As the day approached, we kept checking the weather forecast, and the forecast turned from a chance of some sun to 100% chance of rain. This is not all that surprising, as Fjordlands National Park area is considered to be one of the rainiest place on earth, receiving an average of 250 inches of rain per year. Still, we were bummed to learn that it would be solidly raining the whole day we were there, and worried about how the weather might affect our one trip into this "crown jewel." On the plus side, however, something the cruise operator told us when I had booked the trip intrigued me. "You haven't really experienced the Milford Sound unless it is raining."
Well, it rained a ton that day. We awoke to a grey day in Te Anua, and a forecast that was stubbornly stuck on RAIN for the Sound. As we drove the 100 or so km out of Te Anua and up the pass into the Park, rain began, light at first, and then a pretty solid downpour.
The drive over the pass was fairly epic. Waterfalls and rivers - too many to count - were cascading down the mountainsides, towards the road. How they manage to keep the road drivable is truly one of the great engineering feat of the modern world. During heavy rain, there is so much water going under, alongside, and at some points, over the road, that it is hard to picture it unless you have driven this road. Here is a shot of the hillsides just off the road. All that water is funneled under or alongside the road!
Anyway, Pete did his best to keep his eyes on the road while everyone else oohed and ahhhed at the waterfalls on all sides of us, and we arrived safely into the Milford Sound Village, which is really just a couple of DOC information buildings.
We were still a little doubtful how we would enjoy a day in this heavy of rain. The ride in had opened our mind to the thought that this might actually be the perfect day to be there, but still, we were in a downpour and got soaked just walking to the dock building. But, soon enough we were on the boat and the real beauty of the trip began.
Out on the water, we fully understood what the cruise operator had told us. Whereas the day before (a dry and mostly sunny day) there were a total of 5 waterfalls falling off the hills and into the Sound, on our day there were more like 10,000. That we could see.
The topography of the Milford Sound is simply stunning. Verdant hills and sheer rock faces rise steeply from the Sound, cresting to mountain peaks towering over 1500 meters above the water. The color of the water is a stunning deep blue, since the water is crystal clear and the steepness of the hills also indicates the slope of its descent below the water line, to over 500 meters in depth. Here is a picture of some of the waterfalls and hillsides. Look at the boat just off the coastline to get a sense of perspective! Wow.
Some of the famous features of the Sound are Mitre Peak and Elephant Peak, which were featured in the Lord of the Rings and are some of the most photographed peaks in the world. But we could hardly make them out for all the rain. Here is a picture of us in front of Mitre Peak.
So, bad luck and a bad day since we couldn't see the peaks? A resounding NO to that! Thousands of waterfalls cascaded down every hill, rock face and mountainside toward the Sound in the most amazing natural display we have ever seen. Since pictures fail to adequately convey the majesty of this, here is a Quicktime video from the boat.
Some highlights: our ferry took us under a rock face that had a sheet of water coming down its 2000+ foot face. If you have been to Yosemite, picture El Capitan, but with a sheet of water coming off it non-stop.
Our captain took us directly under a waterfall and we all went out on the front deck to go under. This was a very questionable decision. Lets go to the videotape. A close viewing indicates that Peter was the first to go inside. Quotable quotes from the video: from Jen, bravely: "We're going in!" From Lauryn: "This is pounds of water coming down on us!" From Kendra: "I don't want to do this!" From Lindsay: "My eyes!" And from Peter, channeling Monty Python: "Run Away!"
Grammy and Grampa Jeans had a great time. So did Bamma and Grandad Bloomer.
Off the boat, we still had one fabulous drive back out over the pass to Te Anua. On the way we stopped at "the Chasm". A short hike took us all to a spot where the Cleddau River slices and dices its way through these sculpted rock shapes with amazing force and volume. At one of the vantage points, one looks down on the river diving down into the rock and literally disappearing into darkness. This picture will not convey the craziness of this not so lazy river.
On our way back to our car, we saw our first kea birds, a native NZ parrot, which like to hang around in carparks in this area.
We thought to ourselves how cute they are and how we would love to see them more often. How wrong we were! But that is a subject for another post about Arthur's Pass - in which we were literally sent packing in the middle of the night by these inquisitive, meddlesome and destructive birds. Thankfully, at this point, seeing the parrots only put a nice exclamation point on what was an unforgettable day!
If you have read this far, I hope we have piqued your interest in this amazing spot. Pictures nor words can do this place justice. If you have a bucket list, this must be added to it! Get to the Milford Sound. And hope for rain, which is pretty likely at any rate.
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