These google guys are smart!
We decided to go to Milford by coach. Although it's only about 30 miles from Queenstown, it's a 10 hour drive there and back. A few large mountains block the direct route.
Yet another World Heritage site.
The drive to Milford goes through some unique landscapes. Millions of sheep, red deer and cattle down to Te Anu. After that the country moves into more of a temperate rainforest. Trees grow on near vertical slopes by linking their roots into a great mat. When one falls, it creates an avalanche of trees, leaving bare rock behind. Two weeks ago one had closed the road ( the only road) for 4 days.
We went up through snow and saw the only alpine parrot as we waited 15 minutes for the red light on the single lane tunnel. Couldn't get a picture but we saw it!
Milford gets 21 ft of rainfall a year. It is the wettest place at sea level in the world.
Needless to say it rained. As it rains impromptu waterfalls start up and pour into the fjord.
These falls are taller than Niagara. The rim of the fjord is about 2000 ft above sea level. The boat at the bottom is about 75-100 ft long.
The water just a few feet from the shore is 1000 ft deep. The scale is just enormous. Because of all the rain, there is a layer of fresh water about 40 ft thick laying on top of the salt water, making the water look black.
We saw penguins, seals and dolphins.
We got back to Queenstown at 8:30 in time to go to the pub for ... what else? Rack of lamb. While we were there we were watching Pompey play Liverpool on the TV. It's a small world.
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