Milford Sound

We had been looking forward to our upcoming destination for quite some time, Toni for months before our departure from Germany. In the next few days, we wanted to explore the Fjordland, more specifically Milford Sound. However, before we would go on a canoe tour directly at the desired destination, we still had to spend a few days in the surrounding area. It wasn't too bad in terms of landscape, but the weather was still lousy, so we were a bit worried about having to paddle through the canyons in pouring rain. The day before, it poured buckets and our feet froze in the car at night, but the next day we were greeted with radiant sunshine and we set off eagerly to the middle of nowhere. On the way, we already passed an impressive mountain landscape, and when we had to drive through a tunnel cut into bare rock, we were once again amazed by the New Zealand road conditions. So we were glad when we finally arrived on time at the meeting point for our tour.

After a brief introduction and after putting on all the necessary thermal clothing, we were assigned to the 2-person canoes. Unfortunately, we were each placed in a different canoe with an Asian lady. Even though we were initially not thrilled about it, we tried not to let it ruin our mood and adventure. And so our 4-hour tour through the breathtaking Milford Sound began. The enormous mountains rising from the sea and deep canyons cannot be fully captured in their magnitude in pictures. After a short time, we encountered a seal taking a nap on a rock, which we could observe up close this time. After that, we paddled further along the fjord towards the sea. However, making progress with such a canoe is slow, and our 2 Asian ladies weren't exactly exerting themselves sports-wise, so the whole adventure was more exhausting for me than I thought, and we only made a small distance. Nevertheless, being in such a small canoe in such a landscape made you feel even tinier, which made the whole experience even more breathtaking. Towards the end of our tour, we passed a huge waterfall, and we could feel its spray. After a short break at a flatter section with hot chocolate, we paddled back to the port. Pretty exhausted and overwhelmed by the impressions of the day, we left the Fjordland again in the afternoon. On the way back, we even encountered several Keas, New Zealand mountain parrots, which like to climb on parked cars and peck at them. Luckily, we were spared and arrived safely and tired at our campsite in the evening. But the next day, our journey would continue. Next, we wanted to explore the absolute south of the South Island, but more on that next time.