Our day began at 8:00 am as I rolled out of bed and packed my bag for the trip. Since we were staying in a hostel we had 4 other roommates, so I made sure to make as little noise as possible as I filled my bag with food and clothes. Eoin and I loaded our stuff into the car and after taking a brief break to defrost the windows were on our way.
Milford sound is one of the most visited locations in all of New Zealand and is well renowned for its spectacular views, which makes it an extremely popular tourist destination. Milford was created by glacial activity and has a unique look because of its sheer cliffs and its connection to the ocean. Since we are only here during New Zealand's winter months we're lucky enough to miss a majority of the tourist crowd and get to experience it with little distraction. The drive itself takes approximately 4 hours with added time for gas and food, and of course along the way we both had to stop to feast on some delicious meat pies. During the entire drive you are immersed in the scenery, as you drive through these incredible areas. As you near the Fiordland National Park you are surrounded by these magnificent mountains that seem to stretch on forever. The pictures can't seem to capture the sheer enormity of these magnificent mountains and you can't help but park your car and stare at them. Even when you're inside the national park the road is still considerably long and the drive takes much longer than you would expect. At first you are driving through dense forest that considerably restricts your ability to see the surrounding area, but as you near the Milford tunnel you burst out of the forest into this incredible valley. The mountains tower over you and you can see the tiny tunnel entrance at the base of the mountain. From there it took us another 20 minutes to reach Milford, and we could not hide our excitement as we finally reached the parking lot. We were blessed with a great day to see the sound since the skies were relatively clear and even though the sun wasn't out there wasn't any fog around to obstruct our view. We pulled into the parking lot and we were one of very few visitors, so we decided to set up and eat our lunch. As we sat in the car and ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we couldn't help but marvel at the incredible view.
We decided not to stay long at the base of the Fiord since the next day we had booked a kayaking trip that would take us into it. Our next destination for the day was Lake Marian which is a fairly short track extremely close to Milford and from what we'd heard the views were magnificent. As we pulled into the parking lot it was only a couple hours from night time so we were pressed for time. The track was only estimated to take 3 hours for the return journey and we were confident that with our fitness level we would be able to do it in 2. We began our way up the path and while it was tough going, it was still very manageable in comparison to other hikes we've done. The track itself followed Marian "creek" up to the lake, and snaked its way up the mountain through dense forest. The track begins with a well groomed trail and is easy going, but as you go further the trail is less uniform and increases in difficulty. We were able to make it to the top of the track in just under an hour, and the track abruptly goes from forest to an open expanse. Walking out into the clearing I was in awe at how beautiful the lake and surrounding area was. The lake was a stunning color and was perfectly clear, while the surrounding mountains towered above me and enclosed the whole area. The next thing we noticed was the silence that enveloped the area, and this silence offered a feeling of serenity and made the lake that much cooler. My pictures do not do this place justice and I recommend you experience this place firsthand.
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