Milford Sound

We got picked up super early from Queenstown and were taken on a bus down to Fiordland.  It takes about four hours to drive there even though on a map they are pretty close because the only way to get there is to go down and around the mountains.  Our bus driver was very funny and knowledgeable, though, and he made the trip entertaining and interesting by telling us about the areas we were going through and about New Zealand in general.  Along the way we made a few stops including Te Anau (a town next to the second biggest lake in New Zealand), the Mirror Lakes, and a small freezing cold stream where we got to see Kea birds up close.

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Once we got to Milford Sound, we got onto our boat from the company Mitre Peak.  It was a smaller boat than that of a lot of the other companies, so we were able to get a lot closer to the waterfalls and other sights.  I was worried that it was going to be raining since it rains two out of every three days in Fiordland, but it was actually completely clear and sunny.  On the boat, we went out through the fjords and got to see several waterfalls and other points of interest.  We could even see the fault line that separates the east and west sides of the South Island.  On the way back we got very close to some rocks and got to see fur seals.  They were adorable!

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The last part of the tour was really funny.  We were going by a waterfall and getting very close, so they wanted everyone to know that if you are standing at front of the boat you will get wet.  They said over the speakers, “There is no way to express how wet you will get.”  Everyone quickly got back inside, leaving only Dad.  He had put on his rain pants and coat and got the GoPro.  He stood at the front of the boat as it got super close and he quickly was blasted with mist and got soaking wet.  Everyone inside was watching him, laughing and asking if he was dared to do it.  He was able to quickly dry off though, and I hope the video will come out cool.

After we got back off the boat at Milford Sound, it was time to drive back to Queenstown.  This time, we only stopped at Te Anau, so it didn’t take as long.  Once we got back in town, we went and got dinner and then for dessert went back to the Cookie Time Cookie Bar for some yummy treats.