After spending two nights and one full day in Wanaka to rest and recoup, we were on the road again. We headed back to Milford Sound (but only AFTER checking the weather forecast and road conditions online!)
The mountains were just GORGEOUS. I felt like I could just reach out the van's window and touch them!
Headed deeper into Fiordland now. 
A break in the mountain-y terrain. Doesn't that person just look so serene?
Along the road out to the sound were a number of touristy spots to stop and take photos. One of the big ones was Mirror Lakes.
After stop at the lake, Jacob and I decided that it was time for lunch. We checked our map and found that there was another lake, Gunn Lake, just up and off the road a bit. We decided to head that direction for lunch... and I'm SOO glad that we did! I think Gunn Lake was a MUCH cooler/reflective lake than the Mirrors. We had a lot of fun with photos out there!
After lunch we continued along toward the sound, but took another quick pit stop to go explore Gunn's Camp (no idea who this Gunn guy was, but he must have been special). The "camp" appeared to be a campground now, but a bit further down the road we discovered this small river and suspension bridge.
The bridge reminded me of the Capilano Suspension Bridge that we visited when we lived in Vancouver, BC... just on a smaller scale.
The drive was gorgeous. The road from Te Anau to Milford Sound is pretty fantastic. All of the map books we found said that if you drive "without stopping" it takes about 2 hours between these two cities, but I don't see how anyone could NOT stop, there were so many gorgeous photo ops and sights to take in.
In addition to the sights, we also saw a number of Kea... rubber eating parrots. Our guide books said to keep an eye on them around our cars. Now I understand! lol
After many, many hours, we finally made it to the sound. And it was gorgeous! The light misting rain made for a really awesome effect.
Earlier in the day at Gunn's Camp we saw a sign to watch out for Kiwis. I SOO wanted to see a Kiwi! I've never seen one before and here we were almost done with our trip in New Zealand and I hadn't seen the country's famous bird. I was a bit bummed when we didn't see any along the road way.
We made it to our camp site, checked in and pulled into our spot. I was opening the door and stepping out when Jacob said, "Hey, you wanted to see a Kiwi, right"? And there it was! I rushed for my camera--trying not to scare it. I shouldn't have been too worried, the goofy little thing walked right up to me!
Update: Well bah! One of my readers just informed me in a comment below that this bird is actually a "weka" not a "kiwi". I googled photos of both birds and, sure enough, this is NOT a kiwi. =( They look a lot alike though!
After getting my fill of Kiwi photos, we settled in to make dinner and relax... but not before seeing this beautiful rainbow.
The campground/hostel that Jacob and I stayed at offered its guests discounted tickets for cruises of the sound, so Jacob and I decided to go for it. The next morning we woke up bright and early and headed for the docks.
The guy working the front desk at our campground told us that you couldn't try appreciate the sound/fjords unless you took a cruise and got out into them... he was right.
One of many water falls that we saw. Our boat captain decided to get a bit close to one of them in the next photo.
We were also lucky enough to see a lot of wildlife on our cruise. Including our one and only penguin!!! =) (This was a must-see/photograph request from a couple of my friends, so I'm glad that I could oblige).
Sea lions. Our caption told us that this part of the sound is a "bachelor pad" for the males during the breeding off season.
Dolphins... didn't get any really good shots... but here are a few dorsal fins. =)After finishing up our cruise Jacob and I headed back to our condo in Wanaka for a night before our next big adventure. It was shaping up to be a pretty gorgeous day.
I had mentioned to Jacob that with all the sheep and cows on the island, I was surprised that we hadn't seen an escapees yet. So, of course, when we stumbled upon this cow on the way back I had to get a picture. =)
I hate to disappoint you but that bird is called a "weka".
ReplyDeleteKiwi are much more people shy and are usually only much deeper in the bush, although some zoos have them in special "kiwi houses" that are quiet and dark so they think it's night time.