28/02/2018 - Three days in Milford Sound

26th February 2018
After just one night, we said goodbye to 'Te Anau' - knowing we would come back. Right after checking out, we drove on the 'Milford Road' towards 'Milford Sound'.

The region is one of the rainiest in all of New Zealand. The annual precipitation is about 7,000mm - in Berlin it's only about 570mm.

But we were lucky with the weather. So we had great views already during the drive. We were able to make several worthwhile stops. The first notable stop was at 'Lake Mistletoe'. The lake is part of a nature reserve and we reached it after a 20-minute walk. Unfortunately, gusts of wind disturbed the calm surface of the lake, so we couldn't take any reflections. But it was nice to stretch our legs.
Several more breaks followed on the roadside. The Milford Road is rightly considered one of the most beautiful roads in the country! There are high mountains on both sides of the road. You drive through the valley and sometimes a river runs alongside the road - simply fantastic. Another popular stop are the 'Mirror Lakes'. These small lakes reflect the mountains behind them, if the weather allows. But the wind hadn't calmed down yet, so the reflection effect didn't really come into its own.
Only a short time later we reached our accommodation - the campsite at 'Knobs Flat'. We deliberately chose a campsite halfway there so that we could take plenty of time for the drive to Milford Sound. After a quick check-in, the journey continued. The receptionist bombarded us with hiking maps. Seriously - if we had walked all the suggested routes, we would have still been on the road for days. :)
For the afternoon, we decided on a hike to 'Lake Marian'. This mountain lake is well hidden and the hike to it takes at least 1.5 hours. After parking the car and applying sunscreen, we started right away. The first part is still quite touristy, as you reach waterfalls after a short time. Shortly afterwards, the adventurous trail began. It went over rocks and fallen trees and along a stream. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the trail a lot, as we were always challenged and had to overcome some climbing tasks. After more than an hour of uphill hiking, we finally saw the end. After crossing the last muddy section, we approached the destination after a good 1.5 hours. When we saw it, we were speechless. Lake Marian is a clear, green-blue mountain lake - surrounded by high mountains with waterfalls cascading down. We climbed some rocks on the shore and settled on a large boulder. All the effort it took to get here was suddenly forgotten. The place is indescribable. Thankfully, we packed our swim gear in anticipation. While I tested the water temperature with my feet, Tobi was already changing clothes. Since the mountain lake is always filled with glacier water, you can imagine how cold it must have been. After some cautious attempts, Tobi managed to swim a lap - well, to be precise, he was already out after a minute. ;) But luckily the sun was shining brightly that afternoon, otherwise swimming probably wouldn't have been possible at all. However, I didn't go deeper than my knees. That was more than enough in my opinion. ;) After two more swims, Tobi had enough. The water must have been so cold that even his toes hurt when warming up.
We used the beautiful scenery for a little photoshoot and then left this beautiful place, which will stay in our memories for a long time.

