Day 31 Milford Sound

Up early today..  Being picked up for the drive to Milford Sound. Weatherman has forecast rain today but so far it is clear and sunny but the driver tells us we will not know what the west coast will bring til we are over the mountain pass. We drive along Te Anau Lake for several Kms.. another beautiful lake in NZ.. Go Figure ! We have entered Fiordland National Park. We pass Mirror Lakes.. a photo spot since several small lakes reflect the image of the mountains but today the water is rippled so no pictures. We start to climb through the pass and come to the Homer Tunnel, a single laned 1.2 km long unlined tunnel. The walls are unlined granite. We stop to take the short walk into the Chasm.. powerful waterfalls and water sculpted rocks. Shortly after arriving in Milford we board a boat for a 2 hour cruise of Milford Sound. The weather although windy is still clear and we get nice views of the shear rock walls that fall directly into the water to a depth of 265 meters off Mitre Peak. Although it is known as Milford Sound it is really a fiord. We are entertained by a group of Fur Seals.It is raining now but we have had a nice tour.  On the drive back to Te Anau the driver takes us down a gravel road to the only privately owned piece of land in Fiordland National Park and boils water for tea and breaks out the sweets. An unexpected treat !! You can tell from the photos that this is an interesting place. Chris the driver also takes us down to the harbour where lots of Lobster boats are tied up..  this area is rich with lobster, and they fetch about $100-$150 a kilogram. Not bad for a lobster without claws.. I guess we should not complain about $6 a lb.