We arrived late on Dec 30 in our very crowded campsite, lucky to get a plug-in space as I think it was one of the last. We were basically in a cement parking space with folks all around us. Not so scenic or idyllic, but since we didn’t book anything in advance, and this is their busy season, we were lucky to get what we got! The morning of the 30th we boarded a bus to take us to Milford Sound, about a two-hour drive from Te Anau. After all the driving from the previous day, and the desire to take in some sights versus navigating our wide load, we thought it would be a nice treat to be given a ride for a change. The drive out to Milford was amazing. Our tour bus had a glass roof so you could take in all the beautiful sights. Here are a few:
And here’s a pic of this amazing yogurt I found here, apparently “by men” and “for men”. It was apricot and manuka honey and lots of seeds (buckwheat, linseed, quinoa, sunflower, pumpkin, chia). As a rule, I think every other country does yogurt better than the US.
Once we arrived in Milford we boarded a boat for a 2hr cruise to the mouth of the sound where it opened onto the Tasman sea. Apparently Milford is actually a fjord (carved out by glaciers, filled in by the ocean), and not a sound. They get 243 days of rain here a year, but we hit one of the sunniest and warmest. It was breathtaking. Mitre Peak juts into the foreground, creating a dynamic panorama on all sides.
There are waterfalls coming off all the mountainsides, and the trees barely hold onto the edges. Apparently there isn’t much ground cover on these vertical rocks, so they rely on anchor trees and an intertwining root system. However, if one tree goes, it takes down all those in it’s path, creating a tree avalanche. This bare section is a result of one of these avalanches, taking another 100 years to replenish itself.
We got back from our tour around 4pm, chilled at the campsite for a bit, then headed off for yet another tour. Trying to pack everything in as you need 6 months in this country, not 8 days. I really want to do some of the long hikes out here and just have some time to be in one place, but we’re also dying to see the different areas. So we did the Glowworm tour which was super cool, but no pics allowed. My favorite quote was, “The hungrier they are, the brighter they glow.” Basically you hike through this cave with beautiful waterfalls that have cut through the limestone and sandstone, then get to a deep cave and jump in a little rowboat. They don’t allow any lights, so you float in the darkness and look up to what seems like a brightly lit sky of stars. I was careful to keep my mouth closed while looking up though so no ‘shooting stars’ were ingested. Another long day filled with stunning sights. We are loving all that this country has to offer.
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