Milford Sound (Getting there; Being there; Leaving there)

Drive to Te Anau

• as the crow flies, the distance from Queenstown to Milford Sound proper (the pier from which the cruises depart) is about 70 km
• but, given the mountain ranges and lakes in the way, if the crow is driving, it is closer to 300 km
• we had a pre-booked cruise, lunch included, leaving at 12:30 p.m., and having learned that 300 km on New Zealand roads is at least 5 to 6 hours, we left the hotel at about 5:30 a.m., and drove off, into the dark, direction Te Anau, which is the nearest major town to Milford Sound
• nearest is relative, it is still 120 km from Te Anau to Milford Sound, but it is the last place to get gasoline, and the road can be difficult; eg. in Winter there is avalanche danger, and chains on tires are mandatory under certain conditions
• for about the first 90 minutes of the drive, it continued dark, as we were driving through mountain passes, thus sunrise was later than it would have been at sea level
• luckily, traffic was light, as some of the road was of the "white knuckle" variety, but, in general, it was a pleasant drive
• gradually, we began to see some of the magnificent scenery we were driving through, and eventually emerged into a fairly broad plain as we neared Te Anau
• we got to Te Anau at about 8:30, by which time we were ready for breakfast, the nutrition bars we had brought for this drive having long since been consumed
• charitably, Te Anau is what one would call a "one horse" town; also a not too many places to eat town
• eventually we found a small cafe serving breakfast, which was very pleasant, and the breakfast was certainly adequate; again, scaled to hikers and climbers
• however, facilities were limited, and when we asked for the washroom, we were directed to the public library across the road, which also served as a public convenience, and cheerfully so; the librarians were quite used to people seeking relief, and were happy to provide same
• then, we duly filled up the car, having been warned that this was essential, as there were no gas stations on the way, and only limited supply in Milford Sound (and that was on a credit card basis only, and only chip cards at that) - having had the odd problem with making Canadian chip cards work in New Zealand, we wanted to be sure of having enough gas to get there, and back

Drive to Milford Sound

• the drive to Milford Sound is worth it for the scenery, even if the Sound were not at the end of it
• most of it is through Fiordland National Park, and thus there is very little evidence of human habitation
• the road, which is a proper width two-lane for most of the way is excellently paved, especially considering the conditions which exist during winter
• in our case, we drove in late summer, so conditions were excellent
• eventually the road rises to near 1000 metres above sea level, and goes through a high pass between mountain ranges with snow still apparent, very near the road
• and then one comes to the Homer Tunnel, a slightly more than single lane tunnel about 100 km from Te Anau, thus 20 km from Milford Sound
• the tunnel is about 1250 m long, and at the eastern entrance is at about 950 m of elevation; it drops about 120 m to the western entrance
• although the width is sufficient to allow two cars to pass, it is not wide enough for two buses, or a bus and a car, etc., thus traffic through the tunnel is controlled by traffic lights
• given the nature of the traffic , which is effectively "tidal" headed to the Sound in the mornings, and away from the Sound in the afternoons, this is actually quite effective, and waits are reasonable
• apparently in winter the waits become more problematical, as both ends of the tunnel are subject to avalanches, and thus clearing traffic through becomes more urgent, but this was not our problem
• all around the eastern entrance, where we had to stop to await a green light, which would be about 15 minutes because we had just arrived as the light turned to red, were magnificent mountain views, with snow and ice coming down to road level
• we got out to enjoy the view, and instantly discovered one of the  small problems in Fiordland (one which keeps it mostly free of human settlement); what the New Zealanders call sand flies, and we call black flies
• we quickly sealed off all entrances into our clothing and sprayed bug repellent on every exposed piece of skin, but these little critters were merciless, crawling through the tiniest of gaps in clothing to get at non-repellent sprayed skin
• we very quickly went back into the car, only to discover that the critters were so desperate for human flesh that they came through the air vents to get to us; eventually we beat them back, and,having learned the lesson, proceeded to spray ourselves and every piece of clothing, with repellent
• later, at the Milford Sound ship terminal, we found a display of a greatly enlarged, to about 1 m wingspan, fly, and the Maori legend about them
• apparently, when the god Tuterakiwhanoa, the carver of Fiordland had finished creating the natural beauty of this area, especially his masterpiece, Milford Sound, the goddess Hinenuitep became afraid that humans, attracted by the beauty of the area, would move in and despoil it
• thus she created Te Namu, the black fly, to persuade humans that they should not linger too long
• legends of course convey truths by story, and it is true that very few people actually live in Fiordland; even the workers in Milford Sound on the boats and in the very few amenities there mostly arrive in the morning and leave in the evening
• the drive through Homer tunnel is amazing, with very little lighting overhead, and only unfinished granite walls on the side and overhead, and one emerges at the western portal effectively high up on a rocky mountainside, looking straight out at Milford Sound and the Tasman Sea, as the road makes a sharp right turn almost immediately beyond the portal
• from there to the Milford Sound parking areas is a drive mostly down hairpin turns through nearly 850 m elevation to sea level
• we made that drive through intermittent but hard rain showers
• at Milford Sound there is adequate parking for the large number of cars coming each day, and more parking for the 40 to 50 buses bringing tourists daily (apparently the bus drivers have to be specially qualified on the road in, both summer and winter)
• from the parking lots it is a pleasant walk, with bug repellent in place, to the dock from which the cruise boats leave
• there we had a short wait before we boarded out boat, holding perhaps 200 people for

