Milford Sound, really a Fjord

 

An early morning start was required for this drive but we were treated to the sight of mist rising in the early morning sun.Until the early 1950's the only way to visit the Milford Sound was by boat or via the Milford Track.Today bus loads of tourists arrive daily to take the nearly two hour boat cruises down the sound.
There are plans to build a tunnel under the mountain range reducing the length of the journey to a very attractive 11 mile detour from Paradise or Glenorchy but at what cost to the lives enjoyed by the residents of these small townships.

Te Anau on the south eastern shoreline of the lake of the same name is Fjordland's commercial centre and the lake is the South Island's largest lake nearly 38 miles long and is 1370 feet deep in parts due to the glacial activity.It is a popular fishing and boating centre.Small boats can take you to see limestone caverns which are the home to thousands of glowworms.

The Chasm..the Cleddau river drops 72 feet

the road from Te Anau to Milford has earned world heritage staus for its epic scenery.This includes lush rainforest ,lakeside forestry, rugged mountains and cascading mountain rivers and waterfalls.
The proposed tunnel may whisk tourists quickly to Milford sound but they will be missing out on one very special drive if they take the short option.

At the end of a long day we were treated to some of the best sunsets we had seen on the trip so far.