Milford Sound

All up early today, by holiday standards - before 7 am! Breakfast eaten, lunches made, nearly all hats found and insect repellent packed, and on the road at 8.40 for Milford Sound - acclaimed as NZ's most famous tourist attraction.  Once on our way we realized that it was going to take more time than we thought for travelling so we couldn't stop for pictures on the way, which turned out to be a huge loss as it started raining mid-morning and continued all day, in all parts of our travels.  Anyways, arrived at Milford Sound with just enough time to walk the 10 minutes to the huge terminal servicing several water and air cruise companies and their vessels - quite a bustle and the distinct feeling of being a minority European in a sea of Asian faces.  Got the parents and boys safely aboard the boat for their cruise which they thoroughly enjoyed -  the rain makes the waterfalls all the more grand and they were under cover.  Nick and I wandered around the head of Milford until rain and cold forced us back to the car (we're not the hard core-photographers we'd like to think we are) - we played Angry Birds, ate lunch and had coffee in the car until it was time to return to the terminal to retrieve the happy travellers. The rain was terribly disappointing for photos but the scenery between the sounds and Homer Tunnel  (which has an interesting history - five men with picks and wheelbarrows started excavations during the Depression) was just incredible. Stopped at Mirror Lake on the way back but only Nick and Dad went to see - nothing but wetness being reflected there today.  It continued raining all the way home and for the rest if the day at Te Anau, and turned cold enough that Nick lit a fire.

This amused me - these tourists looked like cows standing in the field :)  Below - see the rainbow?

All aboard...and off into the mist they went.

Hairpin bends, steep roads, cliffs, waterfalls, greenery, towering trees and rain made up the journey home.