On Wednesday we took a trip to Milford Sound, which is an inlet of the Tasman Sea surrounded by rainforest, cliffs and waterfalls. The coach journey took around four hours and is considered to be one of the top ten scenic drives in the world. It follows lakeside Watipiku between the Remarkables and Southern Alps, and through expanses of farmland into Te Anau. It is amazing how the landscape can change so quickly in New Zealand; after a prolonged period of flatland, the views suddenly flourished as we entered the Fiordland National Park, and we were lifted into the Southern Alps for the most breathtaking part of the journey.
Our coach stopped at some viewpoints along the way, including a boardwalk around the mirror lakes, where on a clear day there is no distinction between the sky and its reflection in the water. We came across a couple of keas minding their own business, but they spared a moment to pose for a quick photo shoot. Keas are endangered alpine parrots that will happily endanger you by tearing the roof off your car and plucking you clean into the air.
Towards the end of the journey, we passed through a tunnel in the mountain interior. For the most part it was unlined, so we were surrounded by sheer rock. The workers at Milford Sound like to run through the tunnel naked each year in competition, permitted to wear a torch on their head to help avoid soft collisions.
The cruise of Milford Sound itself lasted around two hours. The forest lived up to its name and drew in torrents of rain, but the deluge was a blessing for our eyes and cameras, forming rivulets on the cliff-face. We were surrounded by water gushing off the black rocks – one of the highlights of our trip so far – and when the boat came close enough to the rock edge, we were baptised in the steam and spray of a waterfall.
Brilliant, I had a look at Keas on the tinternet, they are characters ?Enjoy xx