Garden Ramblings: Milford Sound

We were all up bright and early, had breakfast and tea/coffee, and were on the road to Milford Sound before 7:00 am! An amazing feat in itself!

If you look at a map of the area, as the crow flies, Queenstown is very close to Milford Sound - however, as the road goes, it's about a 4.5 hour drive. We left Queenstown on highway 6, going south, to highway 94, where we headed west toward Te Anau, which was our breakfast and fueling stop. The trip to Te Anau was overcast and cloudy, but it was clearing as we traveled on to Milford Sound.

The entrance into Milford Sound is through a one-way tunnel, the Homer tunnel, which is about 2-4 km's long. Traffic through it is controlled by a traffic signal, and it actually moves quite quickly. We were in sunshine up to the tunnel, and since we had time, we stopped for some photo ops and a bit of a hike. However, when we emerged from the tunnel, we were in FOG! That didn't last long, though, as we came down the mountain to the sound, we got below the fog, and even had sunshine.

We had booked a noon sailing time to do a tour of the sound. BTW, Milford Sound is mis-named - it's actually a fjord, as it was gauged out by a glacier, not by a river, which is how sounds come about. We had hats, sunscreen, windbreakers and lunch, and climbed aboard out boat, aptly called the Milford Wanderer.

We were able to get seats outside in the front of the boat, so we had great seats for all of the wondrous sights. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking! There really aren't words to describe the sheer majesty of the mountains - and our pictures really don't do it justice either. We sailed out through the fjord to the Tasman Sea, and we were very lucky with the weather - it was blue skies and sunshine, and the water was very calm, even the Tasman. We saw the lighthouse, and were treated to a show by the Dusky Dolphins, jumping and turning in the air. There were lots of waterfalls coming down from the mountains.

We were treated to close-up views of the mile-high Mitre Peak - a recognizable New Zealand icon. Coming back into the fjord was spectacularly beautiful. Our captain took us close to the waterfall, and we were told that Maori legend says that anyone who gets bathed with water from the fall will be 10 years younger in two weeks! I only have one more week to go!!

On the way back in, we stopped at a research center to drop off some people who were spending the night there. Apparently the research center goes down many metres into the sound, with glass throughout, giving a great view to the marine life. It would be so cool to see that!

Our Milford Sound cruise came to an end all too quickly, and we piled back in the car for the drive to Te Anau where we had dinner, then boarded the 7:00 pm boat cruise of Lake Te Anau, on the way to the glow worm caves! The trip across the lake was beautiful - a calm, peaceful lake. The glow worm caves were amazing! We were able to get very close to the glow worms, and they glowed like little miniature LED lights. The hungrier they are, the brighter they get. There was also a show about them before the tour which was very informative.

Then, back across the lake, and in the car for the trip home! We got home at nearly midnight, after a spectacular day! We used nearly ALL the hours on Friday - and the scenery alone was worth every second of it!!

Thanks, Craig and Stephen, for all that driving!!

This is a shot of the mountains and clouds along the way, outside of Te Anau.

We stopped before going through the Homer tunnel for some pictures and a bit of a hike - again, we took millions of pictures!

Another wonderful waterfall, and some remaining ice.

The Homer tunnel - quite an engineering feat! The road through the tunnel actually changes elevation.

More waterfalls! I love waterfalls.

And more, cascading down the mountain. I'd love to be here in October, when the mountains are alive with water!

Spectacular, or what?? Not us - the scenery!

Craig and Stephen, with a small glacier behind them.

More splendor!

Milford Sound!! That's Mitre Peak peaking out behind the cloud

Here's our trusty sailing vessel - the Milford Wanderer!! Very appropriate for us - we found Lee a t-shirt that says: "Not all who wander are lost"!

A great day for a sail!!

Heading out into the fjord! The water is spectacularly blue!!

This was an amazing waterfall!

Heading out through the sound, between all the mountains.

Out to the Tasman Sea. Note the lighthouse perched on the rock. Like our lighthouses, none of these are manned any longer.

Dusky dolphins!!

Heading back into the fjord from the Tasman Sea - just beautiful!

More amazing beauty!

Fur seals!

Here's the magic waterfall! We're going to get closer!

There! We got all doused with spray, which I rubbed all over my face! Can't wait to look 10 years younger!

Heading into the research station. This little cove was beautiful, there's a beach to the right. You can spend the night there, and they offer lots of water sports, as well as a big bar-b-que and a morning sail.