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Milford Sound
Sailing back to port leaving the sound.MILFORD SOUND
Milford Sound was previously named Milford Haven, by a Welshman of course, but was later renamed Milford Sound. They got that wrong as well, as it is not a “sound” (which is formed by water erosion) but a “fjord” (formed by glaciation). What’s in a name though, the whole area is beautiful. The scenery really starts at Te Anau and gets progressively better the closer you get to Milford Sound. (For anyone with campervans, there is no “freedom camping” along this stretch but there are lots of suitable Dept. Of Conservation sites along the way. When we got into the valley, we found out that from May on, during winter, it was a legal requirement that vehicles carried snow chains. Guess who didn’t have snow chains! They were an optional extra by the campervan hire company, but were advised we shouldn’t need them yet –incorrect advice. We prayed it did not snow, although it was cold enough for it at times.
Milford Sound was only accessible by boat until 1952, when a tunnel was cut through the mountain. As soon as you pass through it, it is like going to a different world
Kea Bird en route to Milford Sound
The Kea is quite rare, is also a pest, destroying windscreen wipers. This person was feeding the bird next to a sign saying don't feed the KEAs! – the” Lost World”. Steep sided glaciated valleys with so much vegetation, it seemed like a tropical forest, (a cold one!). Over 200 inches of rain a year!
We went on the obligatory boat trip which lasted about 2 hours, $75 each, not cheap, but worth every penny. The steep sides of the fjiord and waterfalls were incredible, especially when the skipper took the bow of the boat under one waterfall. One of the cliffs were 700 metres high, with a 300metre depth just below them. (The depth of the Empire State building!). The weather was a bit misty, but what the heck. Definitely the highlight of our visit so far. A general observation about New Zealand vs.Uk. Parking at Milford Sound was free even though they have the monopoly – in the UK they would have stuck you for an exorbitant parking charge. This was typical of most places we visited, to NZ’s credit.
After our boat trip, we headed back out of the valley, stopping at a few view points, waterfalls, etc, but decided to hit the road back up north towards Queenstown. And so on towards the North and along
Milford Sound
700 metre cliff with 300 metre belos the water. the west coast.....
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Warren
non-member comment
parking
Yep, free parking is a real bonus. We only ever had to pay in central wellington, but otherwise everywhere else seems to be free