The Milford Sound Report

After leaving Queenstown on January 2nd, the four of us drove less than 200 km. to Te Anau where we spent the night at the Cat’s Whiskers Motel, owned by a very
friendly couple. By 8:30 a.m. on the 3rd we began the famous 120 km.
Milford Road that took us through dramatic mountain scenery to Milford Sound, with stunning fields of lupine en route. The weather was showery throughout causing us to abort a 2-3 hour hike to a picturesque summit after a ½ hour on the trail.
At a scenic roadside stop Gary Fawver entered into conversation with a kea, a parrot-like bird common to the area, a species which is so tame that many of them turn out to be real pests.














With Nancy driving the mountain road we arrived in Milford Sound in plenty of time for our 4:30 p.m. departure on the Milford Wanderer, operated by Real Journeys. The overnight cruise was a unique experience. The four of us shared a tiny “quad room” with two bunk beds and the showers right next door but the toilets requiring a walk upstairs to the stern of the ship. Dinner on board was first-class and breakfast the next morning more than adequate.


Before dinner Gary and Susan went for a nature cruise in a small “tender” that took 18 passengers on a 30-minute tour in the sheltered bay where we anchored for the night while Ron joined a bunch of others on a short jaunt in kayaks.
Again, the weather was never clear except in the middle of the night when both Gary and Nancy reported seeing stars overhead; however, the off-and-on rain showers—together with lots of rain on previous days—created literally scores of waterfalls that came plunging off the huge glacially-carved cliffs that surround Milford Sound.

Watching a pod of dolphins cavorting right beside the cruise ship definitely added to the experience.

Tonight (1/4) we’re staying in “chalets” at the Milford Sound Lodge entertaining a faint hope for clear weather tomorrow which would enable us to try the summit hike once again as we head back to Te Anau and Queenstown prior to two nights at Mt. Cook National Park. - rw