Having recovered from the backpacking trip, we drove out to the Milford Sound. Milford Sound is one of the best known and most well visited attractions in New Zealand. It is located in the Fiordland area of the South Island (southwest) and receives on average 7 meters/21 feet of rain per year.
We had heard about the sound itself, but had no idea that the road to get there would be so beautiful and interesting. We also had incredible weather for our drive and hikes, which made it even more remarkable.
This is just one of many gorgeous views from the Milford Sound road.
We had read in several guide books that the Lake Marian hike along the road was well worth the effort. It led us through a moss forest up to a hidden alpine lake. We loved it!
Unfortunately, the typical weather pattern for the Milford Sound returned the next day and we opted not to take a boat tour due to the freezing horizontal downpour. Instead, we drove back out to the main road and headed south to the Southern Scenic Route, a marked (2-lane) road system that follows the southern coast of the South Island.
As it was now autumn, the weather was cool and unpredictable. We would have lots of gray days and rain for the next week, which made us decide not to make use of the numerous beachfront campgrounds, but to stay in inexpensive hostels (known as Backpackers in NZ). We would also; however, see lots of seals with playful pups, sea lions, penguins (yellow-eyed and blue) and rugged, wind-swept coastline in the days to come!
The penguins were a challenge to photograph as they would only come up onto the beach a couple of hours before sunset. Since they are very sensitive to predators, the Department of Conservation has created viewing platforms that are quite far from the shoreline. Michiel had to use maximum camera zoom to get decent photos.
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