This morning we woke up to pouring rain. We got dressed and went in to have breakfast. There was a frenzy of activity in the lodge because it turns out that the Milford road is closed this morning due to weather. Nobody is coming in via bus and nobody who slept here last night is getting out. Not a big deal for us, because we are here until Friday and it’s only Wednesday, but it does mean that our cruise at 10:30 is cancelled.
Turns out they were only running the 9 am cruises so we were able to rebook onto that one. The lodge was kind enough to shuttle us down so we don’t have to walk from the parking lot in the sheeting rain. We’re actually excited to be going out in inclement weather. It meant there were far fewer people on our boat (only 20 instead of 75), and we got to see Milford Sound in all of her moody glory, with clouds and hundreds of temporary waterfalls.
The Maori call the Fiordlands, Ata Whenua, which means Shadowlands. Today, Milford Sound showed us what that really means, with cliffs and mountains coming in and out of the shadows all day long. The fiord was misty and moody and left us awestruck. We braved the rains and the sea surge and the cold winds to see her at her most imposing and beautiful. We were very lucky to spend time here today, even though the weather was crap and we’re now trapped here for a bit. At the end of our trip, we were greeted on our way into the harbor by several bottlenose dolphins. It was an auspicious occasion as they haven’t been spotted here in Milford for at least several weeks. Definitely a day to remember!
By the time we returned to the lodge at noon, the lounge and dining room were packed full of people killing time until the next road update at 2 pm. We were lucky enough to manage to find a nice spot on the carpet where we could read, snack, and do a bit of writing. It has stormed all morning and afternoon and we’re waiting to find out what the news is on the road. It won’t affect us, as we’re here for 2 more nights, but it might mean we’ll have less craziness to deal with if these people can clear out.
To read more about us getting stranded in Milford, click here: Stranded in Milford Sound
To read more about us getting out of Milford, click here: Escaping Milford
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