I had a very early morning. Got to the bus stop at 6:45am for the 7:05am AwesomeNZ coach to Milford Sound. It was a nice, new, comfortable bus. The driver Paulie told us interesting information throughout the entire ride -- he was really great. It was more of a tour than a bus ride.
 |
| Quick 45 minute stop at Te Anau |
The drive is one that I will never forget. It was full of the most beautiful sights. My jaw dropped so many times.
One of the earlier sights we stopped at was the filming location for the Misty Mountains, in Eglington Valley. It was in the Fellowship of the Rings, which I'll now need to re-watch!
 |
| Eglington Valley - where the Misty Mountains were filmed! |
Another stop was at Mirror Lake, known for its clear reflections on a calm day. It was definitely beautiful, but there were way too many people to really enjoy the tranquil beauty of it. We also had a restroom break at Knobs Flat.
 |
| Mirror Lakes. Great reflections on the calm water. |
As we were driving through the mountains and waterfalls, I was overcome with emotion. I felt insignificant, being surrounded by the giant beautiful mountains all around me.
Before we drove through the Homer Tunnel, we made a quick stop for more pictures because there were Keas! These are large parrots that are indigenous to NZ. I believe they are only found in this country.
After emerging out of the tunnel, we were in Cleddau Valley. It is also known as the area of the waterfalls. Fjordland is the wettest place in NZ. Such a beautiful valley. I again felt so small.
Finally reached Milford Sound. It looked just like the beautiful pictures I've seen. It is actually a fjord (carved out by glaciers) and not a sound, which is carved out by rivers.
 |
| Walking on the trail from the visitor center to the cafe. Incredible Milford Sound view. |
I had around three hours to spare before the Real Journeys cruise, so I just relaxed in the cafe and then went to the check in terminal early.
 |
| Mini trail at the visitor center |
I was on the Milford Wanderer Ship. I reserved a bed in the quad room, requesting to be placed with women if possible, but it ended up being three men. It was fine though, everyone was friendly. Two brothers originally from Arizona, and a man on vacation from Japan.
 |
| The Milford Wanderer |
|
|
 |
| Overnight itinerary with Real Journeys |
We ate a lentil soup to start, so that we'd have some energy before our walk on the
Milford Track! Of course not the whole thing. We hopped on another small boat that took us to the Sandfly Point to start. There really were a lot of sandflies, that are apparently attracted to dark-colored clothing.
 |
| Took this small boat to Sandfly Point on the Milford Track |
We walked about 45 minutes on the trail, and then turned back around. It was an extremely well maintained trail. Even though it had rained a lot yesterday, the trail was dry now. Our guide Chris told us all about the trees and plants we were encountering, as well as history on the wildlife. We saw many stoat traps, since they decimate the bird populations. It was really nice to experience this tiny end stretch of the Great Walk.
 |
| Start of the walk at Sandfly Point |
 |
| Well maintained, tranquil trail |
Afterwards, we ate dinner & dessert on the boat, which was probably the fanciest dinner I had while on the trip. We cruised along and once we reached
Harrison Cove, docked there for the overnight stay.
The sunset and twilight views of Milford sound were incredible. It was a really peaceful experience. I can't imagine just taking the two hour cruise and then immediately getting back on the coach for four hours.
 |
| View from the boat before the sunset |
I was exhausted by the time it was evening, and fell asleep around 9:30pm. A long day, but really the journey was unforgettable.
No comments:
Post a Comment