Today we were up at 6 to journey across to Milford Sound. The coach journey took about 3 hours but this included several photo stops and the chance to fill our water bottles in a mountain stream.
The scenery was once again breathtaking. The Fiordland National Park covers 3 million acres and is NZ's largest national park. A landscape formed by glaciers it consists of stunning mountains, temperate rainforest and bush land in the valleys. With more than 6 metres of rain per year it is one of the wettest places on earth and as a result it is home to hundreds of stunning waterfalls. Today it had gale force winds too.
Once in Milford Sound we boarded the Milford Sovereign for our 1 hour 40 minute cruise. Despite the weather the fiord was beautiful. Huge jugged mountains, cascading waterfalls and seals basking on rocks. The colour of the water, a real piercing blue was amazing. The Real Journey's commentary was informative and a packed lunch, tea and coffee were all included.
Now I am back on the coach for 1.5 hours back to Te Anau to look around a hotel and a further 2 hours to Queenstown. It has been a long day to see Milford Sound but definitely worth the trip. If you were doing this as an APT or Travelmarvel guest it would be much more leisurely too.