November
6, Tuesday
In Te Anau, the town
Along Lake Te Anau's eastern shore
Beautiful fertile surrounding valleys
We reach the valleys where we are surrounded by high snowy and icy peaks
Up in the highlands
We then entered the Fjordland National Park and were right into the forests. And then came the mountains and the long winding roads up and down the mountain sides.
Boardwalk along Mirror Lakes
Our road continues through the forests
Spectacular sights. So glad I opted for a tour bus rather than trying to drive myself.
The road to Milford Sound
Site of a roch fall that closed the road in October this year
At another scenic stop. There were more keas here, and whether they were fighting or mating was not clear.
Their wings are quite colourful
Every curve in the road provides spectacular views
As we near Milford Sound, we pass through a long mountain tunnel. Our driver tells us about how the Homer Tunnel was built. Milford Road and Homer Tunnel: “In 1929, 200 men carrying shovels, handsaws and wheelbarrows and a team of horses began the arduous task of completing the Milford road. The 119 km alpine road is the only land link to Milford Sound, New Zealand’s top tourist destination, and it is used by over half a million people every year. Work on the tunnel began in 1935. Built by relief workers during the Depression, initially just starting with five men using picks and wheelbarrows. The men had to live in tents in a mountainous area where there might be no direct sunlight for half of the year. At least three were killed by avalanches over the coming decades. Work was also interrupted by World War II (though the actual piercing of the mountain had successfully been achieved in 1940), and an avalanche in 1945 which destroyed the eastern tunnel portal. These problems delayed the tunnel's completion and opening until 1954.” “The Homer Tunnel cuts through the Darran Mountain range at the Homer Saddle and is 1.2 km long. The tunnel is straight and was originally single-lane and gravel-surfaced. The tunnel walls remain unlined granite. The east portal end is at 945 m elevation; the tunnel runs 1270 m at approximately a 1:10 gradient down to the western portal. Until it was sealed and enlarged it was the longest gravel-surfaced tunnel in the world.”
He also tells us about an annual race through the tunnel. Condition for racing? You have to run it naked, except for running shoes. Truth of Fiction? I checked the internet and it’s TRUE. Ol’ Homey has become the venue for one of New Zealand’s most unusual annual events – known in these parts as the Great Annual Nude Tunnel Run. The race was originally conceived in 1998 by a couple of locals over a beer and now attracts around 100 participants. There is a $20 entry fee which gets donated to a different charity each year (Breast Cancer, NZ in 2009). Competitors run completely naked from east to west (as distance of 1.2 km) carrying little except a torch and running shoes. It’s such a fun community event and we’re very proud to help organise it each year. The fastest male and female runners have their names engraved on the trophy, which for men is “Ken” doll and for women a “Barbie” (naked and in a running position, naturally)!
It obviously takes a Kiwi to think this one up! And it is very popular. Wonder how many spectaters there are at each end of the tunnel?
The drive is truly dramatic and I am so happy that I decided not to drive it myself, but to take a tour so that I can enjoy the scenery. If you decide to drive it, make sure you have really good brakes or are ready to drive in 2nd gear for a lot of the way. And there are no service stations along the way, so you need to ensure that you have enough fuel for a 240km return journey before leaving Te Anau.
We arrive at Milford Sound and board our cruise ship. The driver has asked us if anyone is interested in doing a helicopter ride over the fjords, since we need to book this before we go. It is a beautiful day, a once in a life time destination, so I opt for the helicopter ride. It will be my first EVER.
Amazing colours and shapes on the rock formations
Another waterfall in the distance, and that is a ship like ours below it
The opening from the fjord to the Tasman Sea (Between Australia, Tasmania & New Zealand)
A look back into the fjord
Penguins. Almost impossible to zoom in on with the moving ship near the shore. Looks like an adult and a baby. I took at least 10 bad pics before getting this one.
Seals snoozing in the sunshine
How many can you find in this picture? I counted five among the rocks
"Who's disturbing my nap? Shush you people on the cruise ship. Haven't you ever seen sleeping seals before?"
This is the waterfall from about 9 photos up, the one that had a cruise ship below it.
The captain is at the helm of the ship
Tracing our route in the water on the fjord
We stop at the Science Centre located in a cove in the Sound.
They have an underwater observation gallery to keep an eye on the fish. There is also information on tectonic activity: “Rather than sliding smoothly, the faulted contact is sticky and lurches, releasing stress and energy during earthquakes. Earthquakes regularly shake the area, with at least 7 significant quakes greater than magnitude 6 since 1980. Landslides and avalanches from the steep mountain faces are triggered by earthquakes and storms. Sitting in a collision zone between two of the world’s great tectonic plates, Milford Sound’s landscape is young and highly active.”
