Te Anau to Milford Sound and back.

We were booked in to do a boat trip on Milford Sound, departing at 10.45 am. So we were up bright and early to prepare for the drive up from Te Anau, allowing two hours for the trip.

We were really enjoying the drive despite some very heavy rain, noting the places we would look at more closely on the return trip which could be done at a more leisurely pace. And then .... a man, in wet weather gear from top to toe, put his hands up to turn us around. "There's been a slip" he said. "The road's closed, probably for the day."

So we turned around and went back to Te Anau and consoled our sorrows with a coffee (in my case) and hot chocolate (for Sig). It was still pouring cats and dogs and we made our way back to our room to work out what to do with the rest of the day. Sigrid went to the office to get some coins for the laundry and came rushing back with the news that the road was open and we could exchange our morning Milford boat trip for an afternoon trip!!!! We quickly packed a snack and jumped into the car and drove to Milford Sound. (In our haste I forgot my jacket that had been drying on a chair and Sig forgot her backpack but it didn't matter. We had all the important stuff like cameras and boat tickets.)

Lupins are a weed but look beautiful.

Paradise Duck pair. The male and the female look nothing alike.

A wet gully in the beech forest.

Kea parrot in a car park. Cheeky and a destroyer of cars.

The wait to enter Homer Tunnel, but the view was worth it.

It didn't stop raining and we have since heard that Milford has had half of it's December rain already. There was water everywhere and there was even more on the drive back to Te Anau. There were amazing views of temporary waterfalls, snow, rushing rivers, dripping gloomy beech forests, moss and lichen, cloud drifting through the valleys and across the mountains.

On the Sound itself, where there are usually two waterfalls, we saw hundreds of waterfalls. It was absolutely stunningly beautiful. And, as a bonus, the boat that usually carries a load of passengers had a grand total of six! So we had free access to everywhere on board without having to push past other people to grab a photo or a view. Milford Sound did not disappoint.

Read the paragraph after the photos for the end of this story ...

Sigrid, on board.

Before we left Te Anau we checked the fuel and decided we had enough and that we'd check it again in Milford to be sure as there are no fuel outlets on the road. But we forgot to check in Milford and about half way home I noticed that we had 84km to go and, according to the car's gauge, only enough fuel for 70 km!!! So I dropped back the speed and we crossed our fingers. Sigrid was positive we'd make it and I was positive we wouldn't. But we rolled into the service station at Te Anau and filled up. Sighs of relief all round. I'm sure we were on the last whiff of fuel.