Kayaking Milford Sound

Part two of dad's Xmas gift was kayaking in Milford Sound!

Our kayak trip started in the morning at 9am when our guide met us in the lobby of the hostel at Milford Sound we were staying at. We kayaked half the fiord (Milford Sound is incorrectly named a Sound, which are carved by rivers. It was actually carved by a glacier, making it a fiord.) before lunch, going right up to the base of insanely tall waterfalls and saw seals lounging on the rocks.

 

After our full morning of kayaking (I didn't bring the camera, sorry!) we did a shorter afternoon trip where you kayak to the end of the Milford Track, which is known as the most beautiful walk in the world. We got to hike on the trail for a few hours. If we had wanted to walk the whole thing we would have had to book months in advance and pay pay $50/night for the huts, no camping allowed.

Also this trip rocked because our friends with the campervan (see last post) did it too! They are quite the jokesters and it was fun to hike with them. Our guide on the right was originally from Michigan.



This is what a lot of New Zealand hikes look like through the native bush. So green!

What is this tree called? I forget.

The last part of our trip was especially exciting because it started POURING rain right as we started kayaking back to the harbor. Luckily we had raingear and drybags but even still I was freezing. But in a little while we were nice and warm, and it was quite exhilerating to feel the power of the rain out on the water.