Josh and I didn’t get up and going until about 10:00 today. We weren’t booked onto the Milford Sound cruise until 2:45 so we could afford to sleep in a bit today. The drive and the road to Milford Sound was not like I had expected…they was much better. In my mind I thought the road was going to be a two hour drive down a gravel road filled with tourist buses that would be difficult to pass. To my pleasant surprise, however, the road was paved and mostly straight for the majority of the drive.
One of the first neat things we saw after leaving the plains behind us were the Mirror Lakes. These lakes were small and somewhat reflective, however, the small black biting bugs detracted from our enjoyment of the spot. Plus, we had to make sure we reached Milford Sound in time for our cruise so we could not stay wonder around that long here. We drove on and pulled off the road at a lookout to take some video as the sun was peeking through the clouds and some of the surrounding mountains were visible.
Then, after we left the designated pull off, we saw the most inviting looking waterfall ever. The water fell down into the clearest, bluest water and it was so pretty I had Josh turn the car around so we could have a better look at it. Josh was about to go climbing the hill to view the top of the falls but I had to persuade him to just view it from the road.
The next place we pulled of the road to view something was the Chasm. There was a tour bus there and several other cars. It was about 20 minutes roundtrip to view the site which was really cool. The river has carved the rocks out to look like vertebrae bones. The river descends through these “bones” as a waterfall.
Back on the road, towards Homer’s Tunnel…man, I hate tunnels. I hadn’t expected to have to drive through a tunnel but I guess that meant I didn’t have to spend time worrying about it ahead of time. The tunnel is a one way road meaning that you have to wait for a stop light to tell your side of the tunnel when it is your turn to drive. We made it through the tunnel and then the road drastically changed from pretty flat and straight to a steep and curvy puke inducing road.
Once we had reached the bottom of the road, the sky was gray and rain looked imminent the closer we got to Milford Sound. At Milford Sound, Josh and I had a picnic in the car. I brought out the red and white checkered cloth I’d brought from the states to surprise Josh with as a picnic table cloth. Although there were some picnic tables nearby, the sprinkling rain and the black bugs were reason enough to eat in the car.
Our picnic lunch was good and after we had finished eating it was time to walk to the dock area for all the cruise boats. Cars can’t drive that close to the cruise area only tour busses can. It wasn’t a long walk but the black bugs were out in full force. We had to swat them away from our faces.
When we reached the cruise center, it was kind of like an airport check in area with all the different cruise operators. I think the 2:45 tour by Mitre Peak Cruises that we went on was the last cruise departing for the day. Most of the other tour operators had signs up stating that they would be open again tomorrow at 9:30 or so. Josh and I were the only ones in the building for awhile but then a tour bus of people were dropped off and checked in for the same tour that we would be taking.
I tried to read The Tommyknockers aloud to Josh but the bugs were so bad even inside the building because the doors were kept open. Soon enough, it was time for our cruise to depart and we headed out to a bigger boat than we had been on yesterday. Josh and I took seats at a table at the back of the boat as per usual. Before the cruise departed, there was a mad dash to the back of the boat because there were tea and coffee making facilities. People were in a rush to make and get a hot drink…so I joined the crowd and made us up some drinks.
It was foggy again so we could not see the tops of the fjords. It was more waterfalls today but the tour did not last as long on the water as the tour yesterday. We didn’t spot any wildlife either which was a bummer. We did take the boat out into the Tasman Sea which was nice and the water as we came back into the Sound was the bluish green color of the canal water in Venice.
I made Josh and I another drink as we cruised around. One of the cooler things we saw towards the end of the trip is what looked like a glacier coming down the side of one of the mountains. The tour ended and we unloaded.
Here are my thoughts on Milford Sound. Despite the long drive from Te Anau to reach the Sound, it is infinitely easier to reach than Doubtful Sound. Plus, there are some really nice sites that you can look at as you drive into Milford Sound. Had we seen bottle nose dolphins on our tour, I’d probably recommend it over Doubtful. The price was $60 per person so it was more affordable than the Doubtful Sound cruise as well. However, we didn’t get to spend as much time out on the water and there didn’t seem to be as many waterfalls here as at Doubtful. Ultimately, I’m glad we did both because I got to experience wonderful and different sights on each tour…Now, if only it hadn’t been so foggy on both of the tours!
Josh and I returned to the car and departed as the sun was beginning to set (what sun there was for all the clouds). We zoned out during our drive and we we’re lulled into silence for awhile before realizing that a lot of time had passed since we’d spoken. We had a good talk after that and made it back to the hotel just before 7 for some dinner and relaxing and watching the results of American Idol.