I just caught this guy as I looked up towards the ceiling of the tank we were in.
As I waited top side for everyone to finish their tour, I caught a zoom picture of this snow pack up on a nearby peak. There are fissure lines in the ice / snow and signs of slippage. Hopefully no avalanche while we are here.
From the Science Research Centre, and that same snow / ice covered peak.
Our cruise is almost over
/
Return to Milford Sound and Mitre Peak
And here's that waterfall I missed when we first set out. There is a strong jet of water coming off the cliffs, as if a spout had been turned on full blast.
We get back to the marina and disembark. It is only a short drive to the drop off point for our Helicopter Tour ! ! ! I’m going up with 2 couples and just miss out on sitting in the front seat beside the pilot. We are taking the white helicopter that can sit 5 passengers (2 up front, 3 at the back) at least I got a window seat.
My first helicopter ride EVER. Check mark on my bucket list !
We took off really fast and were up at the top of the cliffs in no time at all. The cruise ships look tiny from up here.
OOOOOHHHHH those cliffs look really close ! But check out the view!
Milford Sound Fjord from above
We are surrounded by snowy peaks
We land on top of a glacier.
WOW !
Double WOW !
Yes, I'm really up here, you don't have to pinch me.
On top of Mt. Tutoko: “At 9,009 feet (2,746 meters), Mt. Tutokois Fiordland’s tallest peak, standing scarcely ten miles (16 kilometers) inland from the Tasman Sea. Active glaciers grip several peaks in the park, whose 14 fiords and myriad lakes were carved by retreating glaciers some 14,000 years ago.”
My half hour flight is with Milford Helicopters, and although I never did get their brochure, since our landing was not back in Milford Sound, it appears from their internet site that we were given a version of the “Glacier Galore” tour – “This Milford Sound helicopter flight will take you to the Bowen Falls, the Harrison Valley and past Lake Never Never, then it's on to the breath taking Tutoko Glacier, landing if weather permits. Return to Milford via Turners Pass and the Age Glacier.”
We are up so high. Hey. That’s the ice cap I just photographed from the science centre. The one with the cracks showing signs of an avalanche. “Thank you God”, we aren’t underneath it.
Beautiful ice covered lake high up in the mountains
Oh God, he's going to skim over that mountain top!
Amazing views of ice covered Southern Alps and the valleys below
Another lake hidden away in one of the valleys
Straight granite cliff walls
And we come in for a landing
All the way back to the fertile fields around Lake Te Anau
Our driver was really nice and had regaled us with his stories and jokes.
When we got back to Te Anau I decided to walk back to the motel from the main bus stop near the marina.
Lake Te Anau. The ship is back from the Glow Worm Caves.
My last look at the lake. It's been a great 2 days here.
I ate left over pasta for dinner and it was just as good as the night before.
Excursion to Milford Sound, 121 km and a minimum of 2 hours
with no stops. We stopped often which
was SO NICE and I took tons of photos.
The tour bus came to pick me up on time and I loved the
fact that it was a bright sunny day. Our
guide / driver was really talkative and quite funny. He told us about being an extra during the
filming of “Lord of the Rings” when they needed lots of people who knew how to
ride horses. He even pointed out a few
places along the way that were used as background for the film.
The first part of our drive was along Lake Te Anau and
the flatter surrounding valleys.
Along Lake Te Anau's eastern shore
Beautiful fertile surrounding valleys
We reach the valleys where we are surrounded by high snowy and icy peaks
Up in the highlands
We then entered the Fjordland National Park and were right into the forests. And then came the mountains and the long winding roads up and down the mountain sides.
and down into valleys with specatucar lakes. This one is called "Mirror Lake". How appropriate. JIGSAW puzzle!
Our road continues through the forests
We make a stop for a photo op, and as it it was planned, there sits my first sight of a Kea Bird. WOW !
I remember
watching an animated program called “Watership Down” about a warren of rabbits
and a kea bird who would get them into and out of trouble. I always thought it was British, and I
checked on the internet, “It was written by English
author Richard Adams, published in 1972; set in south-central England, the
story features a small group of rabbits.”
But there was a kea bird in the story
(Keharr according to the internet) and they are only found in New
Zealand. Literary license by the
creators of the animated TV series possibly.
