Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on the planet, with rain 182 days per year, and a total of nearly two feet falling each month. Unfortunately today was no exception, so while the myriad waterfalls cascading 1000 feet down the cliffs were a sight to see, the views that the road and the Sound are famous for were mostly obscured. Fortunately I’m here for three nights, so with any luck the sun will come out at some point.
From what I could see, the road to Milford Sound may be a bigger star than the Sound itself. Driving here is a bit like driving through Yosemite Valley, except that everything is covered in rainforest, there are ten times as many waterfalls, and at the end of the road you’re at the ocean. The valleys are deep, glacier-carved wonders like in Yosemite, with steep sides that rise up into the clouds. I managed a few short hikes in between storms, and while there aren’t sequoias or other huge trees, the rainforest has its own charms, with dense vegetation and mosses, ferns, orchids, and all manner of other greenery growing on every rock, tree limb, or any other available surface.
As I’m typing this from my cabin at Milford Lodge, there’s a thousand foot waterfall coming down from one cliff face to the north, and I can see five more waterfalls from my window on the mountain to the south. I’m sure the Sound is impressive, and I’ll see it more fully tomorrow during a scuba trip, but the valleys and mountains around here definitely deserve accolades of their own.
Let’s see a picture of the scuba man!