Exploring Australia&NZ Day 17

Day 17 - Monday, May 2, 2011 - Alpine Scenery; Fiordland National Park; Milford Sound; Nature Cruise

We were up early so we could leave the hotel at 7:00. The sun is up very late in this part of the world and it was dark and chilly at 52º with 74% humidity.

We followed the winding road around Lake Wakatipu and then through Mossburn, the Deer Capital of the south Island. Deer were introduced by the wealthy English land owners for sport hunting.

The number grew until the 1920’s when the government realized the deer damaged the alpine habitat. Hunters were called in to cull the deer.

In the 1950’s after the war, New Zealand began to market deer meat especially to Germany. Now venison is farmed, processed, and shipped all over the world.

Our morning tea stop was at Te Anau where we had 30 minutes to look at the shops and to take pictures. Lake Te Anau is the second largest lake in New Zealand, and the largest in the South Island at 136 square miles.

We left Te Anau at 9:45 and followed the lake to Fiordland National Park. We had frequent stops for photos of the glacially carved landscape.

Melanie had warned us about the sand flies that are unique to this area. Mary Ann had purchased some heavy duty insect repellent so we were not bothered too much!

Fiordland National Park is a World Heritage Center and receives over 200 inches of rain per year. The over three million acres are home to incredibly lush green forests and the largest ferns we have encountered with over 10 foot fronds.

Passing the 45º Parallel marker, we stopped for photos in Eglinton Valley, Knob Flats, Gunn Lake, Mirror Lake, and then into the Hollyford River Valley. The views of the hanging glaciers were spectacular.

In the Cleddau Valley we took a 20 minute hike through the Chasm, to see the rock formations eroded away by the rushing glacial streams.

Scotty has been very accommodating to stop for photos. Even when there is no designated place to stop at least he slowed down to a crawl so we could get the best pictures possible.

Melanie is a wealth of information about the plants and birds of this region as well as the history of New Zealand and this area in particular. They make an incredible team and everyone has commented on their knowledge – and no notes!

We arrived at Milford Sound just in time to board the Milford Mariner for our cruise of the fjords. Everyone was given a box lunch as we arrived and we ate it as we were getting underway.

The two hour cruise took us all the way out into the Tasman Sea. When this area was first explored by Captain Cook, he never discovered this fjord. Because of the overlapping fingers of land and steep rock faces, it is completely hidden from view.

There was not much wild life, a few seals and sea birds, but we did not have rain and it was generally very mild so we spent the whole time out on the deck.

We were dwarfed by the vertical cliffs that rise thousands of feet from the sea. The waterfalls were stunning with thousands of gallons of alpine glacial melt pouring to the sea.

The fjord is over 10 miles long and very narrow; giving us an excellent look at the rock formations on either side of our boat. We returned to the dock at 3:00 where Scotty was waiting for us with the bus.

It took us four hours to return to Queenstown with a brief stop for a restroom break at Te Anau. When we arrived at the hotel at 7:00 it was dark again; a full day of seeing this remarkable area.

Accommodations: St. Moritz Queenstown - - - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

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