Not Without My Backpack: New Zealand: South Island

We set off early from Queenstown for Te Anau, which would be our base for our day trip to Milford Sound. On the way, we found ourselves in the middle of a cattle drive. There were so many cows that we had to completely stop the car and wait for the cows to move.

Cattle Drive

In Te Anau, we shopped around for a place to stay and ended up at a holiday park just a short walk away from Lake Te Anau, the second largest lake in New Zealand. Before the rain started, we had a walk along the lake shore. That evening, on recommendation from the receptionist, we joined the locals for a Sunday roaster at a steakhouse, treating ourselves to lamb and cider. This was one of the only times we ate out in New Zealand.

Lake Te Anau

Lake Te Anau before the rain

The following morning we set off for Milford Sound. It is 144 miles from Te Anau to Milford, but the journey is fantastic. Milford Road takes you into Fiordland National Park through the Southern Alps. The road passes by lakes, waterfalls, through rain forest, and over snowy mountains. Since it had just rained (and snowed in the higher elevations) hundreds of small waterfalls cascaded down the sides of the cliffs we drove alongside. At the highest point of the road, we drove through Homer Tunnel, which took almost 20 years to complete.

Snowy Milford Road

Approaching Homer Tunnel

Temporary waterfall down the cliff alongside the road

Raging waterfall next to the road

Once we reached Milford, we booked ourselves on a cruise around the fjord. (As explained to us on our cruise, Milford Sound is inaccurately named and is actually a fjord.) Milford Sound is absolutely breathtaking. It is surrounded by sheer rock faces, some of which jut straight up over a mile high above the water. Since it was winter, we had very cold weather to deal with, but had the benefit of a fairly empty cruise boat. When we set out, we had some blue skies, but throughout the two hour cruise we also experienced rain, sleet, and hail. The weather was constantly changing, which just added to the mystique of Milford Sound. Clouds drifted over the snow covered mountain peaks, fur seals lounged on the rocks, and a few dolphins even swam by. Another benefit of the rainy weather was the waterfalls. There are only two waterfalls that flow year round, but because of the wet weather, there were hundreds of temporary waterfalls running down the cliffs. It is impossible to capture the beauty of Milford Sound in pictures, but we certainly tried. We both agreed that it was one of the most amazing places we have been on our trip.