Milford Sound Highway

By Jen.
Despite the snow when we crossed through the tunnel the day before, the next morning was clear and fine, so we decided that our first stop along Milford Sound Highway would be Key Summit.

Fresh dusting of snow.

I think this is a grey warbler.

Lake Marian lies in between those two mountains.

Then, we hopped over to walk up to Lake Marian.

On the way back down, we spotted a whio (blue duck) hunting its lunch in the river! These ducks are unique in that they prefer white water. They won’t hardly touch calm water. It sure was interesting watching it maneuver through the rapids.

The next morning was also fine, so we decided to try Gertrude Saddle, a long hike up a steep pass that they decided would be easier to build a tunnel through than a road over. The entire hike was quite stunning, even though it was quite the punishing walk (steep climbs, bouldering, scrambling). Definitely my favorite walk so far.

The view from the top includes a peak into Milford Sound.

So, in the 3 days following my shoe purchase, we put them through a trial of fire, er, I mean, water, rock, and mud. I spent all 3 days in those shoes, and overall I don’t have much to complain about. They handled the water and mud fine, I had decent traction, and I didn’t get any blisters. However, not sure if it is the shoe’s fault or just too much walking, but the second day onward had my right Achilles tendon in pain. Any pressure on it resulted in pain. It is slowly getting better now, though, I think.



For the last day, we made a few visits along the road in that we didn’t get to do previously.

A visit to Mirror Lakes, but a duck kept them from being perfect mirrors.

New Zealand’s one “true” duck species, a scaup.

Overall, I would highly recommend Milford Road. What makes it great is that it is nearly pristine wilderness. The lookouts survey the glaciated mountains, valleys, and forests of the Fiordlands National Park, without sight of human touch, other than an occasional glimpse of the road. And, it goes on for miles. That is pretty rare in NZ. Normally you have to hike for a day or two to get that kind of view, if it is possible at all.