The bottom end of the South Island is known as Fiordland and has some of New Zealand's most spectacular landscapes. A fiord is a former glacial valley that is now filled by the ocean. It is a long narrow inlet between steep cliffs. Fiordland is home to Milford Sound, one of New Zealand's most famous tourist destinations.
On our second day in Queenstown, we arranged to join a bus tour and cruise to Milford Sound (to give Sam a break from driving). On a map, Queenstown looks quite close to Milford Sound, except in reality there is a big mountain range that stands in the way of the two. That said, there is no direct route from Queenstown to Milford Sound, except to go around the mountain ranges and that takes about 5 hours by bus. The route took us around beautiful Lake Wakatipu, to the town of TeAnau where we stopped for breakfast. It was then on to the Fiordland National Park and through spectacular glacier sculptured canyons on The Milford Road (the scenic highway to Milford Sound). Some of the most breathtaking scenery that we saw was in this region. Our 5 hour bus ride to Milford Sound was made very enjoyable by our bus driver, who talked non-stop on our way there. He had so much information to share on New Zealand and kept us entertained with his interesting, informative and witty commentary. On the way back, we were treated to a movie on the in-coach DVD system, which helped to pass the time. All in all it was a great day and tour.
Mirror Lakes
We made a stop at Mirror Lakes, where we got a picture perfect reflection of the beautiful surrounding Earl Mountains in the crystal clear and still water. It was a breathtaking sight !
We made a stop at Mirror Lakes, where we got a picture perfect reflection of the beautiful surrounding Earl Mountains in the crystal clear and still water. It was a breathtaking sight !
Homer Tunnel
This 1.2 kilometre tunnel, situated 945 metres above sea level was completed in 1953. It is an engineering feat as it pierces through sheer rock to allow access to Milford Sound. Milford Sound is the only fiord that can be accessed by road.
This 1.2 kilometre tunnel, situated 945 metres above sea level was completed in 1953. It is an engineering feat as it pierces through sheer rock to allow access to Milford Sound. Milford Sound is the only fiord that can be accessed by road.
Cruise on Milford Sound
We arrived at Milford Sound after noon and boarded a boat for a 2 hour cruise on the fiord. Milford Sound is really stunning with steep rocky cliffs and blue waters. The boat's captain did a great job of pointing out things of interest and he gave us some insight into Milford Sound's abundant flora and fauna, and sea life. Soon after we left the wharf, we were in plain sight of the spectacular 1692 metre high Mitre Peak that rises above the sound (seen on many postcards). For an area that gets a lot of rain, we were fortunate to have a dry sunny day with clear blue skies. When it does rain, there are many cascading waterfalls to be seen, fortunately even though there was no rain, we did see some. Along the way, we also saw seals, penguins and some interesting trees on the rocky cliffs. The boat took us past the mouth of the sound to the Tasman Sea, about 16 kilometres from the wharf. After the enjoyable cruise we boarded the bus and headed back to Queenstown.
We arrived at Milford Sound after noon and boarded a boat for a 2 hour cruise on the fiord. Milford Sound is really stunning with steep rocky cliffs and blue waters. The boat's captain did a great job of pointing out things of interest and he gave us some insight into Milford Sound's abundant flora and fauna, and sea life. Soon after we left the wharf, we were in plain sight of the spectacular 1692 metre high Mitre Peak that rises above the sound (seen on many postcards). For an area that gets a lot of rain, we were fortunate to have a dry sunny day with clear blue skies. When it does rain, there are many cascading waterfalls to be seen, fortunately even though there was no rain, we did see some. Along the way, we also saw seals, penguins and some interesting trees on the rocky cliffs. The boat took us past the mouth of the sound to the Tasman Sea, about 16 kilometres from the wharf. After the enjoyable cruise we boarded the bus and headed back to Queenstown.
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