Milford Sound

Te Anu in English must mean feeding frenzy. There are three restaurants in Te Anu, a minor connector city between civilization (Queenstown) and an unnecessary 4 hour loop that links you to the world famous Fiordland National Park. The Remarkables mountain range was too “remarkable” to cut out an alcove to connect Queenstown to Fiordland for a whole 60 km, instead Te Anu is the true connecting point. This city consists of 6 motels, 1 hotel, 3 restaurants, 1 pie shop, and a souvenir shop. The restaurants are The Moose, The Fat Duck, and a family restaurant; not to mention the restaurant in our hotel named Distinction, that after our cardboard breakfast we decided would not be worth dinner. Since the three of us already felt like moose/and or fat ducks we decided the family restaurant was the way to go. Even though Birmy robbed the pie shop for some meat pies in the early AM, we managed to work up an appetite while sitting and taking in the ambiance of the Milford Sound. We boarded our monster truck bus with a sun roof, for a Real Journeys adventure, and we were prepared to have a “real” journey to Milford Sound. We pounded the insignificant dirt roads in a bus the size of Te Anu, until we reached a field where the driver told Carley she could pee in a field. She declined. We progressed to Mirror Lake, which acted as a giant reflective pool for the mountain range in the back.

We made it through countless scenic look outs on our way to the gorgeous Milford Sound! Van Gogh had to have painted the scenes out of this park because there was such a unique combination of colors and scenery. Between the rivers, the waterfalls, the mountains and glaciers we saw a landscape that was special to this region. Even from our 18 wheeler hydraulic bus you could see through feet of water down to the white rocks through the crystal clear water. This is a nice change from the Jersey Shore/ OCMD. But really, as we were driving through what was carved from many glaciers over thousands of years it was evident that this was definitely one of nature’s purest wonders, where the natural balance remains completely untouched by civilization. It is truly unbelievable to fathom New Zealand’s foresight to forever preserve such an extensive ecosystem. As we made it to the “fiord”, we boarded our boat and were ready for our nature cruise. The meat pie sausage roll and muffin didn’t fill Birmy up so he whipped out our three free tickets for our picnic lunches. Our lunches even included a juice box which made Birmy really happy. We headed out into the sound, which apparently is called a Fiord in New Zealand, and we made our way to the Tasman Sea. Cruising through Jurrasic Park, and Land Before Time, we respectfully absorbed our surroundings. Even though there were no dinosaurs, there were grandparents who aggressively fought us for the best pictures at the bow of the boat. Once the grandparents couldn’t handle the minor tidal wave caused by the 360 foot waterfall that our “captain” decided it was good to basically head straight on to the waterfall, we were left to ourselves. There was a whole boat to photograph, so naturally, a German comrade, demanded (not asked), “ go away” to Birmy. We interpreted this as up yours, but really, leave; and Birmy quickly removed himself from the situation. The sheer magnificence and glory of this foundation was framed in rock, water, plants and the freshest air. It was definitely an experience to remember, and left us feeling very appreciative for what we had just witnessed. We are looking forward to a similar experience tomorrow on the Doubtful Sound.