Milford Sound is somewhat smaller than Doubtful Sound, but it's much more popular. The road from Te Anau up to Milford sound is one of the most spectacular roads I've ever driven on -- some new completely different scenery awaits around every curve.

The first roadside attraction was "Mirror Lakes."

Every tour bus stopped there.

This is right side up.

Some high mountains along the road.

A stream that's the same shade of blue as the glacier we walked on a few days earlier.

"The Chasm".

Bowen Falls, at the top of the sound.

Milford Sound. The Milford Mariner has a bunch of decorative rigging and sails that can be unwrapped by a motor, but it's not possible to turn off the engines, so it's a little silly.

A nature guide on the boat pointed out the green copper intrusions on this cliff face.

A small island by the mouth of the sound.

The guide told us about the "tree avalanche cycle" in which at some point the trees get too heavy for their roots to keep them on the cliff. A whole strip of trees comes crashing down into the sound and starts all over with new growth.

Milford Sound also had a rock with sea lions sunning themselves.

This guy is working out how to get himself up onto the next rock.

There were not a whole lot of waterfalls going as it had been dry for ten days. Some natives apologized for the clear weather, because it kept us from seeing Fiordland at its best. I suppose we will have to go back.

The captain told us about how pilots use the lift from the wind hitting the cliff face to gain elevation when taking off.

Bowen Falls again as we arrive back.

More mountains on the trip back to Te Anau.

There's a tunnel with one-way traffic that reverses every 15 minutes or so.

Beneath this snowy wall is a little nature walk illustrating various alpine plants.

Hebes on an alpine trail.

A bunch of rebar by the tunnel entrance had been bent into crazy shapes.

Here are some rapids just off the road.

On to Dunedin to Blenheim