Milling Around Milford... Sound

After a crazy amount of driving ourselves around, when we got to Te Anau we made the decision to take a guided tour of what is sometimes affectionately called the 'eighth natural wonder of the world' - Milford Sound.

We had heard some crazy stories about the dangers of the road into Milford and given the weather forecast (very rainy) and the fact we had driven so much, we decided to let someone else take charge so we could sit back, relax and fully appreciate the amazing landscape of Fiordland National park (apparently the second largest national park in the world). We paid $99 NZ (about £50ish) for small bus which took us the 3.5 hours down to Milford, including commentary from our guide Mark. The road was amazing (and steep in many places) and more than once we were glad we hadn't attempted the drive ourselves.

On the journey to Milford we stopped at view points and interesting features, including Monkey Creek, which contains some of the purest water in New Zealand (around 99% pure) and The Chasm, an eroded rock formation which sees the powerful river gushing through and around hard rock with incredible force. We even managed to see a kea (one of only 5,000 friendly mountain parrots left in NZ; they are not afraid of people and will happily walk amongst tourists trying to capture photos blissfully unaware).

The weather was something of a blessing and curse. One the one hand, the low clouds obscured the tops of the mountains, making appreciating their true scale difficult. On the other hand, the misty clouds made for a dramatic scene that looked a little like something from Jurassic Park, and the rain meant that for the first time in many days, the famous waterfalls that cascade from the mountain tops all along the road were actually flowing. Interestingly, we learnt from our guide that it rains so much in Milford that the rainfall is measured by the metre, and that it rains 2 out of 3 days... Whilst a far cry from the tourist guide photos, what we actually saw is what Milford Sound is like most of the time!

Our ticket price also included a boat cruise out on to the water, offering stunning views of the fjord and the many waterfalls cascading into it. We even had the chance to get soaked by a 150m waterfall as the boat pulled into the spray before we were driven back to Te Anau; exhausted but very happy indeed and hungry for a giant New Zealand burger and steak!