Milford Sound – We almost didn’t make it!
In February, 2020, wild weather closed off the road to remote Fiordland. The only way to Milford Sound was to board buses and convoy from Te Anou. We left Queenstown early morning to catch the bus.
Milford is the only fiord in New Zealand accessible by road; however, on February 3, 2020, the single road to Milford Sound was torn up by floods and slides when a storm dumped a meter (3 ft, 3 in) of rain in less than 24 hours. Stranded trampers (hikers) were air lifted from the trails. Lodge visitors abandoned rentals cars and were evacuated by helicopters.
The area and lodge remained closed for weeks, but 3 days before our reservation, after tremendous effort in rebuilding, State Road 94 opened, with restrictions to convoy transport (no personal vehicles allowed). We boarded a bus in Te Anou in a convoy of 50 buses that snaked along the road to Milton Sound Lodge.
The trip through the glacial valley was a gift: Mirror Lake and monster trees.
Our first glimpse of Milford Sound was a tease as clouds topped the mountains.
Milford Sound Lodge Chalet
And then the rain…
It rains over 200 days a year here and our day on the boat was no exception, with the bonus of galeforce winds. But it sailed…a boat for 250 passengers, held 11, plus crew, out to the Tasman Sea and back. Hundreds of waterfalls were magnificent, and true to lore, they stop running a few hours after the rain ends…a sight to behold.
Wind Driven Waterfalls
Doubtful Sound – Isolated and Beautiful
Doubtful Sound is three times longer than Milford Sound and ten times larger. It has no direct road access. To reach this fiord, you take a boat across Lake Manapouri, a bus over the Wilmot Pass and down into Deep Cove. Then another boat through the fiord to the Tasman Sea.
Lake Manapouri 
Over Wilmot Pass 
From the pass down to Deep Cove 
Doubtful Sound was sunny and bright and gave us an idea of what the clouds obscured over at Milford Sound. At both, we sailed to the Tasman Sea before turning back.
Carol and Marlene 
Ferns and moss within Crooked Arm, Doubful Sound
The Maori name for Doubtful Sound is Patea – translated it means “The Place Of Silence”.
Despite their names, both Milford and Doubtful Sounds are fiords, not sounds…the difference is that a sound is created by a river, a fiord by a glacier. In this case, HUGE glaciers that carved through the rocks.
Next: Continuing to the southern tip of South Island: Invercargill, Stewart Island, Dunedin. Birds, sheep, goats, and donkeys!
Click the Links Below for Related Posts
NZ Archive
- Click Here for the complete NZ Archive/Thumbnails
- Or browse through the carousel of posts below
Wow, Marlene this is awesome, thanks for sharing. Looks like an amazing life you are living!
Joan Carroll
Even in the rain, Milford Sound manages to be beautiful, but it’s that Mirror Lake photo that is my favourite on the page. It sounds like quite an adventure. Glad the road re-opened and you got to get there.
Sounds like we went on the same exact trip!
Wow! That first image was a taste of the majesty to come. That video!! What a stunning post. I love going back to New Zealand through you. xo
Beautiful
Amazing and so beautiful!