Milford Sound, New ZealandMay 18, 2007
S 44°36.165
E 167°48.666
When I was a kid, I loved going to Fairytale Town in William Land Park. The entire place was, well, a fairytale. Today, in Milford Sound, I felt like I went back to Fairytale Town all over again. However, this was definitely on a
much larger scale.The bus from the Top 10 Holiday Park made several stops along Route 94 as we made our way to Milford Sound. Each stop brought something unique to the journey—a view of the valley floor and crystal rivers, Mirror Lake, a few quick peaks of Mt. Tutoko between the clouds, and a walk through The Chasm.
As we started our drive in Te Anau lowland brush and golden grasses blanketed the countryside. However, soon after we passed through the Homer Tunnel rain loving plants were everywhere;
lush, green ferns and wet, moss covered, forest hung tightly to the mountain side. Milford Sound gets 6 meters of rain a year; Te Anau only 1.5 meters, thus the extreme contrast in flora.Out of the most spectacular stops along the way was The Chasm; located just a few kilometers east of the Homer Tunnel. A foot-path led us through a rainforest to a giant waterfall that fell into a massive, polished, chasm of bedrock. Marc said the forest was something right out of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's Lord of the Rings; he could imagine Frodo leading his team down the paths, and expected Gandalf to walk out of the forest at any moment.
Sunlight sporadically attempted to illuminate the forest; casting shadows and making it seem even more surreal. There were giant ferns, moss covered boulders, small creeks disappearing under logs and between rocks, twisted vines tumbling from the canopy above, and occasional drops of cold water fell upon our heads, seemingly to remind us this wasn’t a dream.
We arrived at Milford Sound shortly after we finished the 20-minute Chasm walk, still in awe, but ready to see more. Good thing, since the next part of the trip was on a tour boat through the Sound. This is where the magic really began. The sun finally burnt off the majority of the fog and began to shine through the
remaining clouds. Milford Sound is actually a place you want it to rain, at least a little, to show off more waterfalls and a few rainbows… what else would you expect in a fairytale? A unicorn?
There were waterfalls everywhere. Some of them are known as “temporary” or “semi-temporary” because they disappear shortly after the rain stops, which isn’t very often. They even have one named Fairy Falls because of the rainbow that exists in the water—see, this place is a fairytale! Our boat got up close and personal with a few of the falls, drenching those in the bow while we stayed back and took pictures.
The fjord (actually not a sound), which was formed by a glacier millions of years ago, had dark, grayish, blue water due to the combination of salt water (from the Tasman Sea) and fresh water from the six meters of rain a year. The granite mountains bordering the enormous fjord were covered in lichen and moss. Thus, providing shrubs, ferns and trees a secure foothold to attach themselves and making everything remarkably green.
Our boat cruised along the southern side of the Sound all the way
to the Tasman Sea and made its way back through the northern waters. There was something to see in every direction, every bend, every cove, every waterfall and we did our best to take it all in.
A unicorn didn’t pop-up near one of the rainbows. However, when a pod of Bottle Nose dolphins started frolicking alongside our boat, I tossed the cheese and crackers I was munching on aside, and ran to the bow of the boat. There must have been twenty, the most playful ever our guide had ever seen. They were jumping
completely out of the dark water only feet from the boat, circling us and then jumping again; it was as if they knew we were watching and enjoyed entertaining us. As the last one swam away it was almost as if he hit its fin in the water one last time, waving goodbye.
Milford Sound definitely lived up to the hype we heard over the years. Everything about the day was truly spectacular—the vegetation, waterfalls, weather, the cruise through the sound/fjord and even the bus ride.
I will never forget today’s Fairytale Town, the day at Milford Sound.
Other notes: Yesterday I stated that Te Anau’s main purpose it to prep people for treks such as Routeburn and Milford Sound, but what I failed to mention is there are actually over 500 KMs, or 300 miles, of walking trails around Te Anau. It is actually considered the walking capital of the world!
We arrived at Milford Sound shortly after we finished the 20-minute Chasm walk, still in awe, but ready to see more. Good thing, since the next part of the trip was on a tour boat through the Sound. This is where the magic really began. The sun finally burnt off the majority of the fog and began to shine through the
remaining clouds. Milford Sound is actually a place you want it to rain, at least a little, to show off more waterfalls and a few rainbows… what else would you expect in a fairytale? A unicorn?There were waterfalls everywhere. Some of them are known as “temporary” or “semi-temporary” because they disappear shortly after the rain stops, which isn’t very often. They even have one named Fairy Falls because of the rainbow that exists in the water—see, this place is a fairytale! Our boat got up close and personal with a few of the falls, drenching those in the bow while we stayed back and took pictures.
The fjord (actually not a sound), which was formed by a glacier millions of years ago, had dark, grayish, blue water due to the combination of salt water (from the Tasman Sea) and fresh water from the six meters of rain a year. The granite mountains bordering the enormous fjord were covered in lichen and moss. Thus, providing shrubs, ferns and trees a secure foothold to attach themselves and making everything remarkably green.Our boat cruised along the southern side of the Sound all the way
to the Tasman Sea and made its way back through the northern waters. There was something to see in every direction, every bend, every cove, every waterfall and we did our best to take it all in.A unicorn didn’t pop-up near one of the rainbows. However, when a pod of Bottle Nose dolphins started frolicking alongside our boat, I tossed the cheese and crackers I was munching on aside, and ran to the bow of the boat. There must have been twenty, the most playful ever our guide had ever seen. They were jumping
completely out of the dark water only feet from the boat, circling us and then jumping again; it was as if they knew we were watching and enjoyed entertaining us. As the last one swam away it was almost as if he hit its fin in the water one last time, waving goodbye.Milford Sound definitely lived up to the hype we heard over the years. Everything about the day was truly spectacular—the vegetation, waterfalls, weather, the cruise through the sound/fjord and even the bus ride.
I will never forget today’s Fairytale Town, the day at Milford Sound.
Other notes: Yesterday I stated that Te Anau’s main purpose it to prep people for treks such as Routeburn and Milford Sound, but what I failed to mention is there are actually over 500 KMs, or 300 miles, of walking trails around Te Anau. It is actually considered the walking capital of the world!
Te Anau, New Zealand
