At the end of our Routeburn Track hike we were picked up at The Divide by a coach that, after it had dropped off a couple of hikers going in the opposite direction to us, was completely empty apart from the driver. He was a very friendly and knowledgeable chap and he pointed out to us the landmarks as we headed to Milford Sound. He also had a “chilly bin” full of our picnic lunch, which was very welcome later on.
The rain was falling pretty heavily as we were driven down the valley and we could see hundreds of waterfalls crashing down the steep sides. They looked like many shimmering silvery strands when looked at from a distance. At the ferry port the rain had stopped and we were able to go outside and get a first view of the fjord before wolfing down our lunch ahead of our cruise through the Sound.
As we set out from the dock we could see more amazing waterfalls streaming down the steep sides of the mountains and into the Fjord. As all but two waterfalls along the Sound disappear on a dry day we couldn’t be too disappointed in the weather during our visit, and we even got the occasional shaft of sunlight in between showers!
Our captain certainly allowed us to make the most of the waterfalls as he enjoyed driving the boat directly below them and letting those of us at the front get completely soaked!
In total we spent two hours out on the water, and on the way back were rewarded with views of seals and a yellow eyed penguin.
After our cruise we headed back to Queenstown to treat ourselves to our first fresh food in three days, and to plan our route to Christchurch and our final views days in New Zealand.
Claire and Gareth go travelling! 