Advertisement
Published: January 8th 2003
Edit Blog Post
A five thirty start and a two hour bus journey to Milford sound to kayak for the day. Milford sound is a glacial fjord with the famous Mitre Peak, the most photographed mountain in fiordland. Under the perfect weather conditions and very early in the morning the waters of Milford Sound reflect the vista totally, leading to amazing postcards and posters. The beauty and scale of the fjord is not exaggerated in the photos. The small waterfalls in the distance are around 200m high and almost 10km away. Trees cling to the side of sheer rock faces, after many years growth on moss and lichen, the forest becomes too heavy to support itself and peels away into the waters of the fjord. The process of forest regeneration is started again when mosses and lichens re-colonise the now clear rock face. A patchwork of striped rock face and forest stretches out into the distance. Cloud and light play amongst the mighty peaks that rise up 500m from the water, taking away the breath of all who set eyes upon it.
Our kayak company Fiorland Wilderness Experiences provided everything except lunch (optional extra). The clothing used whilst kayaking the chilly waters of
Milford Sound, the kayaks, the transportation and information on the history of the fjord.
The amount of clothing needed for the trip was considerable. First layer, thermal vest and long johns, then a neoprene top, a fleece, a skirt to make a water tight layer on the kayak, and then a wind and water proof jacket. The final garment was a lifejacket. We put all of these clothes on whilst surrounded by clouds of sandflies. The sandflies have to be seen to be believed, coming out of nowhere to feast on any warm-blooded visitor. Repellents have only limited success, the plucky little parasites land regardless and walk around trying to find a spot the repellent missed, such as up a sleeve or under a watch strap. Fortunately out on the water the sandflies aren’t found, only a few follow the kayaks out. What the sandflies eat when tourist is not on the menu I don’t know.
We paddled out into the sound for a few hours, had lunch and saw much wildlife (no dolphins, many sandflies). The cruise boats made relentless trips from the jetty to mitre peak causing many waves. Aeroplanes crossed over when ever a break
in the cloud occurred. The roar from their engines echoed round the valley. The peace and beauty of the fjord tempered by the intrusion of so many tourists. The best way to see Milford Sound must be by kayak, at points all that can be heard is the gentle swish of water under paddles.
On the return journey we hoisted a sail with our paddles and were blown back towards Arthur’s Island. Spent a couple of hours listening to birds and watching seals. Clare started a huge water fight; everyone including the guide got very wet.
On the journey back to Te Anua we stopped at majestic and beautiful places. A huge gorge with rushing torrents of wild water, a place called deer flat with miles and miles of flowering lupins in front of majestic snow-capped mountain peaks.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.045s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 11; qc: 34; dbt: 0.0266s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb