Day 8 : Te Anau - Milford Sound - Makarora

The climax of our NZ trip was the cruise through Milford Sound, which promised to be an unforgettable journey. Rudyard Kipling did not call it the "eighth wonder" for nothing. It had to be epic! So it was something we had anticipated as soon as we landed in NZ, and Day 8 was the day that we were scheduled to go on that cruise.

We had booked a cruise with Real Journeys at Milford Sound at 11.00 a.m. To get to Milford Sound by car, assuming that we drove sensibly and kept to the speed limit, we needed an allowance of two and a half hours. Not to mention that we wanted to stop at some scenic spots - notably the Mirror Lake and The Chasm. Hence, we had to leave our hostel by 7.30 a.m.

That meant that we had to wake up earlier than usual on that day. We set our alarm at 6.00 a.m., freshened ourselves up and packed our bags. Breakfast was but muesli and milk. Lunch had to be something easy to prepare, and hence, we packed sandwiches. Actually, food was available on the Cruise, but we did not book lunch.

Te Anau and Milford Sound are 121 km apart by road. But the road twists and turns through the rugged yet scenic alpine stretches, making it a rather challenging drive. In places, the roads are narrrow and winding. There are also no fuel stations along the route, so we had to ensure that we had enough fuel for a return drive.

Because it was winter, the roads could be hazardous. We were told to check the road conditions at the start of our journey. We were worried that we would need car chains. If so, we would have to hire one set at Te Anau. If chains were required and if we failed to comply and were caught, the fine would be NZD700.00. Driving with chains meant that we had to travel at an even slower speed, and there was a huge possibility that we would not make it for our 11.00 p.m. Cruise.

According to the receptionist at YHA, at the beginning of SH94 -The Te Anau Milford Highway - there was a signboard which displays the road conditions daily. That morning, the signboard merely displayed "OPEN". We were all relieved to see that road was safe to travel on.

Because we were early, we were in time to catch the sun, rising over the horizon.

On the way to Milford Sound

The road brought us past many scenic spots. We were supposed to admire the reflections of the mountains in a lake called at Mirror Lakes (duhh!!). But when we reached there, there was no water in the lake at all!! Disappointed, we drove on a treacherous stretch of road, and eventually we reached the Hollyford Valley. It was a very cold morning, with the entire landscape covered in thick fog.

The snow-capped mountain shrouded in mist ...

For me, it felt a bit scary to be driving through such thick fog in such a remote mountainous terrain. Soon, we reached the Homer Tunnel. This 1.3 km tunnel was constructed in 1935. It is a superb engineering feat as it pierced through sheer rock. It is with the construction of this tunnel that made Milford Sound accessible by car.

The infamous Homer Tunnel,
945m above sea level

Once we passed through the tunnel, the road took us on an immediate spiral descend to the Cleddau Valley. Our next stop was at The Chasm.

The start of the trail ...

It was a 15-minute trail to where the Cleddau River carves its way through solid rock.

The rocks are uniquely shaped by the water

We soon reached Milford Sound at about 10.20 a.m., way ahead of time.

My first sight of Milford Sound

From the public car park, it was a 10-minute walk to the Wharf Terminal Building.

The entrance
Milford Sound is known as Piopiotahi in Maori

A pounamu or greenstone on display inside
It is highly valued in the Maori culture

We reported ourselves at the Real Journeys counter.

Real Journeys Counter at the Milford Sound Wharf Terminal Building

The fare was NZD75.00 per pax, but we had done our booking online and that entitled us to 10% discount.

Our ride : Milford Monarch

The boarding pass

Soon it was time to board. There weren't many passengers on board the 11.00 a.m. cruise, which suited us just fine. It meant no crowd and no jostling for photography spots. ;p .

Well, the ship was rather comfy. There was complimentary tea and coffee provided, but guests could purchase food on board.

Inside the ship

We decided to eat lunch first.

Wholemeal bread sandwich

Simple and Yum :
Beef pastrami and cheese on butter and chutney

Then, we climbed up onto the open deck as the cruise commenced. It was a cloudy day, and hence it seemed grey. My photographs do not do justice to the majestic scenery here.

The pristine waters ...

Mountains dominating the skyline ...

We sailed right up to the edge of the fiord, where it meets the Tasman Sea. It was quite choppy at this point.

Looking out to the Tasman Sea

One of the exciting moments for me was seeing pairs of bottlenose dolphins swimming alongside the ship. There had to be a pod of them swimming playfully around us, occasionally leaping above the surface of the water. It was the first time for me seeing dolphins in the wild.

Wild bottlenose dolphins

In fact, we were fortunate because we saw dolphins twice on this particular cruise. According to the captain, it was sometimes difficult to catch sight of them even once.

We also sighted fur seal pups lazing on the rocks.

3 fur seal pups on a rock

My friends wanted to see penguins but according to the captain, the penguins have not come to Milford Sound at this time of the year. I was more ambitious as I wanted to see whales. But it was out of the question. Lol.

Another highlight for me was sailing towards the Stirling Falls and experiencing the spray of the cold water from the Falls as I stood on the deck. For me it was really fun, but according to the Maori legend, a woman who touches the water of the Stirling Falls will get younger by 10 years! Lol. I feel younger already!!

Stirling Falls

Eventually, the ship sailed back to the Wharf.

One last look ...

Passing the Bowen Falls as we approached the Wharf ...

Once we anchored, we said our goodbyes to the captain and the friendly crew members onboard. It was another 2.30 hours drive back to Te Anau. We drove straight to Lake Te Anau, and caught sight of the largest lake in the South Island of New Zealand.

Lake Te Anau looking so serene ...

Nope, not Angry Bird, mind you ;p
This is a statue of the Takahe bird @ Te Anau
This flightless bird was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered near Lake Te Anau

Actually, in our itinerary, we were supposed to try Miles Better Pies - a shop which purportedly sold the best pies in the whole of NZ. Unfortunately, it was closed for winter and would only be re-opened in September. We were terribly disappointed for the second time that day.

Those pies aside, another must-try item was carrot cake, but we were not sure where to sample this cake.

Right opposite the lake was Pop Inn Cafe, and so we decided to have a coffee break there. With our hot coffee, we ordered ....

A steak and mushroom pie ...

The filling : it was moist, and the steak had texture but there was not much of taste

Venison Pie
Apparently, Te Anau is well-known for venison ... and the verdict?

The filling was comparatively drier compared to the Steak and Mushroom pie ... But all of us could not take the gamey taste of the meat ...
We covered the taste up by sprinkling lots of black pepper on our pie ...

The pies were NZD5.00 each. We also ordered some sweets ...

Carrot cake

We were not sure if this was the carrot cake that we had to try but it was not bad I could taste carrots and the nuts brought a nutty flavour to the cake ....

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffin We loved this muffin ...
Sweet and satisfying with bits of white chocolate and a berrylicious taste ...

With our stomachs filled, we were off for a long, long drive. Our destination was Makarora. And to reach there, we had to go back to where we came from. That meant that from Te Anau, we had to drive back to Queenstown and then to Wanaka and finally to Makarora. The whole journey would be about 338 km and would take 5 hours.

I was the first driver for this journey, so we traveled on State Highway 94 to Lumsden, and then took State Highway 6 to Queenstown. Just after passing Mossburn, I had to drive one stretch of road in the thick fog. At its worst, visibility was only about 50m. Luckily, it was flat land. The most challenging part would be navigating along Lake Wakatipu, just after Kingston. I had to be extra careful because the roads were winding and the turnings were sharp. One tiny mistake could send us flying over the edge and before we knew it, we could all be swimming in Lake Wakatipu!!

We made it to Queenstown in time for dinner at 6.10 p.m. We had dinner at Burger King at Frankton, and I ordered a regular Whopper Meal.

My Whopper Meal @ NZD9.50

Hmn, the whopper did not make much of an impression. For me, it seemed like it was lacking in something .... but I could not point my finger to it ... maybe it was chilli sauce ... lol ...

After dinner, my friend took over the wheel and we headed straight for Wanaka via Cromwell. We only reached Makarora at about 9.30 p.m. Makarora is a very small place, and that night, we were to stay at the Makarora Tourist Centre.

We checked in at the Cafeteria and obtained the keys to our cabin. The guy manning the Cafeteria thought we were not going to turn up as it was already quite late. He was surprised that we had driven all the way from Te Anau.

The accommodation at Makarora was quite interesting, as we had a cabin to ourselves. We stayed in an A-frame cabin.

Unloading our things at our A-Frame Cabin

It had a queen bed and two single beds, a fully equipped kitchen and an en suite bath.

Inside the cabin ...

I found the cabin to be very chilly. My friends offered an extra fleece blanket which helped to keep me snug and warm throughout the night. Thanks, guys!!