Milford Sound

I'll just state up front that this posting is primarily to show some pictures of the amazing Milford Sound, as well as some of the sights along The Milford Road, that weren't shared in the summary post found here.

The highway that runs between Te Anau and Milford Sound is beautiful, and there is a lot to see along the way.  We were enthralled by the Mirror Lakes and Eglinton valley with golden waves of grasses (see above link).  We also stopped to see a waterfall (which was more like cascades) and to have some lunch.

 













The kids were both thrilled and somewhat nervous about the swinging bridge.

Because it had been raining so much, we also saw tons of temporary/makeshift waterfalls throughout our trip.  

The Homer tunnel was right near some ice caves.  The surrounding cliffs were so steep that just etting out of the car to look around gave the adults a sense of vertigo.

The tunnel is about 3/4 mile single lane passageway.  It is completely dark inside and the kids kept pointing out the shiny waterdrips and sometimes streams coming from the ceiling and walls  that were lit up by our headlights.


Not a lot we can say about Milford Sound besides astonishing!  Again, just like with the glaciers, heights are deceiving--even when you're there.    Mitre Peak, just off to the left is about 1700 meters (5577 feet) above the water.  The depth of the fjord plunges up to 600 m or 2000 ft deep.

We were so lucky that it was sunny in Milford Sound, where it gets over 350 inches of rain a year!  It almost made up for the other rainy, cold days.  

This is called the Lion, in the shape of a crouching lion, which is over 4,700 feet high. 

Lady Bowen Falls (left) and temporary bridal veil waterfall...

Even saw some seals lazing around.

 Here's Mitre Peak again, with the Lion in the midground.

Our cruise went close to this waterfall, Stirling Waterfall, and Liam couldn't believe its power.  It really woke him up after the boatride.  It is over 15 stories high, I believe.

This was a picture from an observation point we climbed to, the morning following our cruise.  Notice the scale with the large two story cruise ship coming into the harbor.   (Also, the peak on the far right is over two Sky Towers in height).

Fourteen nautical miles to the Tasman Sea...and all pure beauty. 

After our adventures in Milford Sound, we had to take The Milford Road back again.  One of our favorite hikes was the Chasm.  The feats of natural erosion on the Cleddau River gave us a great opportunity to talk to the kids about geology and natural processes.  These are super deep.