New Zealand, 2012

We set out for another 5ish hour drive to one of the prime destinations on our list, Milford Sound. The southwest if New Zealand's South Island is known as Fiordland, as it is filled with numerous glacial valleys that extend to the sea. Perhaps the most impressive is Milford (also the most accessible). From Queenstown we headed south along more mountain lakes until reaching the sleepy lakeside town of Te Anau. We ate lunch there, and then continued down what is regarded as one of the most spectacular drives in the world, the Te Anau-Milford Highway.

At first winding through mountain farmland and plains, the road enters the Fiord and you are surrounded by progressively more dramatic and deep cliff faces. Through the center of the magnificent Fiord runs a river, laced with mountain wildflowers of purples, pinks, and white. As you venture deeper into the gorge waterfalls begin to appear all around the cliff walls - spilling from glacial beds atop the cliff peaks.

The road then literal goes into a mountain - a one way alpine tunnel controlled by a set of traffic lights complete with cave walls and water streams around you - - spits you out into one of the most staggering scenes I've ever seen. The hundreds of waterfalls dotting the huge cliff faces with lush forest in the middle only split by the river and the road alongside it. I was waiting for the teradactyls to start flying above or some other prehistoric creature to appear. Breathtaking stuff...

We stopped midway to hike part of the Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand's "Great Walks" to Key Summit.

Atop Key Summit from Routeburn Track

We continued along until we hit the "town" of Milford at the point where the sound opens up to a one mile wide deep blue water channel that leads to the Tasman Sea. We stayed in a lodge here for the night in what seemed like paradise - except for the unyielding swarms of sand flies that pounce the second you step outside. These pesky sand flies may actually be the saving grace of Milford, as the locals believe they keep the hordes of day-tourists from setting-up shop for too long, and maintain the unspoiled ecosystem of the Fiord.

The next morning we joined up with a guide for a sea kayaking trip of the sound. It was great! Being in the midst of the staggering cliffs was very cool, and our trip involved kayaking into a waterfall, Stirling Falls.

Milford Sound from the shore

We also spotted some seals on the shore and some interesting bird species (but no dolphins this time). The wind picked up in the afternoon and the sea got very choppy - on of the pairs we were with capsized (they were fine). By the end we were riding the waves back into the port. We did a short nature walk around the sound and then started tye drive back across the stunning Te Anau-Milford highway in reverse.

Queenstown, New Zealand

During a period of reflection in between in-flight movies on our 24+ hour trip back to New York, one word that came to mind when I thought of New Zealand was staggering - staggering in landscape, natural beauty, and scope and range of activities to experience there. It is a place best experienced a little outside of your Comfort zone and through challenging yourself both physically and mentally - whether it be hiking too high, driving too far, jumping out of a plane, freefalling from a bridge, settling into a cabin in the woods, pitching a tent in the Wilderness, swimming in ice cold water with wild dolphins, climbing a wall of ice (don't worry, Mom and Dad, we didn't do all of these things). New Zealand offers an endless range of opportunities to push yourself. At the same time, however, it is a country that gives you the choice to stop pushing yourself at any moment and simply sit back, relax, and Admire the spectacle. If you were simply going to drive around in your car, only stopping to get out for the panoramic views and breath in the fresh air, it would still be worth the price of a plane ticket. Also, despite the opportunities for hardship, New Zealand, in many ways is an incredibly easy country to travel through. Clean drinking water and food throughout the country, friendly and helpful (English-speaking) people, very little crime, excellent plumbing, well maintained roads and trails, cosmopolitan cities, and amazingly reliable guide/tour companies and service. It has the efficiency and convenience of a 1st world country while maintaining the undisturbed, isolated and vast nature of what often feels like an undiscovered, uninhabited, almost mythical continent.

Total Trip Driving Distance: ~1,700 Miles

Overall, we had an incredible trip and are looking forward to hopefully returning someday for more.

[Also - was able to upload some more photos. Some might appear within the blog entries, while others are in the "photos" section.]

written by

bhkann on December 17, 2012 from Queenstown, New Zealand

from the travel blog: New Zealand, 2012

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a travel blog by bhkann

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Queenstown, New Zealand

Fiordland

Milford Sound, New Zealand

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Queenstown, New Zealand