Milford Sound - Fjordland of NZ

We made an early start from Te Anau and hired our obligatory snow chains from the garage once we'd found out that the road was going to be open at 11am (yippee!). It was about a 2-3 hour journey over the mountains to the fjord of Milford Sound and it was proving to be a most spectacular drive.

The road begins in fairly open country and after 60kms or so you pass a few lakes and then plunge into forest territory. This part of the world is actually tropical rainforest (albeit a bit colder than the amazon at this time of year) and so the forest is incredibly wet - the trees are covered with amazing lichens literally dripping off the leaves, and ferns cover the forest floor like a rich and lush carpet.

Tree Feen


Unlike the brown grassy tussocks in the east coast around Canterbury, the mountains take on a dark greenness that you expect from New Zealand with snow-capped mountains framing the scenery in usual fabulous fashion.

Lovely Lake reflection


Every valley you encounter on this trip has different weather systems and we covered everything from bright sunshine to near snow on the way. Once we got to the part of the road that can be closed it was not yet open (avalanche clearing still in progress) so we took a short detour to a waterfall walk - The Humboldt falls. The waterfall itself was very pretty but the best thing was the walk itself through (almost) pristine rainforest. Huge tree ferns line the route with lichens and moss taking over like a crazy virus, the water drips from the trees and the plants and shrubs make English woods seem barren and bare. Remember this is mid-winter here and yet still the deciduous trees are covered with foliage and the smells and the sounds of the birds and wildlife are truly invigorating.

Finally we got to Milford Sound and headed out on a boat trip. Milford sound is a fjord some 450m deep and stretches out to sea amid some impressive mountain scenery. Many people feel this is one of the most amazing sights in New Zealand so we were a bit disappointed that the sky was very cloudy and rain threatened like a big guy with a knife in a dark alley!

El looking snug as a bug


Nevertheless, the trip was pretty awesome and we tried not to think about all the mountains views we were missing behind the clouds. In fact the weather gave the whole area a moody and dramatic atmosphere. On the outskirts of the open sea we even saw some seals on the rocks which was pretty cool, and then the rain started.

Ah well, it was still dramatic from inside the boat and the free tea and coffee helped to warm our numb fingers. The drive back to Te Anau was equally as spectacular with numerous opportunities for photos. As we drove back we stopped off at a short canyon walk with a powerful stream which had eroded weird shapes in the bedrock and we were treated to a close up of New Zealand's crazy rainforest parrots - known as Keas - that are incredibly friendly and curious and, apparently, are exceeded in intelligence only by dolphins and monkeys.

Finally on the road home we were stopped by an avalanche (not literally, it was actually a traffic jam that stopped us!) and we wondered if we'd get back that night. Luckily the avalanche dudes sorted it quickly and we managed to get all the way back to Queenstown that night, ready for a bit of R&R.