Stopping along the Te Anau-Milford Highway

The road leading to Milford Sound was described to us back when we stayed in Kingston: You go through some farmlands on the way to Te Anau, and then after that you’re pretty much looking straight up in wonder the rest of the way. Your neck will get sore.

We didn’t have a lot of extra time on the way to Milford Sound (we had to make sure we didn’t miss our boat departure), but on the way back towards Te Anau we had an open-ended schedule, so we were able to make quite a few stops to check out the scenery. Here’s some commentary about the sights we passed, followed by some supporting photos :)

The Chasm – an incredible section of river through DEEPLY carved rock. We had a vantage point from a footbridge just over the river, watching it pound through a narrow channel filled with bowls and holes of eroded rock, seeing it roar down to 20-30 feet below us. My dad judged it a bit too tight for kayaking.

The Homer Tunnel – the tunnel that made it possible to access Milford Sound by land. Its construction was started in the 30’s, but it wasn’t opened until the 50’s. The tunnel is about 3/4 of a mile through the mountain and is one-way traffic only, so you may have to wait 10 minutes at a traffic light until the cars coming your way have made it through.

Monkey Creek – lovely little creek (possibly in the Valley of the Disappearing Peaks?) surrounded by flowers and alpine views.

We didn’t have a chance to do the hike to Lake Marian, which is supposed to be very beautifully set among the mountains, but we’d love to get there someday!

Pops View – a lookout to the Hollyford Valley and the mountain ridge we crossed on the Routeburn Track.

Upper Eglinton Valley – still loving the lupins. We were able to restrain ourselves this time and limit our photos, but my mom needed to get her initial fill :) I think she’ll have some pretty nice shots.

Mackay Creek – just a quick little drive by to see more lupins by a creek.

45 degrees South – we’re on the opposite latitude from northern Michigan near Northport Point! (where several generations of my dad’s family have spent their summers)

Mirror Lakes – though we had a beautiful sunny day and were hopeful about the reflections, a bit of wind kept the lakes from living up to their name. We still got great mountain views and had fun watching the scaups, NZ’s only diving duck, including some scauplings.