We handed the keys in for the motel and started off on our drive to Milford Sounds. After going round Queenstown twice, we were off on the right road! The roads were so quiet. We decided to stop off on the way there whilst the weather was so nice.
First stop was Te Anau, where we’d booked the motel for the night. It was lunchtime so we had a quick look round the shops and then bought some stuff for dinner. We decided to take it with us so we could eat it by a view.
We started off again and carried on with our drive. We stopped at Lake Mistletoe and decided against the 45 minutes’ walk and opted for the dirt road with the car. After 10 minutes of driving we came to a dead end, Dad got out and scouted the area but couldn’t see the lake. We drove back to the main road and headed off again.
We stopped just down from Lake Mistletoe and decided to eat our dinner by the side of the Lake. It was so quiet and still.
Our next stop was Mirror Lake, we walked along the boardwalk and took in the sights. The mountain range was reflecting in the water, it was amazing. We stood and watched the ducks diving down into the Lake and staying down for ages, before popping back up again.
Our next stop was Hollyford Valley, where we stopped to take photos of the massive mountain range. We even got close to our first Kea (Mountain Parrot). We were starting to feel cold as we drove further up the mountains, there was even snow on the very tops.
As we kept climbing we noticed we had to drive through a not so big tunnel, through the mountain range!! We stopped just before it so we could take a photo of some snow which had fallen from the top of the mountain. We even bumped into another two Kea’s. They really enjoyed the cashew nuts we had in the car. After Mum falling down the hill we headed off again, through the mountain by means of the Homer Tunnel.
It was 1207m long and in pitch black! Water was dripping down through the ceiling and walls....very scary!! The traffic lights are set at 15 minute intervals until 6pm at night. It leads you out into the Claddau Valley, it’s just spectacular. The road is very windy and it get’s quite hairy at times all the way to Milford Sounds.
At around 5pm we arrived at our destination, it’s HUGE!! The highest mountain there is 1692m high and the others aren’t much smaller!! We walked along the boardwalk and onto the shore. Luckily the water was out so we could get really close. We could even see the mighty Bowen Falls. The sun was hiding behind the huge peaks and it was getting chilly, we headed to the Blue Lake Cafe and Bar. It’s one of only 3 places you can eat in Milford.
After a quick bite to eat we thought we’d better tackle the roads before it got much darker.
We arrived home in one piece and the car possum free!! We had an early night as we wanted to set off early again back to Milford before all the tour buses arrived.
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