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Te Anau & Milford Sound - 11th March 2009
After leaving the excitement of Queenstown, we drive past the remarkable Remarkables (big, snowcapped mountains), in the rain, heading for our night's stop in Te Anau and on to Milford Sound.
After oversleeping, we leave late for Milford Sound, and are annoyed that it will probably be packed by the time we get there - the womble tour buses that we spot on our way in are all going where we are, and we stop counting after we get to twenty!
We decide to adopt an alternative strategy - by going slowly and enjoying the views on the way, we reckon that we can not only enjoy the sights on the way in, but avoid most of the crowds, who will have left by the time we eventually get there.
We spot huge mountains, bits of glaciers, grand forested valleys, a lake so still that it's called Mirror Lake, and we drive through a 1.5km one lane tunnel, relieved that there are traffic lights, even if it does mean a 15-minute wait.
Our gamble pays off, and sure enough, as we get near to Milford Sound itself, the coaches start to pass us in the other direction. We grab a (bad) coffee in the only cafe in the area and watch them go, before arranging tickets for a cruise at 4.30pm.
Boarding our almost empty boat, we're feeling pretty pleased with ourselves - there are only about 15 other people on a vessel meant for 75, so there's plenty of room to breathe. Plus the tour is cheaper because it's outside of peak hours.
We get chatting to an Irish couple who are near the end of a six month trip, and settle ourselves down right at the prow of the boat outside to take in the views.
The Sound is actually a large fiord, and despite the fact that the area usually receives around seven metres of rain and half a million tourists per year, we are privileged to have clear blue skies and be the only boat on the water at this time.
The captain would rival my dad for elaborate joke telling, as he confidently sails us around the waters... when he actually leaves his post to come down for a chat, we are worried about exactly how confident he is, but it turns out he has a quieter colleague who takes the reins.
Our first view is of the very tall and recognisable-from-brochures Mitre Peak (shaped like a bishop's hat), at 1692 metres. After oohing and aahing at that for a bit, we sail on past numerous cliffs, rock fissures, mountains shaped like lions, gushing waterfalls and a seal colony, before hitting the somewhat choppy Tasman Sea. We're only out at sea long enough for the captain to work out a good place to turn around (the poor mute first mate gets the soggy job of standing out at the front while the waves crash over him, looking for a safe spot), before we're back into the sound to get a further drenching, hovering directly underneath a waterfall.
The area is fully protected under National Park status, and it's a good job - it's rich with gold and minerals - although we wonder whether the 'tourist gold' might be more valuable and sustainable in the long run.
Cruise over, we are soggy but happy, and after a natter with the couple from the cruise in the carpark, slapping sandflies away every second or two, we hop back in the van.
We know that we haven't got enough time to get back to Te Anau by sundown, so we decide to stay in one of the Department of Conservation sites on the way, choosing Cascade Creek by virtue of it being the closest site that wasn't full. At $5 each, we don't even mind that there isn't a shower, as we have a beautiful spot all to ourselves, and a relatively sweet-smelling long drop toilet nearby. We put the kettle on and settle in for the night, the only sound being the gentle babbling of the creek running by our door.
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