A visit to the eighth wonder of the world

It's almost funny how almost everyone who has traveled to New Zealand says the same thing: "Go to the South Island, it's simply the most beautiful". We heard this response from so many backpackers that we couldn't even count anymore. And indeed, the nature is simply incredible and definitely a bit more beautiful than that of the North Island. One of the most amazing and unforgettable places on the South Island is said to be Milford Sound. Kipling already referred to this fjord over 120 years ago as the eighth wonder of the world. Of course, we couldn't miss that opportunity ;)

A glance at the map immediately told us where we would find this special sea inlet. So our next destination was about 70 kilometers southwest of Queenstown. However, a closer look at the road map brought disillusionment. In order to reach our next destination, we had to make a huge detour around a mountain range, which would take about 4 hours and almost 300 kilometers. And that's one way. It didn't sound really relaxed, especially since we hadn't planned any major stops down there. But a visit to the iSite (an information center that can be found in every larger town) promised a remedy. Several bus tours start towards Milford Sound every day, even from Queenstown. A short calculation later, we were sure: we won't go through the stress for the same price. Long story short, we quickly booked a bus tour with a boat trip through the fjord directly from Queenstown...with lunch. And the next day, it was time to go.

Punctually, like bricklayers, we stood at the designated meeting point at half past six the next morning to board the bus. About 30 other people from various countries were sitting in the large coach with us, and almost everyone yawned at regular intervals. Therefore, it was no wonder that about half an hour later, the initial lively chatter from all directions died down. The only exception were three Germans who had just met and were now lively, albeit equally tired, conversing. But even we and our new acquaintance Michi (a student from Germany) couldn't keep our eyes open for the entire journey to our first stop, Te Anau. We arrived in Te Anau after about 2 hours, feeling somewhat refreshed, and it seems to be a cute little town. Unfortunately, we couldn't see much, but we were told that you can start many great hikes from here...if only there was time for everything...sigh. Anyway, our stay there was short and sweet: toilet and café were on the agenda, and then we moved on.

We didn't sleep during the second part of the journey, and that was definitely a good thing, because we were slowly getting closer and the landscape was constantly changing. We drove into a beautiful mountain range, some areas of which were already covered in snow. In the morning, we were warned that we might not make it all the way to Milford Sound, as there had apparently been a small avalanche and the road might not be clear. Luckily, we didn't see anything like that and our journey remained unimpeded. We made a couple of shorter photo stops at scenic spots and during one of these opportunities, we even saw two Keas. Keas are alpine parrots that only exist in New Zealand and are definitely among the more intelligent birds. We were already warned about these cute creatures, as their victims include car seals, flip flops, and food supplies, among other things. But since we weren't traveling with our Fred, we could watch without worry as one of the Keas skillfully took care of a parked car (the owners were laughing nearby, it must have been a rental car). Particularly cute was the younger bird, seeking shelter from the snow and cold under the other's wing. This attitude towards the cold was familiar to us in a sympathetic way (no way would Chantall ever want to steal Tobis warmth through a nasty attack called "cold feet" ;)).

After a total of 4.5 hours of driving, we arrived at the small cruise terminal and quickly boarded our little cruiser. But not without pausing for a moment to absorb the view that lay before us. In front of us was a body of water that at first glance looked like a huge lake, framed by two mountain ranges with picturesque white peaks. Thanks to the amazingly good weather, we could see really far and the blue sky was reflected in the water. The whole scene strongly reminded us of a painting, simply beautiful. And then we boarded our little ship.

The cruiser itself was nothing special. There were a total of three different levels where you could sit or stand and admire the surrounding nature. We basically walked from one standing spot to the next the whole time, observing everything around us and of course taking pictures. And what we saw, words can only inadequately describe the landscape, but our pictures should give you a good impression of this piece of earth. The highlight of the tour was our little "dive" under one of the many waterfalls there. If it had been a bit warmer, we probably would have enjoyed our soaking wet clothes a bit more, but even at about 5 degrees, this experience was very funny. Shortly afterwards, we saw several dolphins diving under the boat, causing many "oohs" and "aahs". Simply unique.

The cruise lasted about two hours and was definitely worth every penny. We would definitely recommend it to anyone who comes here to take such a boat tour. The return journey was very relaxing. We enjoyed the view comfortably and a New Zealand film was shown.

All in all, it was a very successful and beautiful day, which ended with another visit to Fergburger. The fish and chips we had for lunch on board were very tasty but not quite sufficient for such a long and eventful day.

In the evening, we made our way to Wanaka. We had rented a small studio apartment there for the entire upcoming week because we didn't want to start our next adventure from our car: skiing on the white slopes of New Zealand!

Best regards to everyone :*