In the extreme southwest part of the South Island lies some beautiful, but remote, natural wonders. It is a landscape of fjords (sounds), mountains, rivers, waterfalls and dramatic scenery.  I have long wanted to visit this area of the world.  When I was in New Zealand in 1990, our trip to Milford Sound got cancelled due to weather, which is a common happenstance for an area that gets anywhere between 21-33 feet of rain a year over some 200+ days.  When I planned this trip I built in a drive to Milford Sound including a cruise on the Sound, and then south to Doubtful Sound and another cruise.  I hoped that being “on the spot”, more or less in Milford, would reduce any chance of cancellations (a lot of people get bussed in from Te Anau or Queenstown), although I was prepared to take the weather as it came.  Consequently my destination leaving Wanaka was Milford Sound- a nearly six hour drive.  My luck dodging road closures held up; the morning I left Wanaka highway 94, which runs between Te Anau and Milford Sound opened up after a three day closure, so I knew I could reach my destination.

One quirky stop on the way out of Wanaka towards Queenstown: a fence of bras, started as a way to raise awareness of breast cancer and apparently still gets additions.

Much has been lauded about the scenery between Te Anau and Milford Sound, but I was equally enchanted by the vistas during the whole drive from the moment I left Wanaka until I pulled into my campground in Milford Sound. It was like opening a box of chocolates- just like you never know what kind of filling you are going to get every time you taste a new chocolate- every time I went around a bend in the road I was faced with some new, incredible horizon.  It was distracting as it was necessary to pay attention to the twisty road.  Actually the pass from Wanaka into the valley where Queenstown sits was probably the scariest descent I’ve made yet.  I felt super exposed as I wound down the mountain, an abrupt drop off to my immediate left.  But the contrast of the blue Lake Wakatipu with the green of the agricultural valley, all surrounded by the freshly snow-capped mountains was so stark that it kept trying to draw my eye (even as I wound through 180 degree switchback turns!).

I did not stop much as I was passing through the area as I will be back to spend a couple of weeks in Queenstown later and plan on investigating all of the scenic locales.  Because I had a long drive, I was focused on getting over to Milford Sound.  Lake Wakatipu is very long and narrow and I had to clear the southern end before I could turn west.  The weather was sunny, a nice break from the clouds and rain that seemed to be following me everywhere.  Surrounding the lake was a large agricultural valley and I found more of the famous New Zealand sheep (along with several more deer ranches…. haven’t figured that one out yet).  I stopped in Te Anau to check it out and grabbed a lamb and mint pie at a bakery (when in New Zealand…).

One of the spectacular views on the way to Milford Sound out of Te Anau.

Another view from a large valley I stopped at on the way.

After a short, but welcome, break I headed up the famous Highway 94 and the final two hours of my long drive to Milford Sound.  While there are numerous scenic pull-outs on the drive, they never seem to be where I wanted them so I missed a lot of great pictures.  Nonetheless I stopped frequently. There are also a lot of several hour hikes that branch off of the highway, but I restricted myself to some of the short ones.  There was a lot of bus traffic on the road as many people book coach tours of Milford Sound (with and without a cruise in the sound) from Queenstown.

Like the rest of the drive, the scenery was varied.  Lake Te Anau, another huge, long and narrow lake, was visible for a lot of the drive and when I was finally north enough to leave it behind me, I started encountering a lot of swiftly following creeks.  There was also a lot of agriculture (more sheep) and, believe it or not, desert like scrub, all surrounded by white capped mountains.  I kept expecting the road to ascend to weave through the mountains down into the sound but that really did not happen until what felt like the last minute — as I approached the tunnel that burrows through the mountains about 30km from Milford Sound.  At this point I was definitely in the mountains and saw frequent “do not stop, avalanche area” signs, emphasized by lots of large boulders and snow surrounding me.  The tunnel is one way and a line forms behind a red light, while traffic is coming from the other direction.  The wait was only about 8 minutes then we entered the tunnel.  I was super surprised to see that the tunnel was a continual descent and it felt like it was a steep incline (no doubt because it was dark and the van had a lot of momentum).  A further surprise was the immediately right turn at the end (or there was a cliff) and then the road continued to wind down the mountain into the sound.  I am pretty sure I did not use any gas for at least 5km and spent a lot of time on the brake!

The tunnel entrance leading to Milford Sound (small hole in the bottom left of the picture). Surrounding by rocky slopes, it’s clear why avalanches are a problem in this area.

Not unsurprisingly it was cloudy once I cleared the tunnel, but the sun emerged from behind the clouds occasionally.  Once I got to Milford Sound I easily found the campground (there is not much in Milford Sound, the campground/lodge and the cruise terminals and an airstrip that hosts scenic flights). I checked in but did not stop for the day instead heading closer to the Sound to do some hiking and explore the area; I knew it would be cold and rainy the next day and wanted to take advantage of the good weather.

And unsurprisingly, the rain started later that evening and when I woke up the next morning was still present, predicted to be so for the rest of the day.  Consequently I prepared for my Milford Sound cruise by donning all of my warm clothes (fleece!) and rain gear and headed for the cruise terminal.  The cruise was an hour and forty-five minutes and during that time we traveled through the whole Sound, only turning around when we reached the opening to the Tasman Sea.  The rain came and went but I stayed on the open upper deck the whole time to get the best views.  Yep, it was cold and wet (thank goodness for rain gear!) but on a positive note there were tons of waterfalls, many of which are not present when it is not raining.  I suspect this is a place you could visit in each season (or many times during each season) and have a completely different experience.  The Miflord Sound track, a four day hike through the area, would also be a nice way to explore the landscape– but not in this rain!!!

