Saturday, 11 February 2012

Winter in Fiordland

Despite Annes tendency towards seasickness we booked another boat trip. I
can't believe she is so keen, first a ferry, followed by a catamaran to see the whales, now a boat on Milford Sound.

Milford Sound is 118 kilometres from Te Anau, a town perched on the edge of a lake and the 'gateway to fiordland.' So here we are in a motel overlooking the lake.

Though Milford Sound is only a two hour drive from Te Anau it has it's own climate and, as we were to experience, is the wettest place in New Zealand. The drive there takes you up and over a mountain, stunning scenery, but the reasonable weather we set off in turned to heavy rain as we climbed and the temperature plummeted. The Homer tunnel takes the road through the summit and at the entrance there was a bank of snow some four feet thick! Because there is only one road to Milford Sound you can end up with a 15 minute wait at the red traffic light at the tunnel.










The rain persisted for a few hours and our planned picnic sitting beside a river in the warm sunshine watching the water tumble over rocks turned into a crumb fest sitting in the car on the car park watching the rivulets of water tumble down the windscreen.

Before we got on the boat we both thought there wasn't much point, it was grey, throwing it down and all the mountain tops were covered in cloud.


Despite the weather conditions and returning thoroughly soaked we both loved it. The boat takes you 22 km down the Fiord and to the open Tasman sea with it's huge waves - exhilarating or what! The place is amazing, it's sheer mountain sides dropping straight into the water, more waterfalls than you can take in, including the 4 sisters.


As it crossed the mouth of the fiord the wind picked up and drove rain horizontally at the pitching boat. Annie loved it!







The boat goes under a massive waterfall where, as the Captain told us, legend has it that it makes women look 10 years younger and cures baldness in men. I told Annie to make sure she went under it a couple of times!



-


We saw loads of fantastic waterfalls, some of which had not been seen for weeks. The upside of so much rain was the waterfalls. If it is dry and bright sunshine you get blue skies but not many waterfalls. The pros and cons - which is best, hmmm, tricky!



Before we got on the boat we had to do that tourist thing of having our photo taken in front of a green screen so they could be superimposed on a fiord scene. Unfortunately the green on my waterproof meant that my head was detached from my body - and they still tried to sell it to us!

When we drove back over the mountain to Te Anau the rain stopped and it appeared that it had been dry all day - that's life!


Posted using BlogPress from Annie & Jim's I-pad

Location:Te Anau, New Zealand.

No comments: