Milford Sound and then more rain

We had about three beautiful, sunny days after the rainy week-plus on the West Coast. We debated what direction to head--seek better weather or continue down to Milford Sound, which is really the only touristy site we wanted to visit, but it gets over 21 feet(!) of rain each year. We eventually opted to head to Milford and our decision paid off. We got an absolutely perfect day there; of course the the karmic wheel brought heavy rains again the next day and it's been rainy since, even though Te Anau, the town we're in gets much less rain than Milford Sound. On the drive from south of Queenstown (we skipped it entirely since other travelers we met said it's overcrowded and not likely to be our scene--great for thrill-seekers for sky diving, bungie jumping, and then the subsequent heavy drinking), we had incredible winds. Sam, as usual, did the driving since this former road safety professional is an anxious driver especially overseas, and she had to work keep the van headed straight. It was intense!

Milford Sound was stunning though. The drive there offers inspiring landscapes and other features...views of the effects of former avalanches and floods, an unusual, one-lane, unlit, steep, gravel tunnel(!), breathtaking waterfalls, and giant trees. You take a cruise around the Sound and see more of the same but on a grander scale. The size of the place is incredible. It's like being at the bottom of the Grand Canyon looking up. In the photos below, you should look for the ships (they're big ships in real life!) that look like toys in these settings. The ship's captain (repeatedly) said that the weather was the best in a month of nasty weather. They'd even had to shut down Milford Sound recently because of the weather. So if we'd rushed down here as we had planned, we might've had even worse luck.

We're hunkered down Te Anau now for a few days. It's less touristy than other places we've been. It's a gateway spot for lots of hikes and cruises so everyone is gone during the day. That's a treat, in this beautiful but heavily trodden tourist path.

A few more photos from the day are on Smugmug here.