).
001 Drive to Milford Sound
Taking a quick trip down to the edge of the lake we were able to get a great picture of one of the most famous images of Milford Sound - the evening sun pushing through the mist and clouds just long enough to brighten up the surroundings (PIC). Unfortunately the weather deteriorated further overnight and by the time we boarded the boat the mist, cloud and rain had produced a rather unimpressive, grey scene all around us. A couple of the initial panoramic views were given an ethereal, ghostly ambience but sadly most of our views were left dull and lifeless (PICS).
The boat trip itself (a 'Nature Cruise' with 'Real Journeys') was disappointing, not only because of the miserable weather but also because it was overcrowded and the windows were so small that views were only afforded to those who got there early enough to get a rare window seat (even then the rain on the window meant that photos were ruined!).
The highlights of the trip were the impressive waterfalls (actually improved by the rainy weather) and the sheer size of the mountains, dwarfing the giant boats that cruised alongside (PICS). We spotted a couple of bottle-nosed dolphins and fur seals along the way and our new camera didn't disappoint when it came to the action shots (PICS)!
On the way back from Milford Sound we took a brief detour to see mirror lakes (the wind caused the mirror effect to diminish somewhat (PIC)) and then via Lake Manapouri, which despite recommendations that it is one of the best lakes in New Zealand, did little to convince us of the fact, looking pretty similar to the others around the country! (PIC) We settled for the night in Queenstown, again at the Oaks Shores and with another cracking view (PIC), before we headed out to Mt.Cook the following day.
In retrospect we would have to advise the following to anyone wanting to visit Milford Sound:
· Take the journey out there as the scenery during the drive is fantastic, even if the weather is poor - the waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and lake views are some of the best we have seen in New Zealand so far.
· Don't book a cruise until you get there and make a decision based on the weather - if it is misty and cloudy then you will get as good views from the shoreline.
· If you do book a cruise, book a smaller one (some companies take smaller groups of around 60 people).
· Don't fret about getting there early to get a window seat - you can't get good photos through the window and we found that those people who did get the window seats ended up moving part way through the journey anyway!
