22 | April | 2011 | Chris Gregory's Alphathreads

Milford Sound

It’s hard to show images of Milford Sound in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park that are different from the numerous others that have been taken over time. The sheer scale and spectacle of the place is captivating. On any given day during the summer thousands of people stream into the Sound in cars and tour coaches to take a cruise around on one of the many cruise boats that offer slight points of difference in boat size, catering, luxury, and so on while they follow each other along the same course at ten minute intervals. The Cruise Centre at Milford Sound is well set up to handle the crowds. It’s just a pity that so many people only get an hour-long glimpse of the spectacle before the climb back into their vehicles and leave.

The reason for their short visits is that there is very limited accommodation at Milford Sound – a backpackers’ hostel and the old Milford Hotel that is now used by Ultimate Hikes to accommodate walkers at the end of the Milford Track walk.

We were fortunate to stay overnight at the backpackers’ lodge so were able to experience the mood of the area over a period of about 18 hours – still not a lot of time, but more than most. These images reflect some of the moods the Sound presented to us.

Cleddau River near Milford Sound Lodge

Mitre Peak - Early morning at Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Leaving the Milford Sound Cruise Centre behind

Follow the Leader - Milford Sound Cruise

Waterfall streaming from the steep sided mountain - Milford Sound

Veil of Mist - Mitre Peak, Milford Sound

Bridal Veil Falls - Milford Sound

During the morning a constant stream of light aircraft fly into Milford Sound bringing cruise passengers from Te Anau, Queenstown and further afield.

Aeroplane dwarfed by steep-sided fjord - Milford Sound

Head in the Clouds - Milford Sound

Return to Base - Mitre Peak in Background, Milford Sound

To enter and leave Milford Sound by road one must pass through the Homer Tunnel. The view down the road from the Milford side of the tunnel is spectacular.