The road to Milford Sound
Site of a roch fall that closed the road in October this year
October 14 article from the
internet: Popular South Island tourist
destination Milford Sound will be closed to traffic for at least three more
days while workers clear massive boulders which blocked off its only access
road in a landslide on Friday afternoon. NZTA Southland Area manager Peter
Robinson said today it would take a minimum of three days to open up the road
to a single lane. Workmen were now building a rock bunt – or retaining wall –
so crewmen could work safely in the area, he said. Some of the boulders were as
large as 200 tonnes, with the boulders and other debris covering at least 200m
of the road, on the Milford side of Falls creek. The length of the closure
depended on how long it would take to break up the large rocks and remove them.
It appeared the road seal under the rocks had been damaged, Robinson said.
Another four avalanches and two gravel slips on the west and east sides of the
Homer Tunnel had struck at about the same time as the landslide that closed the
road, Robinson added. While a landslide that closed Milford Road two years ago
was a larger in volume, the Friday slide had brought down bigger rocks, making
it more difficult to clear the road. Robinson said the single lane would open
for all incoming and outgoing traffic to Milford, but emphasised that getting
the road clear within three days was optimistic, considering the damage done.
"You have to remember these rocks have had about a 900-metre vertical
drop, and they haven’t broken."
At another scenic stop. There were more keas here, and whether they were fighting or mating was not clear.
Their wings are quite colourful
Every curve in the road provides spectacular views
As we near Milford Sound, we pass through a long mountain tunnel. Our driver tells us about how the Homer Tunnel was built. Milford Road and Homer Tunnel: “In 1929, 200 men carrying shovels, handsaws and wheelbarrows and a team of horses began the arduous task of completing the Milford road. The 119 km alpine road is the only land link to Milford Sound, New Zealand’s top tourist destination, and it is used by over half a million people every year. Work on the tunnel began in 1935. Built by relief workers during the Depression, initially just starting with five men using picks and wheelbarrows. The men had to live in tents in a mountainous area where there might be no direct sunlight for half of the year. At least three were killed by avalanches over the coming decades. Work was also interrupted by World War II (though the actual piercing of the mountain had successfully been achieved in 1940), and an avalanche in 1945 which destroyed the eastern tunnel portal. These problems delayed the tunnel's completion and opening until 1954.” “The Homer Tunnel cuts through the Darran Mountain range at the Homer Saddle and is 1.2 km long. The tunnel is straight and was originally single-lane and gravel-surfaced. The tunnel walls remain unlined granite. The east portal end is at 945 m elevation; the tunnel runs 1270 m at approximately a 1:10 gradient down to the western portal. Until it was sealed and enlarged it was the longest gravel-surfaced tunnel in the world.”
He also tells us about an annual race through the tunnel. Condition for racing? You have to run it naked, except for running shoes. Truth of Fiction? I checked the internet and it’s TRUE. Ol’ Homey has become the venue for one of New Zealand’s most unusual annual events – known in these parts as the Great Annual Nude Tunnel Run. The race was originally conceived in 1998 by a couple of locals over a beer and now attracts around 100 participants. There is a $20 entry fee which gets donated to a different charity each year (Breast Cancer, NZ in 2009). Competitors run completely naked from east to west (as distance of 1.2 km) carrying little except a torch and running shoes. It’s such a fun community event and we’re very proud to help organise it each year. The fastest male and female runners have their names engraved on the trophy, which for men is “Ken” doll and for women a “Barbie” (naked and in a running position, naturally)!
It obviously takes a Kiwi to think this one up! And it is very popular. Wonder how many spectaters there are at each end of the tunnel?
Our driver told us that politicians are talking about
building another tunnel through the mountains so that people could drive
directly from Queenstown to Milford Sound, instead of having to drive down to Te Anau and back up Milford Road.
Their statistics don’t sound very sound and the impact to Te Anau does
not seem to have been factored in. I will
have to keep an eye out for more information on this in future.
As we wait to get on the cruise ship, I snap a picture of Mitre Peak on Milford Sound (1,692 meters / 5,551 ft)We board the ship we will be cruising on, and are immediatedly directe to the buffet lunch. Breakfast is long gone and although I don’t particularly like sausages, that’s the meat that is being served so I give it a try. Most people hurry through their meal and make their way to the upper two decks for a better view of the Sound. Although it is cold up there, I make my way to the top deck for a 360 degree view of our surroundings.
Milford Sound is actually a fjord which was carved out by a glacier.
