So Saturday morning it was. The weather was shite at 6 am, didn't feel like getting up very quickly any more because Milford Sound while raining isn't any fun!

We gut up anyway, and at least we were sure that the waterfalls would have got lots of water today!

On the way from Te Anau to Milford, like an 2 hour drive, weather wasn't getting any better, so we couldn't stop at some, normally, nice lookout points. When we got to the Homer Tunnel it was very cloudy, still a bit of rain.

We arrived at 10.30 in Milford, our boat wasn't gonna leave by 12 oclock. The weather started to get better, clearing up over the Milford Sound. By then, the Sandflies had already started to irritate us, so we were glad to get onto the boat. Not before 2 last-minute buses of Japanese arrived ofcourse! :)

We got lots of pictures, big waterfalls here and there, but not really a clear view on the mountains.After about 1 hour, when we turned back from the Tasman Sea, the Milford Sound was almost cloudless. Going back into the terminal the view on Mitre Peak was amazing!
Especially when you see the difference between the start of the boat trip and the end, you can imagine we were lucky!

We got back through the Homer Tunnel again, couldn't resist to make a picture, and then we found a few Kia birds flying around from the rooftops of the car. Beautiful birds, not scared of any people around, so got great pictures.

We stopped at Mirror Lake, a lake where oyu can normally see the mountains reflected in the lake, but because of the wind we couldn't see. We got to see an amazing Silverfern bench. Great!

After our trip to Te Anau we drove to Lake Manapouri to get a few shots, and then back to the motel in Te Anau. We watched the New Zealand-Australia rugby match there, All Blacks - Wallabies, which 'we' one ofcourse. Not a good mach, but 19-14 in the end. Every win counts, the ones against Australie count double!

Next morning would be off from Te Anau, past Queenstown to do the Shotover Jet boat ride, which we couldn't do last week because of the weather, and then onto Oamaru to spend the night there.

The jet boat was just amazing, gives you a real rush when you fly through the Shotover valley in such a shallow river. The trip takes about 25mins, thats good time, although it's pretty expensive to get onto though (109 NZD)

From the Shotover to Oamaru. Total day was a long drive, about 6 hours, so was pretty tired after we had a BBQ in Oamaru.

On the Monday it would be back to Dunedin again to spend a few relaxing days with familiy and friends.

How I wish I could write something like "the cruise was fantastic and Milford Sound was so beautiful."  Well I'm sure it is, but I'll have to content myself with other people's photos and my imagination.  The drive to the Sound was sprinkled with fantastic scenery, but the closer and closer I got, the worse and worse the weather became.  By the time I climbed the pass, I decided the crazy freezing rain was just not somthing to take lightly and ended up camping in my rented station wagon at Gunn Lake Park, about 30 minutes outside of Milford Sound town.  It stormed like crazy all night long, the freezing rain and wind rattling the top of the car in a rhythmic drone. 

The next morning, still in massive rain and wind, I drove over the pass through the tunnel and ended up stuck behind a road closure gate some 15 km out of town.  And this is the only road into town, with Milford Sound at the end of it.  There was a car park nearby and I waited there with about a dozen other cars for quite a few hours until it because clear that I was going to miss the cruise.  I did get a visit from a large cheeky bird that landed on my side mirror and pecked at the window until I gave him some bread.  He did this for about an hour before moving on to the next car.  Finally, in frustration about the closure, I just abandoned the whole Sound thing and headed back for my next stop: Queenstown.  There was no indication the road would open any time soon or even why it was closed and no body else seemed to know either.   It wasn't until that night, when checking my email, that I got a note from the cruise operator stating that the road had been closed yesterday due to a rock slide and would probably not open again for a few days.   Oh well.  Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

One of our other friends, Nonna (Pam), has been in New Zealand and taken some magnificent shots at Milford Sound.  If you haven’t seen it yet, take the time to go and visit her blog and the wonderful pictures she has taken and shared with us.

Nous voila reparti maintenant pour la région des Fjords et en particulier celui de Milford. On nous avait dit de ne pas se faire d'illusions quant à la météo dans cette région mais c'est sous un ciel radieux que nous avons pu faire une croisière dans ce magnifique environnement! Une chance!

