The wonder which is Milford Sound...

Trip Start Oct 04, 2004
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of New Zealand  ,
Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Ever since we got to Queenstown, well really as soon as we arrived in the South island, we had been told again and again to visit Milford Sound. Although interested, we weren't particularly happy to pay Kiwi Experience another $150 for the trip. Instead we went against the advice of Monique our driver, and hired a luxury people carrier to drive there ourselves. If were going to see it, we might as well travel in style! It actually worked out a lot cheaper anyway, about $50 each (around 20 pounds) so it was a good choice.

Milford Sound actually isn't too far from Queenstown, you can actually catch helicopter rides there if your feeling flush, but for some reason there isn't a direct road there, instead you have to drive 300 kms (200 miles) in a big circle to get there. Meaning, as usual, we were up with the birds to get onto the roads before all the maniac bus drivers did 01. Milford Sound
01. Milford Sound
 . Surprisingly we all were up and going by 6 am, a record for me I think!

But wasn't it worth it. Milford Sound is positioned in the Fiordland National Park. It was set up in 1953 and covers a massive 1.5 million hectares, making it the largest National Park in New Zealand, and one of the largest in the world. Formed thousands of years ago during the ice ages, Milford Sound is the northernmost fiord in the Fiordland National Park, and is, without doubt, the most dramatic - as you can see from the photo's. It's an environment of unparalleled beauty, alive with cascading waterfalls, luxuriant forest, and abundant wildlife. It was truly unforgettable.

I drove on the way back which felt a bit weird as it had been some time since I was last behind a wheel. Not long after leaving Milford Sound, you come up to a tunnel that was scene to one of New Zealand's worst road crash a few years ago.

Although only about a mile long, it was very thin. Because of this 2 buses collided with each other, causing a multiple pile up and later a deadly fire. Emergency services just had no way to get to the trapped people, which led to the deaths of many of the people 02. Milford Sound
02. Milford Sound
 .

Because of the accident, the authorities changed it so that only one direction of traffic could pass through the tunnel at one time. Annoyingly we just missed the green light, which led to us sitting there for 15 minutes whilst the other cars drove through. When we did eventually get going, I wondered how it had taken so long for an accident to happen, the tunnel was just so thin.

We stopped a number of times along the way to take photos of the passing Mountains, Lakes and rivers. Yes it did rain a lot in New Zealand, but with scenery like this, you get over it!
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