Milford Sound Fiord

We were up early today and on the bus without a hitch. Our driver/guide was Alec, and he was a smart one. Loved bashing the Aussies. Apparently that's a national past time here. We took the bus through heavy beech forest, rainforest, and alpine scenery. We drove through the Homer tunnel, a one-way going downhill, which then opened into a picturesque valley leading to the sound. All around us, waterfalls dripped from the rock faces. Some could be traced from their origin at the top, traveling 1500 feet, to their destination at the bottom. We had some sunshine, so we were very happy. We arrived at the wharf and hopped on our boat for the day. After pushing from the dock, a large waterfall immediately came into view around the corner. It was one of many for the day. We floated the south side of the sound first. Stopping at Fairy Falls, where wisps of water flow down a moss encrusted rock face, then we saw a leopard seal (eating machines in March of the Penguins), who was up from the Antarctic for a visit. Next were fiord crested penguins. I think I accidently called them crown penguins before. Sorry about that. We made our way into the Tasman Sea to take a lazy U-turn back into the fiord. Note: a fiord is created by glacial action, which these are, whereas a sound is carved by water, such as a river, which these are not. So the Milford Sound is a misnomer and it should be Milford Fiord, but that would be a huge blow to the postcard industry, so there you have it. Anyway, we came back into the fiord, sailing along the north side of the valley. We saw some New Zealand fur seals and lots more falls. Before we knew it, three hours had passed and it was time to board the bus again. We stopped at Chasm Falls, for a bush walk to the river. The erosion that had created the hole was amazing. Rounded rocks, fallen trees, and beautiful emerald river water. Nice.

We arrived in Te Anau in time for more Chinese food and a night's sleep.Read more