Fiordland National Park

Hello! I'm back online! The last few hotels we stayed in did not have strong enough internet to upload my photos (almost 900 photos by my last count) so I'm just now being able to update the blog.

The drive from Queenstown to Fiordland National Park took a little over three hours. Fiordland National Park is the largest national park in New Zealand covering 2.9 million acres. It is considered the "Walking Capital of the World" as it is the gateway to numerous walking and hiking trails. There are very few places to stay in Fiordland National Park other than camping sites, so we made Te Anau our home-base for the time we were there. Once we arrived to Fiordland National Park, there were several lookout points where we stopped to take photos.

Alex and I spent the afternoon hiking the Key Summit Track. This 4-mile trail takes you to the top of Key Summit and provides panoramic views of the Humboldt and Darran Mountains. There was a walking path around the summit which provided ample opportunities to enjoy the view.

Perhaps the worlds most scenic outhouse?!? (They call them "long-drops" here) — Perhaps the worlds most scenic outhouse?!? (They call them "long-drops" here)

Saturday, we headed out to explore Milford Sound - one of the most popular fiords in the National Park (it sees close to one million visitors annually!). It is the only fiord which is accessible by road, but to fully appreciate its beauty, it is necessary to book a boat cruise. We had booked our cruise in advance on one of the smaller boats and it was the perfect way to see the fiord. Milford Sound is technically not a sound but a fiord as it was carved out by ancient glacier ice, whereas a sound is formed when a river valley is flooded with the sea. Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on earth, so we really lucked out with sunny weather.

While cruising we even got to see several bottlenose dolphins! It was so exciting, and the guide mentioned there is a pod of around 30 dolphins living in the area and he only sees them about once or twice a month – I never know if guides just say you lucked out to make you feel good! Regardless, it was very special being able to watch them from the boat. It was a bit difficult to take pictures as they move so quickly!

We had originally booked another cruise to Doubtful Sound (also not a sound but a fiord!) on Monday, but non-stop heavy rain was predicted and we decided to see if we could change our booking to Sunday. Luckily, they had space available and we set out to visit Doubtful Sound early Sunday morning. On the drive to the harbor, we witnessed the most amazing sunrise. The clouds happened to lift for the briefest of moments and we quickly pulled over to snap some photos. The colors changed quickly from vibrant pink and purple to orange and yellow.

Getting to Doubtful Sound was a bit trickier and involved getting on a boat at Pearl Harbour in Manapouri, followed by a 40-minute drive over Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove (permanent population: 2!), and then hopping aboard another boat which began our cruise into Doubtful Sound. One of New Zealand's largest fiords, it is three times in length and ten times the area of Milford Sound. As it requires a bit more difficulty to visit, it is not nearly as popular as Milford Sound. The weather was not quite as nice as in Milford, but even still, the beauty of this area doesn't seem real. It is truly incredible how dramatic the scenery is and I feel like our pictures, as in Milford Sound, do not quite capture its true beauty.

We had a great time in Fiordland National Park and I can see why so many people visit this region each year. It is simply stunning and was described by author Rudyard Kipling as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". I know I won't soon forget our time here, but even if I do, we have about a million pictures to remind us! Alex and I only have a little over a week left in New Zealand and I cannot believe how quickly our time is coming to end. Where did the time go?!?!