These are not careless adjectives that we are throwing around for dramatization sake....this was the scariest road we've ever been on. Remember what the guidebooks said about "not recommended for campervans"? Well, it turns out they knew what they were talking about. Fortunately, at that time of morning, we didn't encounter any other cars on the road, saving us one less hazard to worry about. We arrived safely, but frazzled, to Milford Sound for our early morning kayak trip through the Sound. Except for being attacked by squadrons of sand flies, the kayak trip was terrific.
We saw a rare fjordland penguin, a NZ fur seal and a wicka (native bird). Mitre Peak (5560-ft) peaked through the clouds a few times.
On the last part of the kayak, we encountered meter-high swells and fierce winds on the crossing of the sound. We actually had to paddle earnestly. Then we turned and with the wind then at our backs, we surfed back to Deep Water Bay where we started. We had great companions from Denmark, Scotland, Ireland/Bermuda.
Afterward, we toured around Milford Sound ourselves (took 20min), then drove back to Te Anau. On the way back, we encountered many Kea, the only Alpine Parrot in the world....or they virtually accosted us, is more accurate.
They are fantastic to watch, very curious and not at all shy of humans. We visited The Chasm, which is exactly how it sounds, a deep, narrow gorge with a raging river running through it that drops seemingly to the center of the earth.
Driving back we stopped at many a turnout, viewpoint and small tramp ("tramp" in Kiwi means walk or hike), including Lake Marian and the Mirror Lakes.
Te Anau greeted us much differently this time, with calm breezes, blue sky and a very welcoming attitude. We overnighted in a campspace with lake views and free showers! But we missed taking a picture of the sign declaring the 45 degree South Latitude.
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