Today, Gollum has to get us to Milford Sound and back. Fuel stations are few and far between and I am more than a bit nervous as I overfill the tank in Te Anau.
But, once again, my thoughts are overwhelmed by the beauty of the countryside as we approach the granite precipices of the mountains around Milford Sound. Wide valleys with babbling brooks and sheep become stark canyons with white water rivers fed by an endless stream(!) of waterfalls.There are still snow and ice covering the peaks and crevices almost down to the roadside. At the entrance to the tunnel which takes you through to Milford Sound itself there is still snow actually at the roadside, in the middle of summer! On the other side of the tunnel the road twists and turns through countless fairy grottos until you get to the end of the road. The very end of the road!
At the very end of the road is the terminal for all the companies offering short cruises around the Sound. I am tempted by the small boat option which gets right under the waterfalls and close to the vertical sides of the fjord. The company I finally choose also claims to go further out than any other.
This place is so remote, untouched and inaccessible yet thousands come to view it every day.
It is cloudy, windy and wet as we set off, essential weather for good waterfall viewing. Trees and tree ferns cling to each other and the rock surface without the benefit of soil to provide security and nutrition. Its a testament to hydroponics. Groups of fur seals gather on rocks at headlands as we follow the curves of the rocks gouged out by glaciers millions of years ago.
The water gets a bit more choppy as we reach the Tasman Sea and we are almost at our turning point when we spot something in the waves in the distance. A pod of dusky dolphins is heading towards us. We go to meet them as they fly under and over the water in twos, threes and fours, like synchronised swimmers. They are dainty dolphins. Much smaller than the bottlenoses we are used to seeing on tv or in displays. They dance and play around us, chasing a school of fish across the Sound, eventually disappearing into the distance a full 15 minutes later.
We make our way back along the fjord, stopping only to put the bow of the boat under Stirling Falls, until we are all fully drenched. As we do so, the sun comes out, the clouds disappear and the Falls make full rainbows across the water. Good thing I'd bought a waterproof camera.
But, once again, my thoughts are overwhelmed by the beauty of the countryside as we approach the granite precipices of the mountains around Milford Sound. Wide valleys with babbling brooks and sheep become stark canyons with white water rivers fed by an endless stream(!) of waterfalls.There are still snow and ice covering the peaks and crevices almost down to the roadside. At the entrance to the tunnel which takes you through to Milford Sound itself there is still snow actually at the roadside, in the middle of summer! On the other side of the tunnel the road twists and turns through countless fairy grottos until you get to the end of the road. The very end of the road!
At the very end of the road is the terminal for all the companies offering short cruises around the Sound. I am tempted by the small boat option which gets right under the waterfalls and close to the vertical sides of the fjord. The company I finally choose also claims to go further out than any other.
This place is so remote, untouched and inaccessible yet thousands come to view it every day.
It is cloudy, windy and wet as we set off, essential weather for good waterfall viewing. Trees and tree ferns cling to each other and the rock surface without the benefit of soil to provide security and nutrition. Its a testament to hydroponics. Groups of fur seals gather on rocks at headlands as we follow the curves of the rocks gouged out by glaciers millions of years ago.
The water gets a bit more choppy as we reach the Tasman Sea and we are almost at our turning point when we spot something in the waves in the distance. A pod of dusky dolphins is heading towards us. We go to meet them as they fly under and over the water in twos, threes and fours, like synchronised swimmers. They are dainty dolphins. Much smaller than the bottlenoses we are used to seeing on tv or in displays. They dance and play around us, chasing a school of fish across the Sound, eventually disappearing into the distance a full 15 minutes later.
We make our way back along the fjord, stopping only to put the bow of the boat under Stirling Falls, until we are all fully drenched. As we do so, the sun comes out, the clouds disappear and the Falls make full rainbows across the water. Good thing I'd bought a waterproof camera.
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