New Zealand 2016 – Te Anau and Milford Sound

We stayed on the lake in Te Anau but didn’t walk on a really nice path by it – too busy, too windy and so…But here is how Te Anau looks like:DSCN6269 DSCN6266 DSCN6265There are a lot of trees with those red berries, that we have in Lithuania (sermuksnis) and they are the first callers for autumn:DSCN6261Here is the view from our window:DSCN6018The next morning we drove where everybody drives from Te Anau – to Milford Sound it is one of the fiords to Tasman sea and the only one reachable by car. The distance 120 km one way. And a beautiful way – lots of stops with views. Here is Gun Lake::_DSC6783Here are Mirror lakes:DSCN6029 DSCN6037And the views all the way:DSCN6019 DSCN6023 DSCN6048 DSCN6071We did a short hike from Divide stop, saw a very wet forest but the trail was dry and pleasant – just exotic moss hanging from trees witnessed how much rain they are awarded with and how lucky we were not to get any!DSCN6050 DSCN6058The slopes of all the mountains there were so steep that I think I never saw such steep in my life. Therefore there were waterfalls falling all over. This one was the tallest one I ever saw:DSCN6083 DSCN6094Then there was a 1.2 km tunnel, one way. not s much fun :-):DSCN6097We stopped to see the Chasm and in the parking lot this mean lookingkea parrot was amusing travelers:DSCN6110 DSCN6114 DSCN6117 DSCN6116This is the walk to Chasm and then the roaring water falling way down in between strange rocks:DSCN6122 DSCN6134 DSCN6138 DSCN6144 DSCN6146 DSCN6152Then at last we found ourselves by the edge of Milford Sound and it was beautiful with the prominent Mitre peak in the middle (it is as if 1.6 km high, sticking from the sea!):ᅡᅠDSCN6162 DSCN6155 DSCN6234 DSCN6156We booked beforehand and took a Juicy Cruise for 1h 35 min (had to be 1h 45 min :-))> but the views were much more photogenic form the shore versus from the ship. The Cruise was not interesting at all, for me it was a waste of money but lots of people like drinking beer on a boat versus on a shore or others like talking selfies ᅡᅠ-so for them such a cruise was fun. Here are some pics form the cruise:DSCN6191 DSCN6200 DSCN6205 DSCN6219 DSCN6221 DSCN6223But after it we walked some on the boardwalks and trails by the parking lots and here are the pics from there:DSCN6228 DSCN6230 DSCN6231Bye bye Fiordland, we are heading to Wanaka!