Blogs from Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2

The drive to Wanaka from Fox was a spectacular one. It took us a bit longer than expected because we stopped at a couple of lookout points to take in the views. There's scenery and then there's New Zealand scenery! We arrived at the campsite which had good facilities and loads of space. It was pretty late so it was dark and we couldn't see much of the lake, so we showered and headed out for dinner to celebrate my birthday. We went to an Indian restaurant called the Spice Room (the lady at reception in the campsite had recommended it). It was really cosy in there with a fire blazing and comfy couches to sit on while you wait for them to prepare your table. The really was really tasty and afterwards we went to ... read more

We survived the Milford Track! We woke up bright and early to catch our bus from Queenstown to Te Anau. It was pouring the whole ride their and the weather forcast posted at the Fiordland National Park visitor center predicted rain for the next several days. Yuck. We knew it rained a lot in this part of the country (the average annual rainfall in Milford is 276 inches), but it had actually been a pretty dry summer in this part of the country and we were hoping for at least 1 nice day out of the 4 that we were hiking. The trailhead is not accessible by road, so we had to take a boat across Lake Te Anau. By the time we got off the boat the rain had eased up a bit and we ... read more

Geo: -44.6698, 167.928It's true that the wild and wet conditions in the Fiordland National Park are what created this picturesque, secluded and wild part of New Zealand. So having four days of constant rain on the day we started the trek and after 5 weeks of hardly any rain before was a huge mix of bad luck and bad timing.They do say that it is a must to walk the Milford Track in rain and you're missing out if you don't, but we hardly got a break and it dampened the spirits a little bit. Pun intended!The Milford track is regarded as the finest walk in the world, and with limited places of 40 unguided walkers allowed on the track per day, bookings are required. Anna and I made the booking about 7 months prior to ... read more

We boarded a small 2 storey boat for our cruise through the Milford sounds. The fiords loomed among the mist casting dark shapes into the sky. We chugged up close to waterfalls - the daring getting drenched out on the front of the boat the not so daring inside watching from the windows and drinking tea. The scenery was fantastic with trees and shribs growing out of the rocks and held together by mosses and intertwining branches. We watched fiordland crested penguins bounce and stumble along the rocks before diving into the water and gliding speedily away. After dropping off the Greenstone hikers the Flying Kiwi bus set off for tonights camp on the shores of Lake Te Anau. ... read more

We’re told that Milford Sound gets 200+ days of rain a year. So the odds were certainly in favour of the rain, and that’s what we got for the most part. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. The drive to Milford Sound in the rain was absolutely spectacular, possibly one of the best drives in the World. The road carves through the mountains and you are surrounded by sheer rock faces that are covered in temporary waterfalls. The rain made taking photos difficult so we didn’t do it justice at all, but we just enjoyed the experience. One afternoon the rain stopped long enough for us to take a cruise out into the Sound. We had a two for one deal through our car rental so it was actually pretty good value. There are also ... read more