After our relaxing night in Queenstown we were once more up at dawn with an overnight bag packed and the rest of our stuff in the Copthorne luggage store ready for our overnight excursion to Milford Sound. Justin from Real Journeys picked us up in a fabulous luxury coach with seats tilted towards the huge windows and a glass roof for better viewing of the mountains. The coach journey itself was a great part of the trip with lots of stops and commentary from Justin. We headed along the southern shore of Lake Wakatipu which is over 1000 feet deep and into Southland. After a brief coffee stop where we admired the cafe’s pet pig, alpacas and miniature ponies we were off towards Fiordland and a lunch stop in Te Anua. The scenery got more and more incredible as we journeyed on, the mountains higher and the lakes bigger. There was a first dusting of snow on all the mountain tops and the clouds were gathering as we headed west.
Once into the national park the herds of deer, sheep and cows gave way to ancient forest, clear pools and glacial meadows. Then we were into the really high mountains and I was very glad that Justin was driving and seemed really comfortable with the hair pin bends and steep ascents and descents. We went through the Holme Tunnel, dug out with picks and shovels over a 15 year period which took us a mile through the mountain to emerge in the final valley where we were surrounded by 3000 feet cliffs and waterfalls tumbling vertically off the rock faces. We stopped and were encouraged to drink the pure water straight from a stream and to admire the river running through a deep limestone canyon.
At 4pm we arrived at the dock at Milford where we boarded the Milford Mariner for our overnight cruise. After a safety briefing we viewed our neat little cabin then went on deck to admire the mountains dropping into the still waters of the sound and the waterfalls pouring down. The wind was funnelling in as we neared the Tasman Sea and it was hard to stand on deck without getting blown over so once moored up we didn’t head out in the Kayaks but decided to take a glass of wine in the bar and enjoy the scenery from the warmth of inside. I had thought I might swim but the water was only 12 degrees and it was grey and cold so I didn’t think about it for too long before taking the Sauvignon Blanc option! We had a great dinner, sharing a table and travel stories with a couple from Manchester and another from Finland. It was very convivial. After dinner one of the crew showed us some really interesting slides and videos of wildlife and different weather conditions on the Sound. We only saw a few seals as it was clearly too inclement for the dolphins!
Next morning it was absolutely pouring with rain when we left our cabin for breakfast but then this is not be expected in Milford Sound, where they measure their average rainfall in metres. It really added to the atmosphere as we headed out into the Tasman Sea which was pretty rough and we watched the cliffs looming out of the sea, new waterfalls starting up and previous ones growing in volume from the relatively dryness of the bridge. The crew were just brilliant, the captain didn’t mind at all, having us hanging about as he fought the waves and avoided the cliffs and the nature commentator was funny and friendly. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their job, despite having to do it all the time with groups of ignorant tourists asking the same questions!
The return journey, although travelling the same route was equally spectacular with new waterfalls and, as we left the West Coast, the sun coming out to reveal a beautiful day with clear blue sky and impossibly blue lakes. We got back to Queenstown to find a very different place under a blue sky. Back at the Copthorne we seem to have been given the best room in the hotel, a suite with a balcony with 180 degree views of the lakes and the mountains and a view from the bed which is just too lovely.
Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Sydney for our next adventure. I do hope we can return to New Zealand some day, it is such a lovely country with lovely people and there is still so much more to see.
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