After the culinary joys of Moeraki, the next day was somewhat of a 'transit' day - our next target was Milford Sound, but we didn't want to drive the 500 or so kilometres from Moeraki to Milford in one day. So we decided to make a brief stop in Dunedin and stay the night in Invercargill, so we could strike out for Milford Sound a bit fresher the next day.
As we travelled south, the weather was getting a bit more like an English summer (i.e four seasons in one day). Dunedin and Invercargill are Scottish by name and Scottish by nature in terms of their terrain and climate.
Dunedin was quite a large city and the most vibrant that we have visited, given the troubles of Christchurch. It is a place I would have liked to explore for longer than the 2 hours we were there, but sadly we only had time to take in the architecture of the city hall and railway station before moving on.
We checked into our accommodation in Invercargill in the mid-afternoon and spent a couple of hours walking through the town centre. Unfortunately, that is about all there is to report about Invercargill, as there isn't much going on in the town for tourists! Had we had our time again, I think we would have stayed in Dunedin and taken a shortcut to Milford the next day, leaving Invercargill out.
The next morning, we set off for Milford Sound. We still had about 250 kilometres to drive, so it was an early start. We stopped for lunch in Te Anau, about 120 kilometres south of Milford Sound.
Te Anau is the base station for Milford Sound, as it is the next nearest town and has all the facilities, as Milford is very much out in the sticks. Te Anau has the atmosphere of an Alpine ski town and considering its small size, it was bustling with travellers of all kinds, either on their way to or from Milford. We ate our lunch near the attractive lake and then watched some comings and goings from a nearby bar for an hour.
We then set off for the final leg to Milford Sound. Although now only 120 kilometres away, the travel time is 2 hours. There are two reasons for this; first, the roads are mountainous and winding. Second, you will spend most of the drive with your face pressed up against the windscreen as you try to take in the magnificently beautiful views of a pristine mountain environment.
It is hard to describe in a few words what we saw on our journey to Milford Sound. We were lucky that the weather had become sunny, which allowed us to see the peaks in their full glory. As we cut through the valleys and wound up the mountain sides, every corner we turned revealed a more stunning vista than before. We took many photos, but I don't think any will do this area justice. To use a rather hackneyed phrase, you just have to be there.
After a brief stop at a viewpoint simply called The Chasm, which was a gem of a find, we finally rolled into our accommodation for the night. This promised to be the most interesting of our lodgings on this trip, as it was primarily a place for backpackers, mainly sporting 11-person shared dormitories. However, it also offered small private cabins, which we opted to stay in.
By small, I do mean small - our cabin was 12' x 8', so only just had room for our double bed and that was about it! The kitchen, toilets, showers and lounge were all communal. The location however couldn't be beaten; nestled in a river valley between mountain ranges with views to kill and die for.
The place was completely booked out and after we returned from a walk down to the harbour and back, the communal areas were packed with people cooking. eating, cleaning and relaxing. This was my first taste of backpacking up close and I must admit I quite enjoyed the chaos of living in close quarters with a large group of people. I think I would have enjoyed backpacking, had I done it in my youth! Nowadays however, I think I am too attached to my creature comforts!
We turned in for the night early - we had an early start in the morning as we had booked ourselves in on a boat cruise around Milford Sound. More of that in the next instalment.
TTFN
No comments:
Post a Comment