Fiordland National Park
The past few days have been spent in Fiordland National Park.
Before heading into Milford Sound we stayed in the town of Te Anau. This town has it all. It isn't too busy, beautiful mountains, Lake Manapouri, some restaurants and the best part a shower! We spent the night charging our Q-Tip and accomplished two loads of laundry. The next two nights we stopped about half way to Milford Sound and spent two nights in a flower meadow surrounded by large peaks. Each day we accomplished a few hikes, some being a few hours and some being only 20 minutes to see some of the most magnificent views either of us have ever seen.
The following day we drove about an hour to Milford Sound. Milford Sound Road should be a bucket list item for all. Although it has been a bit rainy here, it makes the valley come to life. From the van alone you can see 10 plus waterfalls cascading off the steep peaks. Jesse and I both were in aw over the drive. We stopped to take photos about 10 times. Each day we spent time exploring on different hikes and eventually worked our way to Milford Sound Lodge. Frank Sutherland was the first to inhibit this land, which seems to be very removed from the rest of the area. Even today since it is a National Park the only places to stay are a small hotel and the Milford Sound Lodge and the only place to visit is the information center. Both Jesse and I expected more of a town, but since this is sacred land the government will only allow the men and women that work at these few locations to live there.
The second day in Milford Sound was spent outdoors although not particularity warm or dry we had booked a kayak expedition. Since Jesse and I are in vacation mode it was a bit difficult to set our alarms for 6:20 am. Our guide was Ricky. He grew up in the north island of New Zealand and this was his 5th season as a guide. Ricky was a nice guy and reminded us quite a bit of my brother in law Billy...funny, good tan lines and always a good story. Miss you bro! There had been a light trickle in the morning, but throughout the morning it poured for about 3 hours. If anyone doesn't know December and January are their wet seasons so I wouldn't count on dry weather if you are planning to visit. We were able to see a few local seals along the way named Larry, Gary and Harry.
Also, a shout out to Jesse's bungy jump!! We were able to get the photos downloaded.
Heading back up North! Happy Holidays to everyone!
Before heading into Milford Sound we stayed in the town of Te Anau. This town has it all. It isn't too busy, beautiful mountains, Lake Manapouri, some restaurants and the best part a shower! We spent the night charging our Q-Tip and accomplished two loads of laundry. The next two nights we stopped about half way to Milford Sound and spent two nights in a flower meadow surrounded by large peaks. Each day we accomplished a few hikes, some being a few hours and some being only 20 minutes to see some of the most magnificent views either of us have ever seen.
The following day we drove about an hour to Milford Sound. Milford Sound Road should be a bucket list item for all. Although it has been a bit rainy here, it makes the valley come to life. From the van alone you can see 10 plus waterfalls cascading off the steep peaks. Jesse and I both were in aw over the drive. We stopped to take photos about 10 times. Each day we spent time exploring on different hikes and eventually worked our way to Milford Sound Lodge. Frank Sutherland was the first to inhibit this land, which seems to be very removed from the rest of the area. Even today since it is a National Park the only places to stay are a small hotel and the Milford Sound Lodge and the only place to visit is the information center. Both Jesse and I expected more of a town, but since this is sacred land the government will only allow the men and women that work at these few locations to live there.
The second day in Milford Sound was spent outdoors although not particularity warm or dry we had booked a kayak expedition. Since Jesse and I are in vacation mode it was a bit difficult to set our alarms for 6:20 am. Our guide was Ricky. He grew up in the north island of New Zealand and this was his 5th season as a guide. Ricky was a nice guy and reminded us quite a bit of my brother in law Billy...funny, good tan lines and always a good story. Miss you bro! There had been a light trickle in the morning, but throughout the morning it poured for about 3 hours. If anyone doesn't know December and January are their wet seasons so I wouldn't count on dry weather if you are planning to visit. We were able to see a few local seals along the way named Larry, Gary and Harry.
Also, a shout out to Jesse's bungy jump!! We were able to get the photos downloaded.
Heading back up North! Happy Holidays to everyone!
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