It rains, on average, over 200 days of the year in Milford Sound, but in no way does this dampen its beauty.
We left Queenstown in the late afternoon on what was suppose to be a short, three hour drive. We thought we would get there by sunset, and would be able to take in the mountain beauty, before waking up early the next morning for our pre-paid boat tour. Man, were we wrong.
On route, one of my fellow travel companions insisted that we make a stop at Te Anau – a small town that was known for its amazing bird sanctuary. “No problem!” we said, as we pulled over to check out the wonderment.
Well … much to our surprise, the only birds present were a few turkeys and a crap-load of Canadian Geese. It started to rain, as we laughed off the irony and headed back to the car. As the five of us stood around looking at each other and waiting for someone to unlock the doors …
Who’s got the keys?
I gave them to Alex.
No you didn’t?
Well I don’t have them.
Fuck.
In the pouring rain we headed back out into the bird sanctuary to hunt out our now missing rental keys. High … low ... we retraced all of our steps, and even took some new ones. They were nowhere to be found.
I, along with another girl, decided that the best bet was to hike three kilometres back to the town centre and call the rental company. So, in the pouring rain, soaked to the bone, we made the trek.
Now, I’m not going to say we were expecting a hero’s welcome, but this is truly the conversation that took place at Te Anau’s Welcome Centre:
Me: Hi! I’m sorry to bother you, but we just walked for an hour in the pouring rain! We’re stuck at the bird sanctuary because we lost our keys!!!
Welcome Lady: Well, I don’t have them.
Me: No, I know… I was just…
Lady: There’s a pay phone across the street.
Me: but .. I … ok. Thanks.
Heartbreaking.
We crossed the street, called budget, and found out that there is an extra key hidden in an easily accessible location on every rental. Thank god.
We made out way back – three more kilometres in the rain – only to discover that the originally lost keys had been found, and everyone was warm and safe inside the vehicle.
It was now dark, as we continued, in silence, on our way to Milford Sound. We arrived at our hostel and headed straight to bed – very wet and very very grumpy.
The next morning, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise that revealed our new surroundings. In a small cabin, on the side of a mountain – we stood under overhanging cliffs, between tall green trees, and could hear the gentle chirping of birds that weren’t geese. It’s amazing what you miss out on, when sitting in the dark.
We headed off to our boat cruise, where we were treated to even more breath taking sights on one of the rare days when the sun shines in Milford Sound.
Flight: vrroommm….
Accom: Milford Sound Lodge (traveller’s hostel/ $30 a night): a great log cabin, with a fun “mess room” style place to cook and eat – warm and toasty, even in the pouring rain
Highlights: Navigating our way through a creepy bird sanctuary, Te Anau, a mountain side, and – of course – the sound.
We left Queenstown in the late afternoon on what was suppose to be a short, three hour drive. We thought we would get there by sunset, and would be able to take in the mountain beauty, before waking up early the next morning for our pre-paid boat tour. Man, were we wrong.
On route, one of my fellow travel companions insisted that we make a stop at Te Anau – a small town that was known for its amazing bird sanctuary. “No problem!” we said, as we pulled over to check out the wonderment.
Well … much to our surprise, the only birds present were a few turkeys and a crap-load of Canadian Geese. It started to rain, as we laughed off the irony and headed back to the car. As the five of us stood around looking at each other and waiting for someone to unlock the doors …
Who’s got the keys?
I gave them to Alex.
No you didn’t?
Well I don’t have them.
Fuck.
In the pouring rain we headed back out into the bird sanctuary to hunt out our now missing rental keys. High … low ... we retraced all of our steps, and even took some new ones. They were nowhere to be found.
I, along with another girl, decided that the best bet was to hike three kilometres back to the town centre and call the rental company. So, in the pouring rain, soaked to the bone, we made the trek.
Now, I’m not going to say we were expecting a hero’s welcome, but this is truly the conversation that took place at Te Anau’s Welcome Centre:
Me: Hi! I’m sorry to bother you, but we just walked for an hour in the pouring rain! We’re stuck at the bird sanctuary because we lost our keys!!!
Welcome Lady: Well, I don’t have them.
Me: No, I know… I was just…
Lady: There’s a pay phone across the street.
Me: but .. I … ok. Thanks.
Heartbreaking.
We crossed the street, called budget, and found out that there is an extra key hidden in an easily accessible location on every rental. Thank god.
We made out way back – three more kilometres in the rain – only to discover that the originally lost keys had been found, and everyone was warm and safe inside the vehicle.
It was now dark, as we continued, in silence, on our way to Milford Sound. We arrived at our hostel and headed straight to bed – very wet and very very grumpy.
The next morning, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise that revealed our new surroundings. In a small cabin, on the side of a mountain – we stood under overhanging cliffs, between tall green trees, and could hear the gentle chirping of birds that weren’t geese. It’s amazing what you miss out on, when sitting in the dark.
We headed off to our boat cruise, where we were treated to even more breath taking sights on one of the rare days when the sun shines in Milford Sound.
Flight: vrroommm….
Accom: Milford Sound Lodge (traveller’s hostel/ $30 a night): a great log cabin, with a fun “mess room” style place to cook and eat – warm and toasty, even in the pouring rain
Highlights: Navigating our way through a creepy bird sanctuary, Te Anau, a mountain side, and – of course – the sound.
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