Milford road and Mutton

Views of Milford sound from the water.

Mitre Peak

So the Road to Milford sound is as fantastic as the sound itself, which is actually a fiord. But the road is still a road and not a highway or street. Along the route from Te Anau are multiple places to stop for extraordinary views and Flora and Fauna

At Gunn Lake walk you will find the most amazing lush green forest that you will ever see. The chlorophyll is overwhelming. It is like wlaking with an oxygen mask. The fabulous Beech trees covered in moss were the inspiration and models for the ENTs in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  Their trunks do indeed resemble giant mammalian pachyderm type feet and they tower above the forest quite magnificently.

On the way in it was raining and we saw literally hundreds of waterfalls that cascaded hundred of meters down the sheer cliffs along the road. Once we were on the water of Milford the waterfalls were even more stunning, Though Milford lacks the wildlife seen at Doubtful sound, It has a slightly more spectacular geology and that make the walls of the valleys steeper and the waterfalls more spectacular.

Though not to be outdone by the Tolkienesque surroundings and Ent inspirations, The Baxters put on an ANZAC day feast in Wellington worthy of any Hobbit Elevenish meal. And though there were no Dwarfs to eat the hosts out of house and home, the guests did a remarkably good job on the cases of wine , beer and the roast mutton. A feast that only the Baxters could host this side of fantasy literature.