Singapore & New Zealand: 2003
(continued)
Today, we have pre-booked a cruise on Milford Sound, which is 120-kilometres from Te Anau.
Our route commences along the eastern shore
of Lake Te Anau (above) and then follows the valley of the Eglington River
Milford Sound opens out to the Tasman Sea and is the most northerly and most celebrated of Fiordland National Park's fifteen fiords.
Besides the scenic grandeur of this southwest corner of South Island, the area is famous for two other reasons: its copious rainfall
and its pestilent sandflies. Milford Sound is deluged by up to seven metres of rain each year, making it second only to the mountains
of Tahiti as the wettest place in the world. But today, it is dry and there are no sandflies, and we have clear skies as we drive
through the breathtaking scenery of the Eglington Valley. In a flat section of the valley, golden tussock grass (left) fills the space
between the mountains that hem in the valley
At the roadside Mirror Lake, the mountains are reflected almost perfectly in the smooth surface of the water
The Divide: at 532-metres, the lowest east-west crossing of the Southern Alps
Highway 94 just before the 1.2-kilometre Homer Tunnel that pierces the Darran Mountains
After a wonderful drive through some amazing scenery we arrive at Milford Sound with just enough time before our cruise with Red Boat
Cruises departs at 12:25pm
The aptly named Mitre Peak (1,690-metres)
is just one of the mountains towering over Milford Sound
Our 2
¾-hour cruise departs on time and we manage to get a seat upstairs, just behind the wheelhouse. Our booking includes a 'snack
pack' which turns out to be surprisingly good and includes coffee. We eat and drink as quickly as possible so as not to miss the superlative
scenery that is unfolding beneath a perfect blue sky as the boat leaves Freshwater Basin and heads out into the fiord.
It is difficult
to see the tops of the sheer sides of the narrow, 22- kilometre-long Milford Sound from our seats due to the roof that is presumably
essential on the many rainy days. However, there are excellent views from the front of the boat, though it is windy.
Shortly after
the start of the cruise we stop at Harrison Cove to visit the Underwater Observatory to get views of the coral (left).
The boat takes
us beyond Dale Point, the entrance to Milford Sound, and into the Tasman Sea
At Copper Point and Seal Point there are Southern Fur Seals resting on the rocks