When my friend first suggested that we go to Milford Sound, I was not sure that I would enjoy it, as I fprefer to do things rather than look at pretty things... Anyway, I decided to go anyway, and I am so glad that I did. Driving to the Fjord through the Fjordland National Park was amazing. The mountains are incredible, and there are loads of things to look at on the way, waterfalls, grassy plains, glaciers, mountains, rivers and they are all incredibly beautiful. Milford Sound itself is amazing. The way that the mountain faces are so sheer, coming down into the water... The waterfalls are incredible, and there is always the chance of seeing wild dolphins which is a sight in itself. A not to be missed place when travelling New Zealand.

We woke up early this morning and were eager to find out if the weather was good enough to fly over to Milford Sound.  We had to wait until 9 to hear from the airline charter service we had booked, so had plenty of time to catch some breakfast.  I went down to get a flat white while Mom and Dad got ready.  I had a run in with the hostess at the hotel cafe -- she was a brash, screechy woman with a voice like nails on a chalkboard.  She screened "gidday" at me as I entered that morning.  I bid her good morning and headed for a table as I had every other morning I stayed there.  She chased me down and demanded to know if I was alone.  I told her two others would be joining me, and she screeched "how many?" at me.  I told her two.  She screeched again and wanted to know when the others would arrive -- and I told her 5 to 15 minutes, and she did not like my answer.  I finally just ignored her and went to journal writing, and she reluctantly went away.  Weirdo.

Mom and Dad did finally join me, and the Screecher left them (and me) alone.  We had some pancakes and coffee and chatted a bit about the day ahead before we headed back to the room to await the charter service call.  At 9:10 we got the call that the weather was good, and our flight was a go.  I was so happy to hear that, as we are to leave Queenstown the next day.

A taxi-van picked us up at the hotel at 9:30 and we headed to the airport.  We picked up some folks at other hotels along the way and were split into three groups.  A couple from Dublin, Ireland rode with us in a Cessna 6 plane, a small single engine, 6 person plane.  OUr pilot was a woman named Teresa.  She could not have been more than 27 years old.  She was tall and thin, very bubbly and happy, and an excellent pilot.  Dad sat up in the front with her as the co-pilot and Mom and I sat in the rear of the plane.  It was a smooth flight out over the Remarkables then the Southern Alps.  It's the area where the Lord of the Rings was filmed -- awsome, rugged, jagged peaks, jewel like alpine lakes, and quite a few glaciers.  We flew at about 6,500 feet in altitude most of the time,, but had to climb up to 8,100 feet at one point to negotiate a pass.  We flew by Mount Aspiring at one point, one of the peaks I had stopped at on a previous trip via helicopter.  The flight down to Milford Sound was only about 35 minutes long.

We were met by a bus at the Milford airport, and taken over to the boats at the Sound.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day -- not too hot, not too chilly (well, not too chilly for me, Mom was chilly -- even in her sweater).  We were outside for most of the cruise.  Miklefored sound is over 1000 feet deep and it rains a ton here.  They average 7 to 9 meters of rain a year here.  Mitre Peak is a famous landmark here.  Its a triangle shaped peak that gets its name from the Mitre hat that bishops wear.  We cruised right by the peak on our way out of the Sound.  There are many permanent waterfalls here -- and also lots of intermittent falls that come and go with the rain.  We were fortunate enough to see some seals sunning themselves on some rocks just as we neared the Tasman Sea.  I always like it when we see native wildlife.  As we got closer to the Tasman, the water got a lot rougher, and the captain turned us around and headed back to the big waterfall where the captain nosed the ship into it for pictures and tourist screams.  It was definitely a photo-opportunity thing.  The cruise took about two hours from start to finish.  We even had time for some lunch on board, although I don't recommend it too highly!

Our pilot, Teresa was waiting for us as we got back to the plane.  I got to ride in the co-pilots seat on the way back, so got lots of photos from the air.  As we got close to Queenstown, we flew right over the Shotover River where we had jet boated the day before.  I am amazed at how tourqoise the water in the river is -- almost as blue as Huka Falls on the North Island.  We landed on a grass landing strip back in Queenstown -- a first for Mom!  Mom and Dad gushed about how much they enjoyed this part of our trip!  I am so glad that we got such a beautiful day for this trip!

The taxi-van returned us to our hotel and our Milford Sound adventure was over.  So glad we took the plane though, as I understand it takes several hours to get to the Sound via bus as you have so many mountains to cross.

