An early start this morning so we could check the road conditions and weather on the internet for the Milford Road…we were lucky enough for both to be good!
In winter it is not uncommon to have to put chains on the car/van (or at least carry them) due to the snowy/icy conditions. Today the highway agency just warned of ice/grit, so we were prepared to drive with caution. We also filled up with petrol, as there are no fuel stops on the 240km round trip.
We started off driving alongside Lake Te Anau, passing the departure point for the Milford Track walkers at Te Anau Downs. Our first stop of the day was at the aptly named Mirror Lakes, offering stunning views across the Eglinton Valley.
After stopping to admire the views at the Lake Gunn lookout we stopped at The Divide, the lowest east-west pass in the Southern Alps (531m). It also marks the beginning of the Routeburn, Caples, and Greenstone tracks – famous 3-4 day hikes that pass over the mountains in this area.
Next stop was Pop’s View, offering us stunning views out over the Hollyford Valley. We were joined by a cheeky kea (mountain parrot), and whilst posing for photos in the car park it stole one of our travelling mascots Mr Polar!
We watched in horror as it took flight into the forest, and thought that we had lost him forever…but thanks to Ben flying in after him (with a stick) we got him back – phew!!
Back on the road, and with all team members accounted for, we travelled into the famous Homer Tunnel. At 1219 metres long, unlined, and sloping at a gradient of 1/10 down towards the Milford side this dark wet tunnel was no fun. As we emerged out the other side the views of the Cleddau Valley opened out before us.
We dropped down into the valley, and stopped at The Chasm. The Cleddau River plunges through these beautiful boulders, which has over time sculpted narrow chasms and created a deep falls.
It was only a short distance from The Chasm to Milford Sound, where we jumped out of the van and did the foreshore walk. It was a lot cloudier on this visit, compared to our last, and the area took on a mystical feel.
After lunch in the van and a short hike to a lookout over Milford Sound we hopped back in the van for our return journey (this after all is the end of the road north).
Going back, we were able to marvel at the sheer rock face that the Homer Tunnel had emerged out of (pictured below), and which we had to pass back through.
And, once again we took it slowly through the black ice and grit…the snowy, mountainous landscape was awesome!
Safely back at the campsite we cooked dinner in the camp kitchen, and chatted with a young Australian family, who had seen snow for the first time in their lives that day! Once again, we sunk into the sofas next to the log fire in the lounge watching the movie channel…we could get used to this!
So, as always with the blogs, lets have a bit of history! Captain Cook and his crew were the first Europeans to visit the Fjordlands, and in 1773 they spent 5 weeks in Dusky Sound. Soon after their visit, word spread of the abundance of NZ fur seals in the Sounds and sealers and whalers arrived creating the first European settlements. Then in the mid 19th century, surveyors, explorers and prospectors started exploring the unchartered interior of the Fjordlands. Quintin Mackinnon and Donald Sutherland opened the Milford Track in 1889, and started guiding tourists through the now world famous route.
What an exciting adventure Mr Polar had - the children were very concerned when I started to tell them what happened. Huge relief that Uncle Ben saved him! Joseph is very impressed that it was a mountain parrot who tried to steal him.
ReplyDeleteAdele xx
PS it was someone at the beauty salon who told me about Fergburgers - random!