The views are incredible |
| Missed that waterfall, will have to keep an eye out for it on the return trip |
Amazing colours and shapes on the rock formations
Another waterfall in the distance, and that is a ship like ours below it
The veil of a waterfall coming off the cliffs
A look back into the fjord
Penguins. Almost impossible to zoom in on with the moving ship near the shore. Looks like an adult and a baby. I took at least 10 bad pics before getting this one.
We are SO lucky for this weather; most of the time it rains in Milford Sound. It rains about 182 days each year and more often than not tourists make this cruise in the rain and can't do the helicopter flight.
Thank you God and my guardian angels for giving me this glorious day.
We start making our journey back up the fjord towards Milford Sound.
How many can you find in this picture? I counted five among the rocks
"Who's disturbing my nap? Shush you people on the cruise ship. Haven't you ever seen sleeping seals before?"
This is the waterfall from about 9 photos up, the one that had a cruise ship below it.
As we get close up to the falls, I notice two rainbows outlined on the water below us.
Tracing our route in the water on the fjord
We stop at the Science Centre located in a cove in the Sound.
They have an underwater observation gallery to keep an eye on the fish. There is also information on tectonic activity: “Rather than sliding smoothly, the faulted contact is sticky and lurches, releasing stress and energy during earthquakes. Earthquakes regularly shake the area, with at least 7 significant quakes greater than magnitude 6 since 1980. Landslides and avalanches from the steep mountain faces are triggered by earthquakes and storms. Sitting in a collision zone between two of the world’s great tectonic plates, Milford Sound’s landscape is young and highly active.”
I just caught this guy as I looked up towards the ceiling of the tank we were in.
As I waited top side for everyone to finish their tour, I caught a zoom picture of this snow pack up on a nearby peak. There are fissure lines in the ice / snow and signs of slippage. Hopefully no avalanche while we are here.
From the Science Research Centre, and that same snow / ice covered peak.
Our cruise is almost over
/
Return to Milford Sound and Mitre Peak
And here's that waterfall I missed when we first set out. There is a strong jet of water coming off the cliffs, as if a spout had been turned on full blast.
We get back to the marina and disembark. It is only a short drive to the drop off point for our Helicopter Tour ! ! ! I’m going up with 2 couples and just miss out on sitting in the front seat beside the pilot. We are taking the white helicopter that can sit 5 passengers (2 up front, 3 at the back) at least I got a window seat.
My first helicopter ride EVER. Check mark on my bucket list !
We took off really fast and were up at the top of the cliffs in no time at all. The cruise ships look tiny from up here.
Milford Sound Fjord from above
We are surrounded by snowy peaks
We land on top of a glacier.
WOW !
Double WOW !
Yes, I'm really up here, you don't have to pinch me.
On top of Mt. Tutoko: “At 9,009 feet (2,746 meters), Mt. Tutokois Fiordland’s tallest peak, standing scarcely ten miles (16 kilometers) inland from the Tasman Sea. Active glaciers grip several peaks in the park, whose 14 fiords and myriad lakes were carved by retreating glaciers some 14,000 years ago.”
My half hour flight is with Milford Helicopters, and although I never did get their brochure, since our landing was not back in Milford Sound, it appears from their internet site that we were given a version of the “Glacier Galore” tour – “This Milford Sound helicopter flight will take you to the Bowen Falls, the Harrison Valley and past Lake Never Never, then it's on to the breath taking Tutoko Glacier, landing if weather permits. Return to Milford via Turners Pass and the Age Glacier.”
We are up so high. Hey. That’s the ice cap I just photographed from the science centre. The one with the cracks showing signs of an avalanche. “Thank you God”, we aren’t underneath it.
Beautiful ice covered lake high up in the mountains
Oh God, he's going to skim over that mountain top!
Amazing views of ice covered Southern Alps and the valleys below
Another lake hidden away in one of the valleys
Straight granite cliff walls
And we come in for a landing
When we finally landed, our bus was just pulling up after
driving from Milford Sound through the Homer Tunnel to pick us up for the return to Te Anau. The ride back was quite a bit faster since
there were no stops along the way and the driver kept silent. I tried taking more pictures, but the
reflection from the sun on the bus window made it quite difficult. I did manage to get a few that weren’t too
bad.
All the way back to the fertile fields around Lake Te Anau
Our driver was really nice and had regaled us with his stories and jokes.
When we got back to Te Anau I decided to walk back to the motel from the main bus stop near the marina.
Lake Te Anau. The ship is back from the Glow Worm Caves.
My last look at the lake. It's been a great 2 days here.
I ate left over pasta for dinner and it was just as good as the night before.
No comments:
Post a Comment