Milford Sound

Today, I finally want to go to Milford Sound, a fjord in the southwest of the island. 180 km to go, so I'm starting at 6:30 AM. The last 20 km we crawl in convoy behind very carefully driving tourists, three pickups eventually turn onto a gravel road and go play for a while. Just before reaching the destination, there is a tunnel, 1200m gently downhill, then the valley opens up towards the water. Airport on the left, harbor on the right, in 20 minutes I walk from the free parking lot to the harbor building. Here, 3-4 companies have their counters and offer various tours, and you can also stay overnight in the sound. I am lucky, even without a reservation, I still get a spot for a 2-hour cruise on a catamaran. Essentially, we travel around the fjord clockwise to the open sea and back. Along the way, the captain explains the surroundings, he mentions at least 20 times how lucky we are with the weather - given 180 rainy days, a 50/50 chance. However, no rain also means hardly any waterfalls, nevertheless, the upper 10 meters of the water is pure freshwater. The narrow fjord is framed by steep mountains, rising up to 1,600m high, creating a stunning impression. Soon, the open sea is reached, and on the way back with the wind, it is pleasantly warm in the sun.

Back at the harbor, the tranquility of the morning is gone; many tourists were brought by buses and are now waiting for their passage. I am drawn back to the pass, at the top of the hiking parking lot I make myself a salad and first enjoy the peace.

The return journey to Mossburn is again relaxed; the mountainous landscape around Te Anau gradually gives way to elongated hills and wide fields with sheep and cattle, and around 7:00 PM, I roll back onto the familiar campsite.