Milford Sound

Bags out at 7 for an eight o'clock departure for Milford Sound. Our cruise was booked for 11.00am, so we had a 2 1/2 hour drive with three photo stops.

The drive includes a 1.2 km tunnel through the Darran Mountains at Homer Saddle.

Although called Milford Sound, it is actually one of New Zealand's 14 fjords..

As a fjord, Milford Sound was formed by a process of glaciation over millions of years. If the rocks at top of the fjord sides are rounded, it means they were below the glacial ice level and were worn smooth. If they are jagged, they were above the glacial ice level.

The village at the end of the fjord is also known as Milford Sound.

Milford Sound runs 15 kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea at Dale Point and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more on either side. Among the peaks are The Elephant at 1,517 metres (4,977 ft), said to resemble an elephant's head, and The Lion, 1,302 metres (4,272 ft), in the shape of a crouching lion.

Milford Sound sports two permanent waterfalls, Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. After heavy rain temporary waterfalls can be seen running down the steep sided rock faces that line the fjord. They are fed by rainwater-drenched moss and will last a few days at most once the rain stops.

The cruise took us the whole length of the fjord, out along the southern side and back along the northern side. It is difficult to describe the size and scale of it all.

The return trip was back to Te Anau then around to Queenstown. We arrived at our hotel at 6.00pm. Two full days here now with lots of free time.Læs mere