When we picked up the campervan in Christchurch, we noticed a sign stating that it was the law to carry chains on the highway from Te Anau to Milford Sound until the end of October. I asked about it and they said it was due to the fact that the weather can change in an instance and snow is still a possibility. After learning that renting chains from Pacific Horizon would cost us $50, we decided to just rent in Te Anau as that would be around $30. The fine for driving the highway and getting caught without chains is $700 so the $30 was nothing. Having to drive with the chains was a distinct possibility as they nearly shut down the highway yesterday due to the snow.
Today was a different story.
We peaked at 16 degrees, had nothing but sunshine all day, and the chains were just extra weight in the back of the campervan. It is a long drive however, about two hours each way, and a lot of it spent going downhill in 2nd or 3rd gear. As well, a campervan that is somewhat lopsided in terms of weight isn't all that much fun to control on grades steeper than I'd driven in the Rockies. That being said, two hours later, we were in Milford Sound. We got there with plenty of time for our Nature Cruise hosted by real journeys. Once on the boat, we managed to complete the wildlife tri fecta. On the Nature Cruise, you may get the opportunity to see penguins, fur seals and dolphins. It is rare, however, to see all three on a single cruise, but we managed to get lucky enough to do it.
With 30 minutes left on the Nature Cruise, we stopped off at the Underwater Observatory. It's basically a floating platform, with a submerged section that allows viewers to see wildlife occurring at a depth of 40 feet, which you would normally only see at depths of 100 feet or more. Just another of the joys of Milford Sound. Well, let me tell you, this was a dissapointing side trip. While we did get to see some wildlife, and the corals and sea urchins growing directly in front of the viewing windows, the only way I could see getting any real benefit out of it is to spend an hour or two to let the aquatic life come to you. However, the trip is only 30 minutes long and I think our money could have been better spent.
Once the cruise was done, and knowing we had a two hour drive back, we hit the road after lunch (which was huge, even for my standards). On the way back out, we stopped off at The Chasm. This is an area with a lot of soft limestone rock which has been wore away by a river to create some majestic looking caverns. It was worth the detour. After snapping a few photos at the Chasm, we came back to the campervan to find a Kea sitting underneath the rear tire. It's basically an alpine parrot, which is not shy around people, and loves to peck away at the paint on people's cars.
Our next stop was at Lake Gunn to do their nature walk. An interesting point about this walk is that it's wheelchair accessible. I suppose it is, but I wouldn't be too keen about cleaning the muck off the wheels afterwards. One of their displays talked about how burls are formed in trees, and we ended up spotting one burl which looked like an old man. I think it looks more like Popeye to tell you the truth. What do you think?
Our final stop was at Mirror Lakes, where there is a small lake along the roadside which, when the weather is calm, provides a perfect mirror image of the mountains. Wasn't able to snap a picture of this effect as the wind was kicking up when we got here.
Finally, we got back into town just in time for dinner. After dropping off the unused snow chains, we hit The Olive Tree cafe and had the fresh New Zealand green lipped mussels, along with the Chatter Platter for Two special, which came with a bottle of Pinot Gris, all for $41 total. It was a great meal, and had a very ecclectic decore. Finally, we returned to the Holiday Park and fell fast asleep after a long day on the road.