Milford Sound

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Bloody shared rooms are starting to get on my testicles. We had one wanker crash in at 2am and proceed to snore like a donkey and fart really loudly. Then an inebriate tosser was thrown in by his mates, to find his own way to the top bunk at 3am. I am normally a nice person and if people are asleep let them sleep, but these two ball bags didn;t deserve it so at half 7 i was slamming the door rustling plastic bags and dropping things, opening the curtains and leaving the light. Stich that!

The bus arrived at 10am and we found two seats right by the door for quick exits! It helps when you have 50 people piling off a bus into the smallest cafe in the world.

The drive there was aboslutely bloody amazing. We had a really overcast and grey day, so under normal circumstance we would have complained and moaned, however, driving through valleys and along lanes cut into vast mountains when they are full and vibrant of colour because of the rain and in places shrouded in so much mist it looked mystical. It was incredible.

We stopped off to view some waterfalls and chasms on the way before entering the valley of a thousand waterfalls. So called, because when it rains loads of tiny waterfalls form that cascade hundreds of feet to the ground. We wound through the valley in mist and fog occasionaly glimpsing futher up the mountain before reaching a single lane tunnel where we had to stop and wait for a green light. Kea birds were hanging around. These birds systematically destroy cars, using they're powerful beaks to tear any part of a vehicle they can access.

We wound through the tunnel for a good half kilometre. On the other side the road had to wind down into a basin via a number of tight hairpins. It was like a scene from jurassic park, or maybe thats just because the driver had the theme tune playing...

Arriving at Milford, it was misty right down to water level. we boarded the boat and started our buffet as the boat pulled out of harbour. After eating we headed onto deck, whcih felt like a scene from any film about the ocean when they are practically being washed overboard. It was raining, and the captain kept driving us under waterfalls. Was great fun getting soaked through. Honestly.

It was really atmospheric in the sound. The mist clung to the water and the mountians pierced through the fog rising up like green and grey walls.

We stopped at the underwater observatory. There we saw many types of coral and fish that normally only thrive deeper in the ocean but because of the layer of fresh water ontop of the salt water which causes a natural light barrier they thrive much closer to the surface.

We cruised back pretty directly, and thus completing our cruise of Milford Sound. We went back the same way we had come, and there were still some pretty awesome views. After passing Te Anau the weather had pretty much cleared up, though we were heading inland and by the time we were cruising alongside the lake at Q'Town the sun had cast the water into golden colour.

Peace Out.

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