Milford Sound gets about 5.5 meters of rain a year, but we lucked out and went on a sea kayaking expedition on one of the good days! We got up at 5:00 A.M. and drove for over two hours to get to Milford Sound from Te Anau, the nearest town. The drive was pretty level going along Lake Te Anau, but as we got closer to Milford it got higher and twistier until we eventually reached the Homer Tunnel. The tunnel has a gradient of 1 in 11 and was hand-hewn from 1935 to 1952 (the project provided relief to the unemployed after the Depression). It's a spectacular drive, but I'd hate to try it during the winter!
The kayaking trip was amazing. The early morning serenity of the fiord, the mountains rising straight up from the water...we felt awestruck and incredibly small in our little yellow kayaks. We even saw a New Zealand fur seal lounging on the rocks, although the photo of it didn't come out, and Tara's group saw a hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin. (Shameless plug alert: For those who are interested, we went with Rosco's Sea Kayaks. We recommend it!)
We were able to drive a bit more leisurely on our way back, so we stopped at several places to sightsee. The kea below is one of several that kept us silly humans entertained at one scenic spot. Far from being afraid of humans, they calmly walked among us; one even jumped on top of our car and started gnawing at the rubber and paint job. :) Cheeky little things, and pretty.
