Three weeks in New Zealand - 4/12 - 5/4/2024

Day 21-Fiordland National Park/1/2024

Today we are taking an all day tour (7 1/2 hours) from Te Anau to the stunning Fliordland National Park to Milford Sound, New Zealand's most famous tourist destination with guided commentary from our drive throughout the whole day.

This is the bus that will take us for the whole day.  This bus can hold about 50 people and the interior is actually pretty comfortable.

We arrived early at the meeting point and there are a bunch of people also waiting for their bus.

As the bus rolled out onto the Te Anau–Milford Highway, wide stretches of green pasture opened up on either side.

 Along the way, we passed a large ranch, its open fields stretching far back toward the hills. Beside it stood a broad patch of pine trees, their dark green tops rising in sharp contrast to the lighter pastures around them. The mix of open farmland and dense forest gave the landscape a beautiful variety, hinting at the wilderness we were heading toward.

Our bus make a stop at Mirror Lakes which is one of the most famous stops along the Te Anau–Milford Highway, a series of small, tranquil lakes that perfectly reflect the surrounding mountains on calm days.

Just a short walk from the road, a wooden boardwalk leads you right to the water’s edge.

 As we walked along the wooden boardwalk at Mirror Lakes, the calm water of the river appeared beside us, winding gently through the landscape.

 All around, tall trees rose above the path, their branches forming a canopy that framed the reflections on the water below.

It is so beautiful here.

The mix of still lakes, flowing river, and forest created a quiet, almost magical atmosphere.

From the boardwalk, the river flowing gently, its banks lined with patches of yellow and green grass swaying in the breeze. Ahead, the mountains rose dramatically, their summits breaking through a veil of drifting clouds, the peaks still clearly visible against the sky. The scene felt both peaceful and grand, a perfect glimpse of Fiordland’s wild beauty.

Beautiful and serene scenery.

 It is called Mirror Lakes because on calm days the water is so still and clear that it reflects the surrounding scenery like a perfect mirror.

On the wooden boardwalk, some of the trees bend and curve gracefully across the path, their branches reaching from one side to the other like a natural archway.

The twisted shapes add a sense of wildness and age to the forest, as if the trees have slowly stretched toward the light over many years, creating a canopy that frames the walkway in a beautiful, almost enchanted way.

A panel indicating all the animals that can be found in this area.

We are now going back to our bus. On the boardwalk, there’s a tree growing right in the middle, its trunk rising straight through a neat opening cut into the wooden planks. Rather than remove it, the path was built around the tree, allowing it to keep growing naturally while becoming part of the walkway itself. It feels like a reminder of how the forest and the trail coexist, blending human design with the untamed beauty of Fiordland.

As we approached the Eglinton Valley Camp, the view from the bus opened up to towering mountains rising steeply on either side, their slopes blanketed in dense green forest. Between the trees, small shimmering patches of water appeared.

View of Fiorland National Park

Our bus stopped at a lookout platform with striking red metal railings, standing out brightly against the natural surroundings.

From the look out there is a sweeping view of Mount Christina, Mount Crosscut, and Mount Lyttle.

In the center is Mount Crosscut and beyond you can see the snow-capped peaks visible in the distance are part of the Darran Mountains.

From that lookout the lake you see is part of the Eglinton River system. The Eglinton River flows through the Eglinton Valley, fed by the surrounding mountains, and continues toward Lake Te Anau. Its calm stretches and meandering course make it a striking feature visible from the lookout platform along the Milford Highway.

View of Mount Lyttle from the platform.

It is a great opportunity to take pictures on the platform.

As our bus drove further along the Milford Highway, we came across the Hollyford River, winding its way through the valley with crystal-clear waters.

The river cuts between lush forested slopes and rugged mountain peaks, its course occasionally dotted with small rapids and calm pools that reflected the surrounding greenery.

Next to the Hollyford River, towering mountains rise dramatically, their slopes streaked with thin streams of water cascading from the peaks down to the valley floor.

Lots of streams running down from the top of the mountains.

The streams shimmer in the sunlight, creating thin, silver ribbons against the dark rock and green forest.

We passed through the Homer Tunnel which is a 0.75 miles long tunnel that was built in 1953.  The tunnel goes through the Darran Mountains at the Homer Saddle.

Inside the tunnel is pretty dark .

As we get off the tunnel the view of the Fiorland National park is simply gorgeous.

Tall majestic mountains are so magnificent.

We drove pass the Tutoko Suspension bridge which is an old bridge that lies across the Tutoko River.

It is so scenic with the Tutoko river rushing below the bridge.

After 2 1/2 hours on the bus we finally arrived at the Milford Sound Wharf.

The wharf is situated in the heard of Fiorland National Park, and the terminal serves as a hub for exploring the captivation beauty of Milford Sound.

There are several great options for boat cruising on Milford Sound with an option to suit everybody. Cruises range from shorter boat trips though to overnight cruises. All cruises depart from the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal and offer a variety of options to suit different interests and budgets.  We selected the 3 hours cruise.

The boat on the left is the one we will be boarding soon.

Showing my ticket and I am reading to board.

Getting on board.  It is around 1:00pm now, the sun is shinning but it is still very cold and as you can see I have hoody on.

Walkway to get inside the boat.

As I looked behind me. there are so many people staying in line to board the cruise.

NEXT... Milford sound cruise