Giant's Gate Falls
The boat back to Milford
Some of the other trampers we were hiking with
Milford Sound. For scale, the peak on the left (Mitre Peak) is 5,551 feet
Stop clubbing, baby seals.
Milford Sound
Milford Sound
After completing the track, we were happy to indulge in some of the more sedate tourist options of Milford including a cruise on the sound, a decent bar (The Blue Duck), and a “cabin” at the Milford Lodge. The cabins were basic, but the luxury of privacy, clean sheets, and hot food prepared by someone else was awesome following the track. The Sound and drive out of Fiordland were astounding. I’m from Colorado and accustomed to mountains, but the Sound features peaks rising straight from the sea to over a mile in height. The sheer drama of the landscape surpassed everything else I had experienced.
Our "cabin" in Milford, not bad
More glowworms
Milford Sound
The drive back to Te Anau
Homer Tunnel
The Alpine Fault of the Fiordland Mountains
The current sheep to human ratio on the South Island is about 8 to 1. Hopefully they won't rise up against the government.
Leaving Fiordland, we headed to the southern tip of the island including Curio Bay. Curio Bay features a 180 million year old petrified forest and is the nesting ground for rare yellow-eyed penguins. We waited in vain for over three hours in the cold to see the penguins waddle up to the nesting grounds, but gave up when the light gave out. The penguins are supposed to be a “guaranteed,” wildlife experience because they have to return to their nest and chicks nightly after hunting in the sea, but for some reason they sat out preening and drying until very late dusk on our visit. Ce’st la vie. What luck that the next morning we were treated to a penguin that wandered directly into our campsite. While keeping a respectful distance, we had the privilege of observing the penguin for close to an hour.
Curio Bay
The Curio Bay petrified forrest (~180 million years old). There's a yellow eyed penguin hiding at the top.
And the next morning there was one in the campground.
Purakaunui Falls
Nugget Point