Milford Sound

---

After the Kepler Track, I hopped on the Stray bus to do the Milford Sound trip. It was absolutely pouring in the morning when we got picked up. The bus drive up to Milford Sound was not very scenic for us because it was raining so hard. Driving up to the tunnel that takes you through the mountains overlooking Milford Sound, we saw amazing waterfalls. They were all over the place. These waterfalls are only around during and right after the rains in Milford Sound because the mountains are so steep that the water falls immediately to the sea. It does not have to work it's way through trees and rivers. Very cool waterfalls.

The boat trip out through Milford Sound was the same through the beginning of the cruise. Lots of amazing waterfalls, but we could not see the entirety of the Sound since there was so much rain. One of the cool things that I saw is in a picture below. Waterfalls that run off a legde and immediately evaporate into the air. It appears that the water runs downhill to the ledge and then "runs" uphill. I was in awe. Very cool.

The Milford Sound cruise also boats out to the Tasman Sea and then works it's way back to the dock, just as the Doubtful Sound cruise. About half way back to the dock the weather cleared and we had beautiful views of Milford Sound. Steep rock walls with very little vegetation. Pretty amazing. It was nice to have the waterfalls and also to be able to see the Sound when the weather cleared up later in the trip.

On the drive back down to Te Anau, the weather was nice and we had great views of the valley and the nearby mountains. I had heard that the drive to Milford Sound was really good and it was nice to have those views on the way back down the mountain. The fjordlands are very scenic and I am glad that I had the time to spend several days exploring the area.

---

Photos

Waterfalls near Milford Sound
Waterfalls that we saw along the drive to Milford Sound.

Waterfalls near Milford Sound
Lots of waterfalls that we saw right before the tunnel on the drive to Milford Sound. There is another shot of this after the cruise.

Waterfalls near Milford Sound
More waterfalls that we saw before the tunnel on the drive to Milford Sound. I could not keep the rain off the camera. Bummer. There is another shot of this after the cruise.

Milford Sound Cruise boat
A quick picture along the walk to board the boat for the Milford Sound cruise. Lots of rain!

Waterfalls in Milford Sound
Waterfalls racing off the walls of Milford Sound.

Waterfalls in Milford Sound
More waterfalls in Milford Sound. They were everywhere!

Waterfalls in Milford Sound
This is the picture of the waterfall that disapears at the overhang. Very cool to see in person. Looking at these photos does not portray the scene well. Sorry, you must go to New Zealand to see for yourself!

Me in front of waterfalls in Milford Sound
Me trying to stay dry in the rain while getting a photo taken in Milford Sound.

Waterfalls in Milford Sound
More waterfalls in Milford Sound.

Crowd picture
I love these shots. I took a picture of tourists taking a picture of a waterfall. Ironic that I hate the crowds and laugh at the scene, but there I am. On a crowded boat, taking pictures of waterfalls.

Large waterfalls in Milford Sound
This is the waterfall that got all the attention (from the previous picture). It is big. And cool.

Large waterfall in Milford Sound
Another picture of the big waterfall that attracted all of the attention.

Waterfalls in Milford Sound
Are you sick of the waterfalls in Milford Sound yet? I was impressed.

Milford Sound
Looking back out onto Milford Sound as the weather was clearing. The picture is taken looking toward the Tasman Sea.

Milford Sound
The sun is working it's way out to show us Milford Sound.

Milford Sound
Looking up into an arm of Milford Sound.

Stray Bus near Milford Sound
Our bus waiting for the green light at the tunnel to Milford Sound.

Waterfalls near Milford Sound
Same waterfalls as the second picture in the blog. A lot less water than three hours prior. The rain had stopped only about an hour before this picture was taken.

Waterfalls near Milford Sound
Same waterfalls as the third picture in the blog. If you look, you can see the glacier at the top of the cliffs. I did not notice the glacier the first time through due to the rain.

Kea Parrots near Milford Sound
A picture of some curious Kea Parrots near the tunnel to Milford Sound.

Mirror Lakes
There were lots of ducks in the water that caused ripples and the reflections to be distorted. The reflections here can be amazing (I have seen in other's pictures).

Me in front of beautiful scenery
A sweet view from a field on the drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound.

Comments

[Daddy Don]

Great blog
We're still enjoying your blogs. Have shared them with several friends and go back great comments. Milford Sound was one of the places GP and I toured when we were there. The shots of the water falls were good reminders.