Milford Sound and Te Anau
Due to its position in the south-western corner of the south island we had saved one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand until last. I am talking about Milford Sound, the highlight of the enormous and spectacular Fiordland National Park. Many people go to Milford from Queenstown but we didn't fancy getting up a 5:30am for the 600km return journey. Fortunately we had some hours left on our bus passes and time to spare so we decided to base ourselves at the small lakeside town of Te Anau (pronounced Tee are-now). Although Te Anau is geographically further from Milford, the lack of roads means that the Queenstown buses must travel 2 hours to Te Anau before even entering the national park.Milford Sound is the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand but we believe that we had a better experience than most for three reasons. Firstly, we were traveling in a small minibus, a big advantage on those windy roads with many scenic stopping points. Secondly, with our strategic location in Te Anau we were able to get there before most other tour groups so our boat ride was quiet and peaceful (read lacking in Americans). Finally, and this is definitely the most unique thing about our tour - our driver was also the Milford 'postie'. This meant that while we were on our boat trip he was delivering mail, and we also delivered a few newspapers along the way.
The 'Postie' knew the area very well, and didn't hold back on the gossip. He told us about how one of the farmers used to have a wife, but she disappeared and now the woman of the house changes every few months. He also told us about how another farmer had bought a plane, which now spends most of its time being repaired as he keeps crashing it. The most interesting story, however, was about the race through the Homer Tunnel that has become a local tradition. This tunnel, which is 1200 metres long, took over 4 years to build and required 100 kilos of dynamite for every 25cm gained. The race, which is held on April Fool's Day, is technically illegal because no pedestrians are allowed in the tunnel. As a result the race is held at midnight, but because the tunnel generators are turned off at 6pm it is done in the dark. The contestants are allowed to run with a torch, but only on the condition that they run naked. The only item of clothing they are allowed are shoes and a woolly hat! Bizarre.
The ride to Milford was spectacular. We stopped several times, the highlight of which was the mirror lakes, ar riving at the Milford port just in time to board our boat. The duration of the boat trip was two and a half hours during which we travelled up one side of the sound, into the Tasman Sea, and back down the other side. The cliffs and mountains on either side of the sound are enormous - at one point, twice the height of the Empire State Building. The sounds act a bit like wind funnel so at times it was difficult to stand on the outside decks. Spray was being blown off the surface of the sea and some of the waterfalls were being blown upwards faster than they could fall. We were very lucky with the rain as it held off until the last 20 minutes - a bit of a rarity in a place that receives 8 of rainfall per year. When the rain did come, boy was it heavy. They (the tour companies) say that when it rains, Milford Sound is even more spectacular - probably true, but you would struggle to see anything in this sort of downpour! However this was true of ride back to Te Anau as the mountains that we had driven past earlier were now riddled with waterfalls - hundreds of them of all different shapes. Our day out at Milford certainly lived up to our expectations.
Whilst in Te Anau we also visited the 'Te Anau Glow-worm Caves'. This gave us the opportunity to take a boat trip onto the lake and around some of the small green islands - the rain held off and the scenery was pretty. On reaching the caves we were split into smaller groups and given free coffee while we waited for our turn. On entering the caves and adjusting to the light we quickly spied what we had come for, but the initial smattering of worms did not prepare us for the main cave. For this we were crammed into a small flat-bottomed boat and all the lights were turned out. It was totally silent as we were pulled along by our guide using a chain attached to the ceiling. The only light was provided by the glow-worms, which covered the walls and ceiling and were really a fantastic sight - I can see why a moth would confuse them with the night sky. It was a unique experience and a great end to our stay, both in Te Anau and New Zealand.
Chris and Emily
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