Ten years ago we did the 4 day hike of Milford Sound and took an overnight cruise. Enroute to New Zealand we toured Fiordland by cruise ship, and this month we drove from Te Anau to Milford to cruise again and to photograph some of the great sites. One stop enroute was Mirror Lake which reflected the close by mountains on a still lake, a stop at the tunnel allowed Kea Birds to climb on your vehicle to eat exposed rubber.
The scenery on the drive in is amazing, even though the drive was a bit…challenging at times. The scenery of Milford Sound by airplane was also amazing, awe inspiring and challenging as David over flew it in. Cessna 172; see those photos in previous post.
Described by Rudyard Kipling as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’, Milford Sound was carved by glaciers during the ice ages. Milford Sound is breathtaking in any weather. The fiord’s cliffs rise vertically from the dark waters, mountain peaks scrape the sky and waterfalls cascade downwards, some as high as 1000 metres. When it rains in Milford Sound, and it often does, those waterfalls multiply with magnificent effect.
The only way to get a bit of space and experience Milford from the view of ancient glaciers is on one of the many boat cruises. Cruising through the sound we saw incredible waterfalls cascading down from hanging valleys and heaps of wildlife including seals and many birds.