27th February 2018
After a pretty cold night, we had breakfast, bundled up with hats and scarves, at a picnic table next to the car. A falcon was also in the process of catching its breakfast and ended up uncontrollably in the bushes not far from us. That didn't seem to work out too well?! Shortly afterwards, it flew away.
Now our journey continued from Knobs Flat to the next campground in Milford Sound. That morning, we got an impression of how many tour buses flow towards Milford Sound. It is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country. It makes you wonder where all the tourists are otherwise? Because on our previous journey, no place was really crowded.
The first stop on our journey was at 'Lake Gunn'. The circular path was not particularly spectacular, but the view of the lake was nice and we had another encounter with wildlife. Cheerful birds accompanied us along the way. At one point, they came so close that it felt like they were going to land on our shoulders. So I held out my hiking pole and one of them actually sat on it and looked at me curiously.
Only ten minutes from Lake Gunn, we stopped again. Since the sky was almost cloudless that day, we decided to go on another hike. The goal was the 'Key Summit'. You should plan 1.5 hours for the ascent. To our surprise, we had climbed the 400 meters in just one hour. When we reached the top, everything seemed somewhat surreal. The vegetation suddenly became greener and there were even several lakes on the summit. The trees were covered in moss and shone in a stylish green. We followed the well-developed path and enjoyed the beautiful mountain scenery. From the highest peak, we could even see Lake Marian in the distance. Once again, the ascent was worth it!
We then drove to several viewpoints, where 'Keas' occasionally drop by. Keas are VERY curious birds and the only parrot species that lives in the mountains. At one of these stops, we were able to observe their mischievous behavior up close. After successfully shooing one away from our car, the seal of another campervan had to believe in its friendship. - As keas are even suspected of knocking over cones at construction sites at night, the authorities have set up "kea playgrounds" to distract the birds. Whether that really works, we don't know - but the mischief-makers are definitely entertaining. ;)
This was followed by another highlight of the Milford Road. Depending on how much it has rained in the last few days, there are more or fewer waterfalls to see at the roadside. The 'Creek Falls', on the other hand, can be admired all year round. As if this waterfall wasn't impressive enough, we discovered a footpath on the edges. We spontaneously followed it, armed only with our camera. Little did we know that all our climbing skills would be required. The path was so steep and slippery that it turned into a real adventure. After 15 minutes, we were able to admire an even larger waterfall. The crystal-clear, turquoise water rushed down and we were absolutely thrilled. After a successful descent, we experienced another adventure. The road to Milford Sound leads through a tunnel (which is almost never found in New Zealand - usually you have to drive around or over the mountain). The 'Homer Tunnel' was blasted into the mountain in 1930. It has been one lane since 1954. It can take a while for the traffic light to turn green. After all, it is over a kilometer long. We were a bit shocked by the adventurous condition of the road. We had to avoid large potholes and there were no seals or anything on the tunnel walls. We could see the pure rock and water was constantly dripping onto our windshield. But the tunnel served its purpose and after exiting, a completely new and interesting view opened up. Previously, we had constant views of the snow-covered mountains - now we looked down into a green valley.
We made one last stop at the 'Chasm Falls'. The waterfalls were impressive, but the real highlight was a bit hidden. In the middle of the forest, after a short walk, there is a crystal-clear river pool. We can't put into words how clear the water was - you can see several meters deep through a transparent surface. Simply impressive and beautiful to look at.
In the late afternoon, we arrived at the 'Milford Sound Lodge' - our most expensive campsite so far at $60 (about €35). But considering the location and facilities, the price is almost justified.

28th February 2018
07:30 am. The day greeted us with a cloudless sunrise - perfect conditions for our excursion today. We explore Milford Sound by boat.
After just ten minutes of driving, we reached the parking lot at the shore of Milford Sound.

The place that is also often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world. In the Fiordland, a lot revolves around this sound. There are several providers who want to sell their tours. Everyone advertises with better views, smaller boats or more unforgettable trips.

On-site, we enjoyed the calm before the storm and had breakfast. The scenery was breathtaking. We were welcomed by the 'Head of the Milford Sound', the 1,692m high 'Mitre Peak'. It is the tallest mountain in the fjord and we could admire it all the way to the top that day. That is a rarity, as it is mostly covered in clouds and fog. In Milford Sound, it rains on almost 200 days a year - and we had pure sunshine. We are such lucky devils? :)
After a short walk along the shore, we headed towards the wharf. Our ship, one of the first tourist ships, left the harbor at exactly 08:55 am. We found seats on the open deck and therefore had a great view from the start. The ship set course towards Milford Sound. Deep blue water beneath us, high mountains all around us, and the cold wind blowing in our faces. The captain made regular stops, giving us the opportunity to take photos of the fjord and the surroundings. There were also various information broadcasts over the loudspeakers - for example, trees falling down the mountains and polluting the water, or the number of waterfalls depending on the amount of rainfall.
One major personal highlight of the trip was when we got very close to a mountain. When the captain announced that we would continue, he asked the passengers to always focus on a waterfall. The ship slowly sailed backwards. He kept reminding us to look up... and suddenly huge mountains, illuminated by the sun, appeared. Amazing! It's really hard to put into words - it sounds so "boring", but no one expected that in this moment. Because no one had paid attention to the mountains behind it before. A magnificent effect that the captain definitely achieved!
During the boat trip, if you can ignore the engine noise, there is an incredible calmness around you. The wide view into the fjord was simply wonderful. We passed steep mountain slopes, baby seals, and a few waterfalls. But admittedly, the number of waterfalls was lower than we had hoped due to the relatively dry days. Nevertheless, we can't complain about being able to enjoy the scenery in sunny weather. Not everyone gets that chance.

But basically, it doesn't matter when you go to Milford Sound. Every weather condition has its advantages and disadvantages. With sunshine, you can stand outside and take pictures in peace - with rain, you can see many more waterfalls.

The last major highlight of the boat trip was a close encounter with a waterfall. The ship sailed so close that you could fill your water bottle with fresh glacier water. Some tourists were so motivated that they stood directly under the waterfall. Afterwards, they were soaking wet. - With that, the wonderful two-hour boat trip ended. Then we headed for 'Te Anau' and made a few more small stops along the way, at the aforementioned stops.