It’s going to be an exciting day. We’re off to Milford Sound (from Queenstown) and have to be up early. This is largely the reason Jackie, my neighbour & I, ended up in New Zealand together at this particular time. We’ve both been to Queenstown before, Jackie several times, but somehow neither of us have ever made it to Milford Sound. What was previously bitter disappointment has turned into good fortune.
The alarm goes off and it’s still dark. We drag ourselves out of bed, glad that we only managed one beer last night, get dressed and gather our things. We have breakfast and the day is overcast and it could still be snowing out there. We’re excited. Our tour picks us up and drops us into town and we wait for the bus, unsure as to exactly what’s happening. After a while someone arrives and takes control and the bus finally shows up and we’re on our way.
Most of the people doze on the way to Te Anu and the bus is quiet. When we stop though, everyone is awake and we bundle out of the bus in our hats and coats. Most go straight into the Fiordland Visitor Centre but I’m desperate for a coffee and wander down the road to Miles Better Pies, the only place that is open, apart from the visitor centre, and then on down to take a couple of snaps of Lake Te Anu. After my coffee and a browse around the visitor’s centre for gifts for the kids, we’re back on the bus. The next stop is the Mirror Lakes.
I don’t think they even mention this in the itinerary when we booked the tour but I’m glad for another quick leg stretch and the cold air wakes me up a bit. We only walk for a few minutes and stop for photos before hopping back on the bus. We’ve been driving for about 3.5 hours and we’ve still got another hour or so to go.
Before long we stop again. Another stop that’s not on the itinerary although this is for a rest break and of course, more photos. Who can resist? I want to capture the whole experience.
Another 50 minutes up the road and we stop again. This time at The Chasm. It really is more about the journey than the destination and this stop is a little bush walk to a viewing bridge down into, yes, The Chasm. We’re at the top of the Sound (Milford Sound) and this chasm has been formed by thousands (millions?) of years of water melting off the snow and running down, driven by gravity, into the Sound. It’s a bit dizzying as I gaze down from the top and the roar of the water, even at this time of year, is loud, very loud.
The walking track is equally beautiful and we stop along the way to take photos in the forest and of the views before it’s time to board the bus again.
The road down to the sound is a steep descent. I try to ignore how close we are to the side of the road and concentrate on the views of the mountains and forest and glimpses of the sound as we descend. My camera goes almost non stop but Jackie isn’t feeling too well. Finally, we’re off the bus and have a little wait before we board the boat. We sit back and enjoy some lunch after the long drive and Jackie is feeling only a little bit better.
The cruise takes us to the mouth of the fiord and back. I seem to spend all the time looking up, up, up the steep sides of the fiord to the snow capping the mountains. It should be cold but the sun is warm and there is only a light breeze on the water. It’s a picture perfect day with blue sky and we consider ourselves lucky given the statistics for rain, snow and fog here. The view are literally breathtaking and none of the photos can do this incredible place justice. I guess that’s why we’re here in person – one of those things you just have to see for yourself.
We cruise past seals lazing on rocks, completely unperturbed by the hovering boat and clicks of camera they are truly at ease with their popularity. We cruise under waterfalls and the crew have put out glasses so that we can taste the water. It’s cold and pure, just like something out of an advertisement.
The mouth of the Sound is less spectacular and we don’t cruise past the breakwater, just going far enough to see that there’s open ocean beyond and then turning back to the break in the land where the sea is welcomed by the Sound.
A fiord (or fjord) differs from a lake, river or other inlet as by definition is is created by glaciers. The narrow inlet and steep sides are carved by the flow of ice over time. Being here makes me feel very small and insignificant but there’s almost a spiritual effect too, I feel a part of something that is much larger than myself.
At the end of our cruise we have elected to fly back to Queenstown, rather than take the windy and long bus ride back along the Milford Sound Highway (#94). If the drive and cruise were spectacular, this is something else again.
We take off facing Mitre Peak and I’ve been lucky enough to score the co-pilot’s seat. Lucky also that I am not required to conduct any co-pilot duties! I look down and the Sound is icy blue blow us. Then I look out and up and Mitre Peak looms large right in front of us. I gasp as the pilot smiles and he does a nifty little turn as we fly right past the snow caps, so close I feel like I could reach out and touch them. There is a glacial lake and then the mountain range and valleys fall away in front of us.
We fly down a valley and it’s not long before the top of Lake Wakatipu and the small town of Glenorchy come into view. Given how lucky we’ve been with the weather, the sun is beaming down and the lake is also an icy blue and the clouds float around in it making it look like it’s alive. This is an inland (finger) lake in the Otago region and is fed by the mountains. It’s long (80km) and deep (around 380 meters at its deepest) with the deepest parts being below sea level. It’s fed by melting snow from the Dart River and drained by the Kawaru River. I understand why you’d want to film here. It’s a world unto itself.
Before long The Remarkables come into view and I know that we’re almost back to Queenstown. The trip that took 5.5 hours that morning by bus has been accomplished in 20mins by plane. I can’t decide which I enjoyed more and I’m deeply thankful that I was able to experience both.
I come off the plane absolutely buzzing and just can’t believe how incredible a day we’ve had. Back to our hotel and it’s like a beautiful dream. One that I hope I can relive one day.
Would I Return?
Yes. I hope to get back to Queenstown for skiing and I don’t think I could resist revisiting Milford Sound or perhaps trying Doubtful Sound. I have no doubt that the views and the experience of these incredible places change daily with the mood of the weather and the seasons.
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