An example of some of the waterfalls active in Milford Sound. The benefit of cruising during the rainy season- no shortage of waterfalls!

More Milford Sound waterfalls!

After the cruise, I jumped in my camper van, shed my rain gear and headed back down highway 94.  I had booked two nights in Manapouri, just south of Te Anau, which is the departure point for Doubtful Sound, another picturesque, but less well-known, opportunity to drink in the splendor of this part of New Zealand.  As I traveled south on 94, the rain disappeared, especially as I emerged from the tunnel (which was not a scary in the return direction…).  It was a pleasant drive and I easily reached Manapouri and found my campground.  Unfortunately the rain caught up to me but according to the weather forecast by the next morning it would all be gone.  I was hoping for decent weather for the Doubtful Sound cruise!

When I woke up the sky was sunny despite hearing rain for half the night.  I was super excited and looking forward to the cruise.  The port was only a short drive from the campground and I got there early, snagging one of the few parking places. Some of the parking was closed due to the elevated lake levels- at their highest point in over 30 years due to the excessive rain.  It is no simple thing to get to Doubtful Sound– first you board a boat at Manapouri for a 45 minute ride across Lake Manapouri (5th largest lake in New Zealand) and then embark on a 50 minute bus drive over the pass that leads down into the sound. The port on Doubtful Sound, Deep Cove (population 2!), serves as the jumping off point for the actual Sound cruise.  A few commercial fishermen work out of this port, too.  The only other regular visitors are school kids from around the South Island who come to stay at a hostel that was established to provide “nature education” for the students –how cool is that!!!

Doubtful Sound viewed from the pass we crossed via bus (after being dropped off from our trip across the lake).

The weather held up as we crossed the pass to descend into the sound and the 2-ish hours plus we spent cruising was amazing.  I had long been focused on Milford Sound, as it is a rather well-known destination but having seen both Milford and Doubtful Sound, there is no doubt (!) that if you can only do one, chose Doubtful Sound.  My recommendation has nothing to do with the weather; Doubtful Sound is larger and has a more complex geography than Milford. I hung out on the back of the boat and was in constant picture mode trying to capture the beauty and majesty of the vistas.  (Cameras can NEVER do that, but I had to try!). Like the Milford Sound cruise, the route went all the way out to where the Sound intersected the Tasman Sea before turning around and tracing a different path back to the port.  Since Doubtful Sound has an extensive island network, our route back was largely different than the one we took outbound.

At one point the captain pulled into a shelter cove and turned off the ship, admonished the passengers to be quiet, and invited everyone to simply take in the sounds of the Sound. It was awesome and so peaceful.   What was immediately noticeable was the sound of rushing water surrounding us due to all of the waterfalls, followed by bird song.  That was it and it was enough.  Unfortunately we had to get moving again… I cannot describe the scenery sufficient to do it justice so am adding a bunch of pictures to the post.  But think– majestic, dramatic, remote, intense, raw, natural beauty, greens, blues, whites, snow, trees, mountains, water (of all colors) and try to integrate all of that into one comprehensive picture and you come close.

Doubtful Sound looking off the back of the boat.

There was a small sailboat anchored in the Sound. This provides a hint at the scale of the the features!

The next day I departed Manapouri to head back to Te Anau for a tour through the local glowworm caverns before heading southeast for Curio Bay, my next stop.  I arrived in Te Anau with an hour or so to kill so I had breakfast at a local cafe then wandered down to the waterfront to check in for the tour.  To get to the glowworm caves required a 30 minute boat ride across Lake Te Anau, apparently one of the largest cache basins of fresh water in New Zealand (due to its depth).  The cave system that hosted the glowworm cavern had been formed over millions of years as water from snow melts and rain in the surrounding mountains slowly etched their way through the sandstone and limestone strata.  While the cave system was kilometers long and very extensive we were only penetrating less than kilometer to see the glowworms.

Me at Milford Sound. Cold and wet but amazing waterfalls (yay- rain gear!)

Me at Doubtful Sound. Sunny and wonderful vistas. Worth a visit!!!!

Walkways had been built over the rushing river (too big to be called a creek or a stream!) that continues to carve the caves today.  We were treated to several powerful waterfalls cascading through carved rock channels before getting on small boats for the final leg of the journey into the cavern.  The guide pulled the boat along by grasping a large chain that had been embedded into the rock for that purpose.  He asked for quiet as we entered the chamber and soon we were in pitch black, the roar of rushing water surrounding us, and  a multitude of tiny sparks of light around us, seeming to hang in the dark, but likely defining the walls and sides of the cavern.  It was beautiful and intensely dark; I could not make out my hands.  The glowworms, which are actually “glow maggots” apparently, use the light to snare insects in the silken nets that hang down below the lights.  A benefit is the “night sky” illuminating the cavern.  New Zealand, and apparently Australia, have several of these sites around the country and definitely worth a visit.

The tour ended in late afternoon and I immediately headed out for my three hour drive to Curio Bay.