New Zealand 2017 - Day 17: "Real Journeys" bus trip, Milford Sound cruise

Saturday, March 4 - Bus ride to Milford Sound, and cruise around the Sound:

Google Earth does a good job of showing Milford Sound, but we'll see how the pictures turn out:


Up and at 'em early because our 7:15 taxi was taking us to our bus:


I won't show you numerous out-of-focus window shots, but I did take a good "Google Maps" screenshot on my iPhone:


We stopped in Te Anau for 40 minutes, so I was able to go to the local DOC office (Department of Conservation) and buy some topo maps,



(hum ... hiking in Fiordland National Park ... that does have a nice ring to it)

and see their beautiful Lake Te Aanau:


At one point, some ducks were trying to cross the road, and I thought I would have to do my "Officer Clancy/Make Way For Ducklings" thing, but they came back and went toward to Lake:


Then back on the bus to go up The Milford Road, with stops at Eglinton Valley and Mirror Lakes (that's our bus - I highly recommend Real Journeys for their Milford Sound trip):





Further up The Milford Road are roaring rivers, and awesome cliffs and valleys:




You then go through the 1.2km-long Homer Tunnel, and see more cool stuff:

before arriving at Milford Sound:


Tons has been written, gushing about the beauty of Milford Sound. I will not dispute any of that, but I also hope to refrain from repeating it ad nauseam. I will say that it was a major high-point on this trip, and, should the opportunity ever present itself to you, you should GRAB IT with both hands and hang on tight.

(oh heck, a little pr never hurt:)



Wendy and I were on the 1 PM "Scenic Cruise", which lasts 1 hour 40 minutes, and we pre-purchased 2 picnic lunches which were waiting for us as we boarded the boat. Plenty of space on the boat (?ship), allowing us to stretch out by their big windows. I then went up top to see what I could see, and take some pix. Wendy found the PERFECT SPOT right on the bow - we were on a platform about 3 feet back from the slanted-roofline, so the wind hit the bow/roof and angled up right over us! Since Milford Sound was carved by a glacier (not by a river), it is technically a fiord, and it was great seeing the cliffs go straight down into the water:



The sky cleared as we approached the mouth of Milford Sound, and you could see the beautiful water color (?colour?):



Then back in to see the cliffs and waterfalls:





Before going back into the dock, you go around a bend on the north side, into Harrison Cove, with a BEAUTIFUL VIEW:




One final waterfall, then back on the bus for the long ride back to Queenstown:


I had originally purchased the coach-cruise-fly trip

because HOW COOL WOULD IT BE TO FLY THROUGH THESE MOUNTAINS!!

but the flight was cancelled because of the clouds (it turns out that they actually only fly 1-out-of-5 days). Its ok because this day has been big enough.

THANK YOU GOD for these wonderful adventures in these Beautiful Places!!