24 hours in Te Anau & Milford Sound 14/1/16 – 15/1/16
(R) We were up dressed and ready to leave Queenstown by 5.30am today as we had booked ourselves on a cruise through the Milford Sounds, and had to be in Te Anau by 8am to catch the tour bus. The drive down was amazing, again natural untamed beauty of “gods own” land of the long white cloud. Every corner we took came with sharp intakes of breath as we pondered over the Vistas.
Once at Te Anau we had moments to spare before boarding our coach, (in fact I think we were the last to board), however it was great not to have to drive so we could both see the stunning surroundings. The modern coach was very comfy with seats that were actually turned slightly to the windows so get the optimum view. This 2 hour journey was spectacular as the coach meandered along narrow roads, through what has been the most stunning scenery I have encountered. I’ve never been in this area before, whereas it was Tina’s 3rd time, and although she had boasted about the scenery I had not imagined it was going to be this grand. The coach itself had glass panels along its rooftop making the views even more brilliant as we reclined in our seats watching the ever changing scenery pass by. I hadn’t realized we were going to be so high, as we meandered by snow topped mountains, glistening streams and cascading waterfalls. Once through the tunnel again I was in awe as the coach descended down the other side of the mountain, on what turned out to be narrower roads, ever twisting and turning on quite sharp corners. The coach journey in itself was well worth the fees we paid, but soon we were at Milford Sounds and aboard the massive vessel. The day had started out pretty dark and gloomy but it had soon changed to brilliant sunshine. This made the cruise spectacular as we were able to see each mountains summit with ease, including Mitre Peak (something I was informed of to be a treat). Again marvellous cascading waterfalls from 100’s of meters above our heads falling down to sea level, and the mist they gave off were very refreshing as the sun shone so brightly. At one stage I found myself to the stern of the boat, all alone, – great I thought as I had maximum viewing, so the camera went crazy, clicking on this shot and that shot. Only to realize that when I got back below deck, Tina asked if I had seen the seals playing on the rocks……..
We were soon back on board our luxury coach heading to Te Anau, and we’re informed by our driver we were going to make several stop along the way, for photo opportunities. She wasn’t wrong, the stops included getting really close to the sights we had only driven by before. We even had the chance to fill our drinking bottles with the most refreshing natural water from the cascading waterfalls, it was delicious. A truly remarkable day and so worth it’s cost thank you so much to our hosts ‘Great Journeys”. I know I will be back someday to repeat this wonderful trip.