Milford Sound

After Niklas did a skydive in Wanaka, we continued to Queenstown. We spent only one day here, strolling through the city and sunbathing in the small city park. The city was good for running errands but we were glad to quickly escape the many tourists and city traffic.

On February 7th, we made our way to Te Anau where we met Jana, Nick, and Nona and spent a relaxing day at the lake. The 3 of them had just come from Milford Sound and we headed there ourselves the next day. Milford Sound is a sea fjord and one of the country's most famous tourist attractions. We booked a boat tour for the following day. The day before, we leisurely drove along the only road that leads to Milford Sound, stopping along the way for small breaks.

The annual rainfall in Milford Sound averages about 6800mm spread over approximately 180 days of rain per year. So we didn't expect too much. When we arrived at the remote fjord in the Fiordland region around 8:30, the rain was pounding on our car roof. At 9 o'clock, our relatively small boat set sail with about 20-30 people on board.

Due to the many rainy days, there are numerous spectacular waterfalls, and new ones are constantly forming. After just a few minutes, we reached the impressive Bowen Waterfall (162m).

Niklas and I agreed that this weather was actually perfect for Milford Sound because everything looked very mystical and mysterious.

After 14km, the fjord reaches the sea. Here, the waves got quite rough, which we could feel on the small boat.

On the way back, we drove along the other side of the fjord. There were a few seals hanging out on the rocks.