Tomorrow we’d be on the road to Fortrose in the Catlins region of the South Island.
One of the first neat things we saw after leaving the plains behind us were the Mirror Lakes. These lakes were small and somewhat reflective, however, the small black biting bugs detracted from our enjoyment of the spot. Plus, we had to make sure we reached Milford Sound in time for our cruise so we could not stay wonder around that long here. We drove on and pulled off the road at a lookout to take some video as the sun was peeking through the clouds and some of the surrounding mountains were visible.
Then, after we left the designated pull off, we saw the most inviting looking waterfall ever. The water fell down into the clearest, bluest water and it was so pretty I had Josh turn the car around so we could have a better look at it. Josh was about to go climbing the hill to view the top of the falls but I had to persuade him to just view it from the road.
The next place we pulled of the road to view something was the Chasm. There was a tour bus there and several other cars. It was about 20 minutes roundtrip to view the site which was really cool. The river has carved the rocks out to look like vertebrae bones. The river descends through these “bones” as a waterfall.Back on the road, towards Homer’s Tunnel…man, I hate tunnels. I hadn’t expected to have to drive through a tunnel but I guess that meant I didn’t have to spend time worrying about it ahead of time. The tunnel is a one way road meaning that you have to wait for a stop light to tell your side of the tunnel when it is your turn to drive. We made it through the tunnel and then the road drastically changed from pretty flat and straight to a steep and curvy puke inducing road.
Once we had reached the bottom of the road, the sky was gray and rain looked imminent the closer we got to Milford Sound. At Milford Sound, Josh and I had a picnic in the car. I brought out the red and white checkered cloth I’d brought from the states to surprise Josh with as a picnic table cloth. Although there were some picnic tables nearby, the sprinkling rain and the black bugs were reason enough to eat in the car.Our picnic lunch was good and after we had finished eating it was time to walk to the dock area for all the cruise boats. Cars can’t drive that close to the cruise area only tour busses can. It wasn’t a long walk but the black bugs were out in full force. We had to swat them away from our faces.
When we reached the cruise center, it was kind of like an airport check in area with all the different cruise operators. I think the 2:45 tour by Mitre Peak Cruises that we went on was the last cruise departing for the day. Most of the other tour operators had signs up stating that they would be open again tomorrow at 9:30 or so. Josh and I were the only ones in the building for awhile but then a tour bus of people were dropped off and checked in for the same tour that we would be taking.
I tried to read The Tommyknockers aloud to Josh but the bugs were so bad even inside the building because the doors were kept open. Soon enough, it was time for our cruise to depart and we headed out to a bigger boat than we had been on yesterday. Josh and I took seats at a table at the back of the boat as per usual. Before the cruise departed, there was a mad dash to the back of the boat because there were tea and coffee making facilities. People were in a rush to make and get a hot drink…so I joined the crowd and made us up some drinks.
It was foggy again so we could not see the tops of the fjords. It was more waterfalls today but the tour did not last as long on the water as the tour yesterday. We didn’t spot any wildlife either which was a bummer. We did take the boat out into the Tasman Sea which was nice and the water as we came back into the Sound was the bluish green color of the canal water in Venice.
I made Josh and I another drink as we cruised around. One of the cooler things we saw towards the end of the trip is what looked like a glacier coming down the side of one of the mountains. The tour ended and we unloaded.
Here are my thoughts on Milford Sound. Despite the long drive from Te Anau to reach the Sound, it is infinitely easier to reach than Doubtful Sound. Plus, there are some really nice sites that you can look at as you drive into Milford Sound. Had we seen bottle nose dolphins on our tour, I’d probably recommend it over Doubtful. The price was $60 per person so it was more affordable than the Doubtful Sound cruise as well. However, we didn’t get to spend as much time out on the water and there didn’t seem to be as many waterfalls here as at Doubtful. Ultimately, I’m glad we did both because I got to experience wonderful and different sights on each tour…Now, if only it hadn’t been so foggy on both of the tours!
Josh and I returned to the car and departed as the sun was beginning to set (what sun there was for all the clouds). We zoned out during our drive and we we’re lulled into silence for awhile before realizing that a lot of time had passed since we’d spoken. We had a good talk after that and made it back to the hotel just before 7 for some dinner and relaxing and watching the results of American Idol.
Tomorrow we’d be on the road to Fortrose in the Catlins region of the South Island.
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