Kiwi Exp. - Milford Sound to Queenstown

…Leaving the rushing waters of The Chasm behind us, we took a ferry upon the calmer waters of Milford Sound. In front of us the Mitre Peak rose up, partially cloaked in cloud and blanched in sunlight, to be reflected in the waters of the Sound (or Fiord as this in fact was Milford is but the name as stuck).

Steadily moving out onto the water we passed waterfalls, large and small that sent white rivets from the mountains down into blue waters below. Low lying cloud slid along the cliff faces, obscuring parts of the mountains whilst sunlight shot through u-shaped canyons to strobe out like the beam of a lantern. We cruised through a natural paradise that due to its location and now world heritage status, had and hopefully would continue to remain untouched by human endeavours. Only the sound of the ferry’s motor boards cutting through the water and the people talking on board could be heard amongst the tranquil silence that accompanied the extraordinary scenes.

At the mouth of the Sound, where it opened up out into the seemingly never-ending horizon of the Tasman Sea, we turned back to coast past dense rainforest and fauna hanging almost miraculously from the unforgiving granite that dropped straight down into the deep water. We past a small group of seals lazing on rocks before getting as close as safely possible to one of the larger waterfalls that flow down off the mountains, the Stirling Falls. The falls thumped down onto the Sound, sending ripples off in all directions as the ferry was covered in a steady thick mist of water. like an enormous car wash. Those outside on the open decks were soaked through to come back inside dripping with ice cold water.

We returned to port for the lengthy bus journey back to Queenstown, on which we looked out at the passing landscape as it faded in the dusk. We reflected on how we had been somewhat apprehensive at the length of the journey and questioned, as we had heard others do, whether the experience was worth it. However, having now done so we can gladly say that it was, to experience such a dramatic landscape that words and photographs cannot do justice.Read more