Milford Highway

We rose early to beat the traffic along the Te Anau - Milford highway and were pleasantly surprised that we did not meet too many coach tours.
This is a beautiful section of road passing through the rain forest with lots to do and see on the way.
We stopped to walk the short trail to Mistletoe Lake, passing through woodland to the Lake where the stillness of the water offered great reflections of the mountains in the distance. Then to Mirror Lakes where the high mountain detail could be seen in the lake.
After that at The Divide we stopped to walk up to Key Summit - part of the Routeburn trail with a climb to the Key Summit lookout - well worth the effort- a 450m climb but the views were stunning. The walk was busy and the climb was steep. We set off wearing several layers of clothes but by the time we returned we were wearing T shirts and were feeling quite hot.
Then to Milford Sound through the tunnel to our lodge site and our pre-arranged boat trip. As we were waiting for our turn to drive through the tunnel we spotted a kea, one of NZ's rare and threatened species of birds. It sat next to our car, and we were soon surrounded by Chinese people, all anxious to take 100s of photos. The entire drive to Milford Sound was truly amazing, with such scenic views around every corner we turned. This is a truly stunning island!!!Read more