Milford Sound: The reason one should go to New Zealand
Going to Milford Sound was fantastic. You will see couple of posts from us talking about our experiences there. So consider this introduction.
Before going to Milford, I had no idea about what a sound or a fjord is. Sound is an ocean inlet carved by the river while a fjord is carved by glaciers. So Milford Sound is actually not a sound but a fjord. And in New Zealand, they even spell the ‘fjord’ as ‘fiord’. And I can go on and on about the history and the flora-fauna of the place, but I would rather try to talk about what the place did to me.
Milford Sound is about 2 hours from the closest town. Most people come to Milford Sound for just a day, do a cruise, stop at a few key locations. But that is not enough to get the real feel of the place. That is pretty much looking at the postcard. The real way to enjoy the place is to do a 4 day trek from Te Anu to Milford Sound. We didn't do that, but we were lucky (thanks to the effort put in by Nishith) to stay at the Milford Sound Lodge, the only accommodation in Milford Sound, leaving aside the campsites. There are two cafes one at the lodge and another at the visitor center.
We spent 4 nights in Milford Sound. During all the time we spent there, we collectively and individually, got to do various things. Small trek with kids, 5 hour kayaking in the fjord, boat cruise to go up to the sea, helicopter ride over the glaciers, a trek all the way up to a beautiful mountain and most importantly, a dip in icy water lake. And each of the experiences made us do more and explore more.
Milford Sound Lodge
This is a beautiful place to stay and one must spend a few nights here to see the landscape change few times dramatically just within a day. Some morning are so full of fog that even the biggest mountains disappear. While on some afternoons the sun breaks through the biggest clouds and creates magical patterns.
The lodge has dorm rooms and chalets. We got a dorm room with 2 bunk beds. There is a small lounge where the guests can relax. The cafe dining space is shared by the lodge and the cafe guests. There is a communal kitchen where one can cook but it gets a bit too crowded during meal times (specially dinner). The cafe had good menu for breakfast and dinner. For lunch they have just one or two things. Though being vegetarians, we did not have problem with the food. We had carried grocery for 4 days and cooked meals and few times we ate at the cafe. The people at the lodge are really really helpful and sweet. There is an evening nature tour around the lodge given by one of the staff members and it is fantastic.
Kayaking in the fjord
Me and Nishith went for 5 hour kayaking tour in the fjord on different days. We did the Sunriser Classic kayak trip. It is an amazing experience to get so close to the water. During my trip, as we started we spotted two seals playing around. We cruised close to the mountains, saw waterfalls and various peaks. When we started in the morning, it was very foggy and cloudy which is much nicer as compared to a sunny day. Slowly the sun was coming out but it remained overcast most of the morning. It was just the perfect weather to be kayaking. The guide was also very enthusiastic and full of information about the area.
Going around and back was about 12–13 kms and the pace was not too fast. They provide thermals, fleece and rain jackets to keep you warm and dry. They also give dry bags to keep food and camera which is great so that you don’t have to wait to get your camera out.
If you are going to do just one thing in Milford Sound, it should be kayaking.
To the glaciers
Thing 2 and I took a helicopter ride with Milford Helicopters to see the glaciers in Fiordland. The flight departed from the helipad at Milford Sound, just a few minutes walk from the lodge. It then flew past beautiful Bowen falls, up the Harrison Valley and over the Lake Never Never and then landed on to the Tutoko Glacier. Then we flew to the opposite end of the Homer tunnel to drop off two people and then back to Milford Sound.
This is another thing one must not miss until you are sick of flying. The fjord looks stunning from above as it does from below. But what was breath-taking was the glaciers. This was my first encounter with them. Such huge and intimidating mountains of snow. Some huge cracks in the vast expanse of snow and somewhere a huge pile waiting to fall. It was very scary and very beautiful at the same time. I was in total awe and still am.
When we landed, Thing 2 couldn't believe his eyes and couldn't stop grinning. So much of snow. It was a first for both of us. We threw snow on each other and ran around.
Treks and the boat ride in the next one!