Today must be a day always to remember. It will take us a 120Km drive but it must be worth it. During the ride we first stopped to take photographs of the fields with Lupines (is this english ??). They were all in blossem. Great views! We continued and came at a mirrorlake. Why mirror ?? Just look in the water and you know why. The water is so quiet that you can see the mountains in the water very clear. They put a sign just above the water in mirrortext, so if you look in the water you can read "Mirror Lakes". We got in the bus again and drove to the startpoint of the Routeburn Track. This time our driver was allowed to guide us on the track. He loved walking this track every time he was here. We start at the westpoint from the Divide and are going into the direction of Lake Howden Hut. The Divide is already on a height of 532 Meters. The first part is walking through a silver beech forest and suddenly you will be above the bushline to an alpine wetland. They advised us to keep the track because the area is sometimes like a swamp. You can feel the ground beneath you move. But then you will be rewarded with magnificent views of the Darran Mountains and the Hollyford Valley. The next link gives you the brochure of the track.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/southland/routeburn-track-brochure.pdf

But the day I was there a lot of clowds were spoiling the day. But there were moments with an almost clear view. We walked only the first 1,5 hour and had to go back then. If I ever will be there again I like to walked the whole track, but that will take a few days.
At 1 0'clock we are back at the bus and continued our tour. The next stop was at "The Chasm" We did "The Chasm" walk on the Milford Road. This is a 20 minute return walk where foot bridges will lead you over the Cleddau River. View the waterfalls that have sculpted rock over time. Then we got at our most important trip of the day !
Lying at the most northern and accessible end of Fiordland National Park, we reached Milford Sound by road. Its a World Heritage area. Cruising the clear, still waters of the Fiord you’ll encounter magnificent sights such as the Mitre Peak and Stirling Falls. We are going in the direction of the Tasman sea. The view are suppost to be spectacular, but.... it was raining and no blue sky. Terrible. So I took a picture of a picture on the wall in the boat. Only the waterfalls were visible. Too bad, I really have to come back someday! at 5:30 we were back and drove back to Te Anau. This day was spectacular and we had a lot of talking about it sitting at the bar in the late evening. Like I said: A day never to forget!

We were up early today. Had to make sure our flight was able to go as planned. Yes, weather permitted! We were picked up from our unit and taken to the airport. It was a 14 seater plane and including the pilot there was 8 of us and that meant we all had a window seat. Wow what scenery! When we arrived at Milford we were given the choice of going the rest of the way on the free bus or taking the walking track through the rain forest foliage. We all walked. It wasn't far. We boarded the Milford Adventurer but I think there was only about 12 passengers. We were there early because of flying in. The busloads of tourists would be there a bit later. It was a beautiful one and a half hour cruise. I understand why the cruiseships cruise in and out of this fjord as part of its itinery. At the end of the cruise we had to go back to the plane on the bus because of time restrictions. Another fantastic flight back to Queenstown.

und wieder sind ein paar tage vergangen in denen wir viele wunderbare orte gesehen haben. von wanaka aus, sind wir richtung queenstown gefahren und haben dort einen vormittag verbracht, um dann weiter nach Te Anau zu fahren, von wo aus wir gestern uns Milford Sound angeschaut haben. Wunderschoen kann ich dazu nur sagen. Milford ist ein Fjord an der Westkueste von Neuseeland,  in dem man entweder wandern oder mit dem Boot fahren  kann. Die faulen Deutschen haben sich gemuetlich gestern nachmittag 2 1/2 stunden vom boot richtung tasmanische see kutschieren lassen und wieder zurueck. tolles wetter mit strahlend blauem himmel!!
queenstown war hingegen mehr so dass st. tropez von neuseeland! lage auch am see wie wanaka, aber deutlich teurer!

After a long 6 hour journey from queenstown, we arrived in Milford Sound for the start of our overnight cruise. The weather was not good it had been raining all day and would continue to rain all night. However in Milford Sound this has an unexpected benefit as it causes hundreds of small waterfalls to form and with the low cloud and mist it creates a unique atmosphere. The photos say it all. 

Wow, and you thought Lord Of The Rings was stage set, this is the most spectacular breath taking views of pristine Alpine Slopes into a Fjord (It Was incorrectly named a sound) with cascading waterfalls, jumping dolphins and as my older daughter described it ... "Dad there is only so much beautiful that one can take in" The boat trip is essential to see wonders and delights not seen from the shore. And the Fire Fly Trail at the hostel was great, as were all the hidden waterfalls. My biggest regret is not taking a big ass camera. And I will take it for my next trip in 2010. We hired a car and stayed at the hostel and it was quite an adventure and experience, and most definately economical. Our base was Queenstown in the area and an awesome little City bordering on a massive lake and the Remarkable mountain range, which we loved too (definately my favourite in New Zealand)Definately the Gondola is a must with great food and awesome views.

