Milford Memories

We were relieved to wake up Friday morning to clear skies and sunshine, after a day of heavy cloud and cold rain. Eagerly we set off for the long drive north up to Milford Sound for our overnight boat trip on the fiord. The drive soon provided its own delights, and we had allowed plenty of time to enjoy them.Quite near Riverton we stopped at McCracken's Rest to watch the surf pound the sweeping beach.

Not long after, we were stopped by a flock of sheep being herded across the road by a diligent sheepdog while the farmers stood by and watched.



Further north, we got closer and closer to the mountains we'd been admiring from a distance. The further north (and higher) we went, the more snow we saw on the peaks, and when we got out of the car for photos, there was a distinct chill in the air! It was hard to choose when to stop for photos, as every curve in the road revealed another breathtaking vista, but I've tried to represent below the various types of landscapes we travelled through.




Up, up, up we go...and then...the tunnel! Suddenly we came to a solid rock face pierced by a tunnel opening. As we had to wait 15 minutes for our turn at the one-way passage, we had time to read the saga of the Homer Tunnel, built over a period of almost twenty years by Depression-era workers. Blasting and digging the opening out of the solid rock, these men lived on site, with their families, in a tiny settlement that didn't see direct sunlight from April to September because of the surrounding mountains. They made 50 shillings a week, but if the weather prevented work, their pay was deducted for that day--a pretty tough way to make a living, but I guess they didn't have much choice in those hard times. Today the tunnel makes access to the fiords possible for thousands of tourists per day in the high season.


Once inside, it is so abruptly dark despite the electric lights that Frank frantically asked me for his non-sunglass-glasses--but he was already wearing them!


We didn't see any giant spiders (forgive the LOTR reference), but it is still a challenging passage, and it was a relief to see the light approaching at the end, especially when we burst out onto this magnificent panorama!


Winding our way down from the tunnel exit, we passed our very own creek: Rodgers Creek! Soon afterwards we entered the region of the Franklin Range of mountains near beautiful Lake Te Anau. Perhaps some long-ago ancestor passed this way?



A brief stop at The Chasm took us down a forest-lined path and across several bridges over a very deep chasm indeed, carved out by swirling waters over the ages. It's hard to get the sense of scale from the photos, but trust me, it's a LONG way down!We had coffee and delicious just-made cinnamon donuts at a cafe in the pretty tourist village of Te Anau, and girded our loins for the final leg of the journey.



We reached Milford Sound itself about an hour before sailing time, and had time to admire the views of Mitre Peak at the entrance to the sound. By the way, Milford Sound, we later learned, should really be called Milford Fiord, as it (as well as all the other 'sounds' in this area) was formed glacially--sounds are formed by river action.



At 3:30 we boarded the Milford Mariner and dropped our luggage in our private cabin, which included two twin beds, and a miniscule but efficient bathroom complete with shower, hair dryer, and heated towel rail. Out on deck, we simply enjoyed the fabulous scenery as we powered along the fiord towards the Tasman Sea. Frank lost no time in getting to know the captain and checking out the wheelhouse.



Once at the mouth of the sound, we dropped anchor and chose our water adventures. Frank opted for a nature cruise on one of the small boats (called 'tender craft' for a reason unknown to me!) and I challenged myself to attempt kayaking for the first time. Properly suited up, I was helped into a single-person kayak with no skirting--in other words, I was gonna get wet! Just as I settled myself, my guide and coach decided that the seas were quite rough, and warned me that I stood a good chance of capsizing. I took a deep breath, reminded myself that I had vowed to do these things by the time I turned fifty, and said, "What the hell, I can swim!"



Well, I didn't capsize, I am glad to report, and I did pretty well, although I think I traveled about 3x the distance that everyone else did, by zigzagging--how DO you keep these things going straight forward?? We stayed out longer than I expected, about an hour, and by the time I got back to the boat my legs were cramping. Although I had managed to stay almost dry the whole time, a charley-horse in my calf just as I was getting out caused me to sit rather abruptly on the deck--right in a pool of water! Luckily I had a change of pants with me! I got changed and back on deck just in time to snap a few photos of the sunset colouring the peaks pink.



Dinner went a long way to reviving me, and a good lecture/slide show on the Milford Sound ecology and history finished off the evening wonderfully. After a last walk on deck to admire the first stars, we turned in and slept quite soundly.


We were again blessed with clear skies the next morning, but, man, was it COLD! We bundled up and braved the biting winds to enjoy the sight of an albatross (the smaller mollymawk, not the royal) just off the bow, and watch the sun slowly catch the mountain peaks.


Half an hour later, great excitement as a pod of dolphins turned up to ride our bow wave, complete with leaping baby dolphin! Again, it's tough to get good pictures of these fast-moving beauties, but here's a try--hope you can see them just under the surface. The captain was very pleased, as apparently they only see dolphins about 10% of their trips, and this pod hadn't been seen for some time.


Another thrill was seeing seals just coming out of the water to spend the day on the rocks. We got really close to this baby (on rock) and his parents (in water).


This waterfall is, believe it or not, three times as tall as Niagara Falls! There has been very little rain in Milford this fall, so the flow is very much less than usual, according to the crew. Good for us, as that meant we were able to get really close in--exhilarating!




All too soon we were back at the head of the sound, and bidding our crew and fellow passengers goodbye. It was a trip we will always remember--unique and wonderful.

The drive back down to Riverton was quiet as we mulled over our experiences, but we did make a couple of stops: one to be amused by this clever sign at the Mirror Lakes, and another to admire this rushing stream.




The clouds came in as we neared Riverton, and it was drizzling by the time we reached our cottage. We were so lucky to have clear weather for our fiord adventure! Tomorrow we plan to rest and gear up to leave this area on Monday morning, heading back inland to the Twizel/Omarama area--sailplanes for Frank, the site of the ride of the Rohirrim (LOTR) for me! Our time in NZ is drawing to a close, and we are trying to make the very best of every moment here.