Sunday, January 6, 2013

milford sound, new zealand:

milford sound



Visiting Milford Sound has always been high on my list of places to visit, however, we've just never seemed to have had the chance to get there on any of our previous visits. With my sister Sarah also joining us on holidays, it was made priority that we get to the west coast and check it out.

We left Wanaka early and made the four hour drive to Te Anau, the closest town to Milford, before driving another two hours through the stunning Fiordland National Park,  arriving at the sound for our boat trip. 
I'll quickly mention that Fiordland National Park and Milford are infamous for the amount of rainfall received each year (something like 200+ days), so we scored big time with blue sky and perfect conditions!

The drive through the national park is breathtaking, with lush rainforest, lakes and so many mighty mountains appearing at every turn.  I would highly recommend allowing up to an extra hour to make stops and enjoy the scenery, as it is truly epic. In fact, I would even rate the drive as good as the boat trip - so beautiful.
Once out on the water, we made our way to the sound's entrance, out in the wild Tasman Sea, passing iconic Mitre Peak, and other massive cliffs that soared into mountains and then dove straight down into the water. Amazing, and so worth the wait.

Next: the east coast town of Moeraki


lake te anau


driving through fiordland national park

mirror lake






a tui



arriving at milford sound - it was such a buzz seeing mitre peak!




exploring the sound


clouds rolling in

part of the coastline seen from the tasman sea

out in the tasman sea, looking towards australia

looking back into milford sound from the tasman sea

seals!

stirling falls




driving back to te anau


6 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Planning on going in May, can't wait now!

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  2. It is my first encounter with beautiful pictures of Milford. I really want to visit it. Which is best time to visit Milford? xo
    ~ Herman Swan

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    1. Hi Herman - I think spring (sept/oct) would be a wonderful time to see Milford Sound. The mountains will still have snow, but the weather will be a little warmer. However in saying that, the weather can be very unpredictable in that area, so nothing is guaranteed. New Zealand is such a beautiful country to visit, I hope you get to visit soon!

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  3. Lovely scenery! I wouldn’t hesitate to go hiking on that trail, if given the chance. The last hiking trip I’ve had was in Alaska. I plan to go back there this year for some kayaking and whale watching. Whichever comes first, I’m sure I’ll have a great time!

    Gerard Liz

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