Fiordland was like being in the set of Lord of the Rings...we spent a night in Fangorn forest...teetering on the side of an eel infested lake which suceeded in drawing us into its depths after a bottle of wine...and left us with hyperthermia and some suspicious looking sea-monster bites. The area is made up of Mt Dooms; glaciers; gnarly forests and powerful waterfalls. After emerging from a 1.3km tunnel cut through the heart of the mountain, we wound our way down hairpin bends; and found ourselves at Milford Sound. 

We camped on the road between Te Anu and Milford Sound and got up early to continue with the drive and beat the buses of tourists. The drive was spectacular as it winds up mountain sides, then goes through a long tunnel to the otherside of the mountains to the sight of Milford Sound openning up below. The mist and drizzle hung around all day but made the scenery all the more impressive, quietening the mountains and making them appear far larger and tranquil. Our journey back was slightly frought as we realised that between the 3 of us we had failed to assess our petrol situation and rach gingerly drove the last 30km with the needle on E and all of us willing the car up hills, we made it back to civilization and petrol however and awarded our efforts with PIE's from the Pie Shop !!

Noch bei Dunkelheit und ohne Frühstück sind wir nach nur vier Stunden Schlaf aufgebrochen, denn wir sollten um spätestens halb neun im 180km entfernten Te Anau sein. Dort haben wir eine Fahrt zur Glühwürmchengrotte gebucht. Wir haben es auch rechtzeitig geschafft und hatten noch ausreichend Zeit für ein Frühstück.

Kurz vor neun Uhr haben wir dann ein Schiff bestiegen, das uns über den Lake Ti Anau zum Eingang der Grotte gebracht hat. Nachdem immer nur wenige Personen zugleich in die Grotte können, wurden alle Teilnehmer der Fahrt in mehrere Gruppen aufgeteilt. Wir waren gleich in der ersten und schon wenige Meter nach dem Höhleneingang konnte man an der Decke einige grün schimmernde Punkte ausmachen. Etwa 200 Meter sind wir auf einem Steg in die Höhle hineingegangen, dann mußten wir in ein kleines Boot umsteigen - das ist dann in völliger Dunkelheit tiefer in die Höhle vorgedrungen. Die Decke der Höhle war bedeckt von tausenden winzigen grün schimmernden Lichtpunkten - ein unvergeßlicher Anblick.

Als wir die Höhle wieder verlassen haben, haben wir erfahren, daß es sich bei den Glühwürmchen nicht etwa um jene Spezies handelt, die bei uns zuhause jedes Jahr im Juni zu sehen ist, sondern um die Larven einer Fliege, die mit dem Licht ihre Beute anlockt und mit Fäden ähnlich jenen eines Spinnennetzes fängt.

Als alle Gruppen wieder die Höhle verlassen haben, sind wir mit dem Boot wieder nach Te Anau zurückgekehrt. Von dort aus sind wir dann aufgebrochen zum Milford Sound, Neuseelands bekanntestem und beliebtestem Fjord. Die Straße dorthin ist sehr gewunden. teilweise eng und 120 Kilometer lang - aber sehr schön und führt durch einen der ganz wenigen Tunnels Neuseelands. Unterwegs haben wir auf einigen der zahlreichen Aussichtspunkte Keas angetroffen - für Neuseeland ganz typische Vögel.

Vorbei an den Mirror Lakes haben wir schließlich das Ende der Straße und den Beginn des Milford Sound erreicht. Mittlerweile war es sogar sonnig, allerdings haben die Schatten der hohen Berge zu beiden Seiten die Abendsonne nicht mehr ins Tal gelassen. Die Umgebung ist in der Tat sehr beeindruckend und wir haben den ganzen Abend mit Fotographieren verbracht.

...as you might guess, we're loving this trip and each day just seems to open up even more amazing landscapes and scenery as we travel around NZ.

Today has to go down as one of the highlights - we took a boat trip around Milford Sound - right down on the south west coast of the south island. People and the Lonely Planet kept saying how amazing it was but we still weren't prepared for how incredible it was when we got there. Just the highest, tree-covered mountains you can imaging dropping almost vertically into serene fjords just a kilometre or so from the sea. The place has it all - glaciers, mountains, lakes, fjords, marine life, river life, jungle life - everything. Nothing much to say really - just check the many pictures !