Milford and Doubtful Sounds

Mirror Lakes
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We moved on from Wanaka with hopes to see both Milford and Doubtful Sound and we decided to stay closer to Doubtful Sound because this was where we wanted to do an overnight cruise, which we found out sadly that you must book far in advance as the next available cruise was on Monday and we didn't have the time to wait. After we arrived at the lodge that evening I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner out at the only restaurant in this town and I had an incredible piece of salmon, yum!

The next morning we were up early and headed off to Milford where I wanted to see the underwater observatory. Sadly I was disappointed to find out that you can't take a water taxi out to it, you had to book a boat, which I did not want to do as we were taking a day cruise the next day in Doubtful Sound so I didn't make it out into the waters at Milford, but seeing the start of it was certainly an incredible experience. The Milford Road Highway, the only way in and out of Milford sound via vehicle, is touted as one of the most beautiful drives in New Zealand, and I was certainly impressed (but I still thought the drive to Wanaka was better!). You get to drive through a tunnel and down the side of a mountain  while trying to beat the massive number of tourist buses stopping off at the many short walks and scenic spots along the way. Nothing is worse than having your quiet moment interrupted by a gang of people almost running off from a bus and cruising through the area in a rush to finish and get to the next destination. Kind of annoying, to say the least. There were many options to stop on the way but we didn't do them all, nor did we choose the most popular, except for the mirror lakes stop, which was well worth it as the name is accurate! We also stopped at Lake Gunn chasm and had a quick walk through the forrest, which was deserted and the lake was the crystal clear water that I had almost come to expect here. I think I'm getting a bit spoiled by all this natural beauty!

Lake Gunn walk
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Although Milford Sound was certainly worth it, the highlight by far for me was my second favorite day hike that I had in New Zealand - Lake Mirian trail. This trail started by following icy blue roaring waterfalls (thankfully there was an outhouse at the start of the trail) and then branched off through what felt like a dry stream bed that would probably be a small waterfall when it was raining. Fortunately the day was beautiful. The trail got progressively steeper until at some points I was climbing up the side of tree trunks. I passed 3 people on the way there and there were probably only 8 people that passed me on their way back. This was relatively quiet for a New Zealand hike. By the time I reached the top of the mountain - almost one and a half hours later - I was excited to see the lake. But first I got a bit sidetracked trying to take photos of birds with my crappy camera that has no zoom. They looked to be redheaded lorikeets but as I couldn't quite get them on camera I can't confirm that one. Anyhow, I ended up at an incredible alpine lake which was surrounded by steep mountains. It was spectacular!

On the way to Milford Sound
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I forgot to mention that although Linda and I set off together I was walking at a faster pace and I figured that I would hang out and wait for her at the Lake. Well, after waiting for some time I thought that I should head back and look for her. Then I got really worried when one of the people that I passed said that maybe she had been hurt, so after my 1-1/2 hour climb I basically ran down the side of the mountain in 30 minutes due to my panic in finding Linda. Well, no worries, she was at the car. She had tired out on the way and got hungry but was unhurt. Fortunately she had a snack in the car. Anyhow, the drive back was spectacular taking in the setting sun over the mountains and we made dinner while talking to some fun aussies.

Milford Sound
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The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn to make our way to the boat dock, which was literally right next to where we were staying. We started our trip to Doubtful Sound, the most isolated sound, by taking a 45 minute boat trip across Lake Manapouri. Our first destination was the power station, something that I really wasn't that interested in seeing but was included on the tour. After looking at the information center on the construction and how the station actually worked I was interested though. Water from Lake Manapouri is pulled in at this point and dropped down over turbines to produce power. The water is then sent out into Doubtful Sound as the lake is much higher than the sound. The whole complex is really deep underground and after getting off the boat we then got on a bus which took us into the depths. It was kind of creepy going down there but the control room looked like something out of a James Bond movie, I was expecting someone to walk by in a white overcoat with a hardhat on or something. After climbing out of the depths we were bused to the sound down the side of a very steep mountain. This took about 30 minutes and we had some great views of the sound on the way down, passing waterfalls and lots of ferns. Unfortunately our luck was not with us as the weather was the typical cloudy/rainy weather you will almost always experience here. They get an average annual rainfall of almost 20 feet of water here!!! I found that to be amazing. After we arrived at the boat dock we then got on another boat (the Charmaine Kate of all the names it could be!) and headed off to explore. I was in awe as this has always been a protected area so I was looking at something that was rare in New Zealand, original forrest. What is really amazing about both of the sounds is that all of the trees are growing out of the rock, but you wouldn't know it unless you got up close, which we did in the boat to take a look. As you can imagine the trees don't have a very stable base growing out of the moss that it attached to the rocks and as a result lots of slips occur where a bunch of trees fall off. I was hoping to see some dolphins but yet again I was disappointed, we even had to search hard just to find one lonely seal sitting on the rocks! I guess the wildlife was on strike or something. After riding around the sound for a while I have to admit that I got a bit bored, and sleepy. It was cloudy and sort of raining and I was on a moving, slightly rocking boat, how could I not get sleepy? So then we had to get back on the bus and then the other boat to get back as there is only one way into Doubtful Sound.

Milford Sound
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I should tell why this is called Doubtful Sound. Captain James Cook passed the entry to the sound while sailing around the coast of New Zealand and he noted that it would be "doubtful" that once they entered the sound that they would be able to get out due to the lack of wind in the sound. So the name stuck. There's your fascinating piece of history that I managed to remember.

After we got back we then had to get in the car and drive down to our next destination, Inverncargil! I wish that we would have had the opportunity to go out on an overnight cruise as it takes such a long time to reach the sound and to really spend time on the water you have to stay overnight. Oh well, next time!Now we must head further south!