Monday 26th March 2018 - Otago Anniversary Day - Milford Sound

We were up at 5 a.m. in preparation for our day out to Milford Sound. The name in Maori is Pio Pio Tahi which is much more attractive than Milford! After dressing we had a quick breakfast which had been laid out for us by the hotel and then walked into town to find the Information Center where we were to pick up our bus. Well, this did not prove so easy as there are more than one Information Center and eventually after some time and some helpful people we found the one we should be at and checked in. At 7 a.m. the bus arrived ans we boarded and were welcomed by our driver, Ian. Ian proved to be a very interesting an charming character with a droll and amusing delivery along the way but he was universally kind and thoughtful and really looked after us very well indeed.

We set off out of Queenstown and picked up people at various points on the way including very near our hotel which could have saved us the angst and long walk into town!!

We circumnavigated Lake Wakapitu and passed through Frankston where the airport for Queenstown is situated. As we passed along the shores of the 80 km lake, Ian told us stories about the lake including the Maori myth that is was formed by a giant who kidnapped a princess. When the giant was sleeping the princess was rescued and the rescuer set fire to the bed of moss upon which the giant slept and he was killed. The shape of the lake appears to resemble a recumbent giant. More prosaic explanations for the formation of the lake are that it was glacial. The lake formed an important role in the formation of Queenstown as it provided the water conduit for trade.

Does it really look like a fallen giant? Maybe but who is quibbling with Maori legend?

The distance from Queenstown to Milford, as the crow flies is very short but the road is very long due to the mountains in the middle of the route. The journey takes about four hours but could, if flown just take less than an hour. We passed through various countryside, small towns and farms along the way and Ian regaled us with stories of the places we passed through such as Garston which only has four inhabited houses but two churches. We also passed through Athol which was similarly tiny. We passed sheep, cattle and red deer farms as well as arable fields. We passed areas of Manuka bushes which when visited by bees produce the Manuka honey which has medicinal properties. A tea made with Manuka helps digestion, so it is said. There are also other plants native to New Zealand such as toe toe, cabbage trees (used by Captain Cook as a deterrent for scurvy), a type of Pampas grass and other unusual flora. Ian told us of the problems which had occurred due to the introduction of non-native species of fauna into New Zealand. Rats, stoats and possums had ravaged the indigenous bird life. The present Government is trying various methods to eradicate the huge numbers of these creatures who have flourished and decimated the indigenous bird life. 

Ian also told us of the many character who had formed the history of this region such as the Sopel family who had had 13 sons, co-opted two cousins and formed an 'all-Sopel' rugby team! Thomas Gunn who had been a cattle rancher who had been gored by one of his cattle and calmly sewn himself up. He had also performed an incredible feat of traversing mountains to bring help to some occupants of a plane crash. The pioneers of the region endured quite a few hard times before making it into the productive and beautiful area it is today.

We stopped for a coffee and bathroom break at Te Anu a small town about two an a half hours along the way. and made another short bathroom stop a bit further on at Knobs Flat an old station which had been used by the road builders during construction.

Our route after Te Anu was very windy and took us through the mountains with raging rivers on all sides with water falls and rapids. The scenery was stunning with huge valleys and mountain peaks rising way above the road.

We arrived at Milford in exactly the right time to board our catamaran for the two hour cruise done the Sound or more correctly the fjord. It was misty and rainy but this only served to make the waterfalls which fell down the vertical sides of the fjord more full and some of them were very spectacular and the boat moved in very close for anyone who wan ted to get very wet!! The boat moved around quite a lot which was a surprise and MAC held on tight to her wristbands to prevent becoming seasick. We traversed the fjord and came to the entrance and the Tasman Sea. On our way back, we passed a rock upon which several small fur seals were sleeping. We also saw some blue-fin tuna jumping out of the water and there is much bird life in this area.

A couple of views of the mountains and rivers we saw on our journey to Milford

The after-deck of our catamaran.

Photos cannot capture the grandeur or the immensity of the Sound but with the rain, there are waterfalls everywhere.

New Zealand fur seals sleeping on a rock in the fjord

The weather cleared somewhat but it was a remarkable an beautiful experience to see this part of the world.

Milford Sound Courtesy of Wikipedia

"Milford Sound is named after Milford Haven in Wales, while the Cleddau River which flows into the sound is also named for its Welsh namesake. The Māori named the sound Piopiotahi after the thrush-like piopio bird, now extinct. Piopiotahi means "a single piopio", harking back to the legend of Māui trying to win immortality for mankind—when Maui died in the attempt, a piopio was said to have flown here in mourning.

Milford Sound runs 15 kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea at Dale Point (also named after a location close to Milford Haven in Wales)—the mouth of the fiord—and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more on either side. Among the peaks are The Elephant at 1,517 metres (4,977 ft), said to resemble an elephant's head, and The Lion, 1,302 metres (4,272 ft), in the shape of a crouching lion.

Milford Sound sports two permanent waterfalls, Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. After heavy rain temporary waterfalls can be seen running down the steep sided rock faces that line the fiord. They are fed by rain water drenched moss and will last a few days at most once the rain stops"

After disembarking from the catamaran, we rejoined the bus for the long journey home which was uneventful. We arrived back in Queenstown at around 7.30 p.m. after a long but very enjoyable day. 

We had made a reservation at Botswana Barbecue, a restaurant named after the nationality of the first chef there. It is now a very upscale place and we had a wonderful meal there with an excellent bottle of New Zealand Syrah wine. The Chef, Ms Wong, a Chinese, is superb and this was an amazing end to a great day. Later we were to find that there was a Botswana Barbecue Restaurant in Auckland too.

Instead of walking back up the hill to our hotel, we succumbed to the offer of a taxi!!