Our Guest Bloggers John and Cathy Continue Their Epic RV Adventure in New Zealand.
When is a Sound not a Sound? When it is Milford Sound in New Zealand. Arguably one of the MUST experiences of a New Zealand trip is a boat tour of this Sound. Our trip to Milford began in the lovely resort town of Te Anau, where we witnessed a beautiful sunset over La Te Anau. We stayed at the Te Anau Top 10 Holiday Park, one of the nicest places we camped. But more about New Zealand’s campgrounds later.
We decided not to drive our rented motorhome to Milford. When a drive is long and beautiful it is usually a bit nerve-racking too, so only one of us gets to take in the views. So we booked a bus and boat from our campground in Te Anau. The bus picked us up right at the office, which was very convenient. We chose one of the smaller buses and boats thinking we would have less of a crowd and we were right! There were only nine people on the bus, and about 40 on the boat–which probably had capacity for about 250 people. There was a buffet on this boat, as well as coffee and tea, for the entire four hour trip. Some tours are less expensive, but more spartan, and they charge extra for box lunches and beverages. We drink a lot of tea and coffee so we think we probably saved money on our cruise.
The morning began with the sun shining in Te Anau, which is about an hour and a half drive from Milford. That would soon change, but the magic had just begun. A huge rainbow appeared in the mist that we soon entered. Not just any rainbow but one that framed the mountains and disappeared into Lake Te Anau and stayed with us for quite some time. The bus made several stops along the way to view Mirror Lake and the Chasm with a roaring set of rapids, roaring all the more because of the rain which we had driven into.
Milford Sound receives 266 inches of rain a year. It rains almost half of the time all year round, making it the wettest part of New Zealand and one of the wettest on earth. If you go there, it will probably rain, and rain it did the day that we went. Oh no! Not clouds and rain, we will miss everything, one might think. No. In the rain the attraction is the waterfalls. Cascading down the mountain sides, some are 3,000 feet high, yes! 3,000 feet. Some begin so high up on the sides of the mountains that you can’t see their tops–water just appears and continues its rush to the water in the sound. When the wind is blowing (and it often is) some of the waterfalls never make it to the bottom, they just get blown into the mist.
The tour that we purchased included a stop at a Marine Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory. What a neat place! The Discovery Centre part is above water and contains interesting historical and geological information about the Milford Sound area. To access the Underwater Observatory we walked down a spiral staircase about 33 feet below the Sound to a 360 degree viewing area. There is a specie of black coral that is usually found only much deeper in oceans that exists in the sound because of the special conditions found there. We saw fish swimming by and fish protecting their territory. We were also captivated by the views and the enthusiasm and knowledge of the staff, most of them young and recent college graduates.
When is a sound not a sound? When it is a fiord. Rivers and other water actions create sounds. Glacier ice creates fiords, and since glaciers formed Milford Sound, it should be called Milford Fiord, but the original name sticks.
