We awoke early so we could head out to Milford Sound (which is actually a fjord, not a sound) before it gets too busy.  When we set out, it was obvious that this was going to be our first rainy day in New Zealand.  However, I was told that Milford is still spectacular in the rain, because without the rain, you don’s see the waterfalls coming down the mountain faces.  I suppose the ideal situation would have been for it to rain heavily in the morning before we arrived, and then clear up for our cruise, but that was not to be.

Before heading out, I snapped a couple of shots of our cottage in Te Anau.

Following are photos from the drive to Milford Sound.

As we drove deeper into fiordland, the clouds got thicker and the rain a little heavier.

We saw a lot of road work along the way.  Apparently, about two weeks ago, the Milford Road was closed for nearly a week, after heavy rains washed out many sections, stranding a lot of tourists in Milford Sound for the week with no way out.  I suppose those who came in by bus could have hired an airplane or helicopter, but those with rental cars would have been stranded until the only road in was repaired.

It is easy to see how this road can wash out.  We drove through several flooded sections as the rain poured off the mountains.

To this point, the road was winding its way up, down and around the various mountains.  This one they tunnelled through.

Sitting next to the tunnel entrance, while waiting for out turn to enter (like many of the bridges, the tunnel is only a single lane of traffic), we noticed this large piece of ice at the bottom of the mountain.  Considering summer has just finished and we’re getting into fall, I didn’t expect to see this here.

After arriving in Milford Sound, which is basically just a wharf with a bunch of small cruise boats at the end of the fjord, we checked in for our cruise.  We booked with Mitre Peak Cruises, because they operate the smallest boats of all of the operators, which generally means it’s less crowded, and they can get their boats into tighter places.

Our boat is the one to the left of the larger vessel that just backed out of the slip.

Following are some pictures from our cruise.

The normal cruise includes a trip out of the fjord, past the lighthouse, and into the Tasman Sea.  Unfortunately, the captain felt it was a little too rough for that today.

On the way back up the fjord, we saw some seals on the rocks.

Near the end of our cruise, we stopped at the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory.  This attraction is basically an observation room, which has been sunk into the waters of Milford Sound, where you can view native marine life from below.  We were told that occasionally you even see sharks and dolphins coming by, although we didn’t see any.

Below are a few short video clips.

In case you’re interested in seeing what Milford Sound looks like on a rare sunny day, I bought the postcard.

On the drive back to Te Anau, it was raining heavily, so we didn’t stop in very many places, but below are some photos.

 

Even though it was raining, Milford Sound is an amazing place.  I highly recommend it for any trip to New Zealand.