Milford Sound
I dropped Allyson and Amarina at The Divide on my way to Milford Sound. The Divide is the departure (or arrival) point for the Routeburn track Te Anau – Queenstown. I takes about 3 days to complete. At this time of the year it is highly recommended to book (even for camping) as it gets pretty busy up there. The Milford road (120km) is exceptionnally scenic and is a stunning alpine drive as there are numerous viewing points en route.
Milford Sound is a glacier cut fiord. There is absolutely nothing here, only a wharf and two lodges. And it is packed with tourists buses. Japanese and Korean are obviouslly the winners. That’s impressive to see them all going out from buses at every lookout and run to get a picture from the landscape with about 50 people in front. I fail to understand this picture concept. The landscape is so beautiful that it ruins its nature-appeal.
I jumped on a cruise (NZ$60) when arriving at Milford Sound as it is the best way to see these sheer cliffs rising vertically upward from the ocean.
From a marine point of view, Milford Sound is quite interesting. It has the highest rainfall in New Zealand. The consequence is that there is a fresh water layer overlaying the sea that absorbs more light than usual and that creates an eco system that is normally found at greater depths. It looks like you are able to find here species that normally live around 100-200m depth in water less than 20 meters in the fiord. Diving will be for another time, it’s pricey (NZ$185 – 2 dives) though it must really be interesting. And it’s cold here. Think about 11-15C. So bring your dry-suit 
I arrived back to Te Anau around 6PM and drove back to Queenstown. I’m staying again at Pinewood Lodge.
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