Milford Sound, keas and chasms

We've had a pretty awesome day today. We set off early from our campsite to Milford Sound allowing enough time for any delays. We are glad we did because the drive is amazingly spectacular so we were able to enjoy the scenery and there was temporary traffic lights at the 1.2km long tunnel. The tunnel through a mountain has made Milford Sound accessible by road so even though we sat at traffic lights for 5 minutes we didn't mind knowing that without the tunnel and it's maintenance we wouldn't be able to go where we are going today. As we queued we saw our first wild Keas, the world's only alpine parrot. It was so exciting, well at first it was until you realise they are hopping around the cars hoping someone will feed them, a behaviour they'd only be doing if it had been successful for them in the past. We made it to Milford Sound with time to spare but luckily our boat left on time. It was much more commercial than Doubtful Sound with many different competing tour companies and lots of boats and people alike. Despite the different vibe we initially got we still had an amazing cruise. The landscape was more dramatic with the cliffs and mountains being steeper and more sheer. We also got up close and personal with some huge waterfalls which was a particular highlight. Some fur seals had taken up residence on some shallow rocks so we were able to stop there briefly to watch them roll around trying to catch some sun. The complimentary coffee on this boat was much better than our previous cruise because it was an actual coffee machine so we enjoyed quite a few lattes. The whole trip and area felt so different to Doubtful Sound and I'm so pleased we got to experience both. Back at the van we had two Keas come up to us as we unloaded our toilet at the dump station and they followed Nick around to the back of the van wanting food. As sweet as they are it's so sad they have become such beggers, clearly tourists ignore the signs and feed them anyway. They flew off when we didn't offer anything and soon after we heard some backpackers telling off some people for feeding them. On our way out of Milford we stopped at many view points and things to see that we had to drive past this morning to ensure we were not late. One stop was to a place called the Chasm. We didn't really know what we'd be seeing but boy it's the most mind blowing incredible thing I've ever seen, and we've seen a lot on this trip! You walk over a bridge with a raging waterfall and river below and see beautiful craved rocks that resemble Swiss cheese where it's been moulded and shaped by the water. Huge boulders sit on top of each other and there's the odd 40ft tall tree down there as well. Apparently rocks carried in the water will swirl and spiral in small crevasses wearing and rubbing the rock down to create these holes and tunnels. I couldn't get over how this even happens, that something in nature can carve and break rock. It saddened me that people walked by within minutes when we spent ages just adirming the incredible power and ability that this river has. When we finally dragged ourselves away we had a breif stop at another view point where a Kea even landed on our mirror hoping Nick would feed him. He then started trying to eat plastic on the floor so we quickly took that from him before he succeeded. We've gone from seeing no wild Keas to seeing around 10 in one day, all by roads or in car parks which really does say something. I started to develop a pretty bad headache so we made our way back to the same campsite as last night so that we don't have to drive too far with my head not being great. Hopefully it'll be better tomorrow.Read more