Milford Sound Cruise

• we arrived near the end of the rain showers, but the view of the Sound was still obscured by mist and cloud
• walking from the parking area to the departure area, and indeed the entire view of the Sound from that end, is dominated by Mitre Peak, which indeed looks like a bishop's mitre
• as one cruises away from the dock, the view opens up, and the first thing one sees to the right is a magnificent water fall
• we were told that we were seeing the Sound at its best, just after heavy rains, when the water run-off from the surrounding land is at its highest
• our outgoing view was somewhat limited, as we had booked the cruise with a buffet lunch, so while we ate a very good meal, we saw the scenery through the large windows of the dining area
• As we finished eating, the weather cleared, the sun began to shine, and the clouds rose to form a pretty background to the peaks surrounding the Sound
• from the deck of the cruise ship the view is pretty much un-obscured, and one can easily move from side to side, as the passenger load is low enough that it does not feel crowded
• the view is almost indescribable with mere words; steep cliff sides, with high mountain peaks above them, and waterfalls and cascades running down from great heights
• the scale is such that it is difficult to perceive the heights from which water is falling, until another cruise ship, similar in size to the one we are on sails near a fall, and looks like a rowboat in comparison
• the guide then tells us over the speaker system that what we are looking at is a waterfall three times as high as Niagara Falls, coming from perhaps one-third of the way up to he higher peaks!
• one of the "novelty" items is the large cruise boat nosing up to a waterfall, so that the water sprays over the bow, drenching anyone silly enough to stay up front (to be fair, they do warn of this, and inform you that cameras and cell-phones probably won't survive the shower)
• we stayed well back!
• the cruise goes just out into the Tasman Sea, before turning around; thus whatever views one missed on the way out can be seen on the way back
• total time on the water is only about 2 hours, but in that time one gets the views of a lifetime; it is no wonder that Milford Sound is on every bucket list of places that have to be visited; it truly is one of the most beautiful spots on earth!
• and then ...

Return Drive to Te Anau

• The drive back is the reverse of coming out, and takes just as long
• The views are of the same mountainous terrain, yet the angles are different, so the drive is by no means boring
• arrived back in Te Anau at about 5:30 p.m., and checked into our hotel, the Distinction Hotel & Villas Te Anau
• This was a hotel of the "Superior" category, but while clean and adequate, was certainly not up to what that category applies; I guess "superior" is relative to what else there is available locally
• after a "freshen-up" we wandered around the town a little bit, including a very nice walk along the lake shore, but quickly realized that the town was rapidly shutting down, so went looking for a place to have supper
• there wasn't a lot of choice, so we settled on "Bailiez Cafe Bar" which looked interesting, and still open
• we were quickly seated, and asked for our order by a charming young woman, speaking with a familiar accent
• when asked, she told us she was from Hamilton, Ontario, not 60 km from our home
• she was travelling the world, between university years, and like a lot of young travellers, she said you can always earn your room and board by waitressing
• after a very nice meal, we headed back to our hotel, and, as there wasn't much on the telly, despite a plethora of satellite channels, went to bed!