We finally made a trip to the world renown Milford Sound and took a boat cruise.
"Milford Sound, also known as Piopiotahi in Maori, is located in the south west of New Zealand's South Island. Although called a sound, it is more accurately classified as a fjord. Milford Sound, the most famous tourist site of New Zealand, has also been called an eighth Wonder of the World by Rudyard Kipling. It is situated within the Fiordland National Park which is in turn part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site."
On the way to Milford we stopped in the town of Te Anau and had cinnamon rolls which were yummy! The drive to Milford Sound is spectacular. Just past the top of the divide before Homer Tunnel there is the Falls Creek hike. At the tunnel there were a lot of Keas. Homer tunnel is a 1 way tunnel with lots of traffic on both sides. Just after the tunnel is a stop off called the Chasm which is a big rock a river has carved out. We got to Milford with about an hour before our boat tour. We took a tour with Mitre Peak Cruises one of the smaller and more personal tour companies. It was nice because it wasn't full of bus loads of people. The big sights on Milford Sound are: 1) Mitre Peak, which is the tallest sea cliff in the world rising up to a mile high (1682 meters). 2) Copper Point, named for the copper in the rock. 3) St Anne Point, with the small light house that has been located there since the late 1800's. 5) The Tasman Sea. 6)Stirling Falls 155 meters high. 7) Milford Sound Underwater Observatory located in Harrison Cove. And the 8) Deepwater cove where the Aurthor and Cleddau Rivers pour into the sound. During our tour it was sunny, rained and was nice again. We saw lots of waterfalls and some fur seals. We also stopped off at the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory. It was an amazing place to see with fish and even some black coral which was white because it was still alive and has a symbiotic relationship with another creature that is white. The sea life in Milford Sound is similar to deep water enviornments because of the layer of fresh water on top of teh Sound from rain that doesn't let light through to the sea water.
On the drive out of Milford Sound we stopped off at the Chasm and then hiked up Falls Creek. We also stopped off at the Mirror Lakes and then went to the Te Anau Wildlife Park. At the wildlife park we got to see some rare birds such as the Takahe and a Kaka. And finally had a nice pizza dinner in Te Anau before returning to Queenstown.
"Milford Sound, also known as Piopiotahi in Maori, is located in the south west of New Zealand's South Island. Although called a sound, it is more accurately classified as a fjord. Milford Sound, the most famous tourist site of New Zealand, has also been called an eighth Wonder of the World by Rudyard Kipling. It is situated within the Fiordland National Park which is in turn part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site."
On the way to Milford we stopped in the town of Te Anau and had cinnamon rolls which were yummy! The drive to Milford Sound is spectacular. Just past the top of the divide before Homer Tunnel there is the Falls Creek hike. At the tunnel there were a lot of Keas. Homer tunnel is a 1 way tunnel with lots of traffic on both sides. Just after the tunnel is a stop off called the Chasm which is a big rock a river has carved out. We got to Milford with about an hour before our boat tour. We took a tour with Mitre Peak Cruises one of the smaller and more personal tour companies. It was nice because it wasn't full of bus loads of people. The big sights on Milford Sound are: 1) Mitre Peak, which is the tallest sea cliff in the world rising up to a mile high (1682 meters). 2) Copper Point, named for the copper in the rock. 3) St Anne Point, with the small light house that has been located there since the late 1800's. 5) The Tasman Sea. 6)Stirling Falls 155 meters high. 7) Milford Sound Underwater Observatory located in Harrison Cove. And the 8) Deepwater cove where the Aurthor and Cleddau Rivers pour into the sound. During our tour it was sunny, rained and was nice again. We saw lots of waterfalls and some fur seals. We also stopped off at the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory. It was an amazing place to see with fish and even some black coral which was white because it was still alive and has a symbiotic relationship with another creature that is white. The sea life in Milford Sound is similar to deep water enviornments because of the layer of fresh water on top of teh Sound from rain that doesn't let light through to the sea water.
On the drive out of Milford Sound we stopped off at the Chasm and then hiked up Falls Creek. We also stopped off at the Mirror Lakes and then went to the Te Anau Wildlife Park. At the wildlife park we got to see some rare birds such as the Takahe and a Kaka. And finally had a nice pizza dinner in Te Anau before returning to Queenstown.
1 comment:
Nice post, useful information about Milford Sound. There are 14 national park in New Zealand. Te Wahipounamu coastline and the Te Wahipounamu National Park are very best for adventurous vacation. You can experience bird watching, diving, kayaking. For more details refer Te Wahipounamu National Park
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