Day 347: Milford Sound & Mistake Creek

Big day with too many activities! First we drove the full distance to Milford Sound; it was good that we hit a few spots two days ago because we got the same weather as the Doubtful Sound Cruise which means you can’t fully appreciate the fjords! We did get to watch the transition from low tide to high tide which was awesome. Turned over many rocks to find crabs burrowing into the sand.

After frolicking around Milford Sound for several hours, we drove to Mistake Creek for what was listed as a 1.5 hour hike and actually was a 3.5 hour hike. On the way, we got to see the local Kea bird jump onto the road and stand in front of our car like a begger. These guys are super smart like crows and will wait till you open your car for food and steal shiny things.

We loved it though and did the full thing. It starts with a really intense tree root drop where you need to climb down roots to get to the trail. There were some boggy bits and rock jumping to avoid mud.

Next we crossed a really cool wire bridge over a river; you could only cross one person at a time. After the bridge, there was a beautiful flower valley view on a river brand and mossy green forest. We had to walk across large trees, climb around overturned roots, and use our hands to scramble up sections. The hike sadly did not end with an epic viewpoint and we tried to go father to see if there was a cliff; nothing 🙃it was still an amazing hike and no one else was on it until we got back to the parking lot and met local Andrew who offered advise on flies and made many cheeky jokes about the US.

To finish the evening, we drove down to the South Fjordlands Monowai Lake Campsite to break out our Salvation Army tent. It looked janky, but it was standing. We got a fire going and enjoyed the warmth until the mosquitos and sand flies were too much.

Campsite: Monowai Lake

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Milford Sound
Mistake Creek Hike
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