Which Way South Island (Leg 2 – Queenstown to Bluff )

Running of The Wools Queenstown

We were sad to leave Queenstown before the ‘Running of the Wools’ over the Waitangi Holiday Weekend,…

New Zealand - January 2015 - Latitude 45 S_Copy

….but with so many other places to visit,  we were off to Milford with a one night stop over in Lake Te Anau.

Drive To Milford Near Monkey Creek
Drive To Milford Near Monkey Creek

The drive to Milford offers truly spectacular views, but the 360 days of rain, combined with my nascent photography skills, resulted in less than optimum images.

Just Outside Homer Tunnel
Just Outside Homer Tunnel
Kea Close Up
Kea Close Up

(The predominance of photos that did turn out seemed suitable for Cee’s Which Way, so I submit them here for that challenge.)

New Zealand - January 2015 - Walkwire (1)_Copy
Fiordland Walkwire Viewed From The Path

Along our way, we had our first go on a New Zealand ‘Walkwire’ on the Earl Mountain Track. Very cool.

New Zealand - January 2015 - Captain On The Walkwire

Once inside Milford Sound, we took a walk on the Foreshore Track which must be amazing to see without cloud cover.

Along The Foreshore Walkway
Along The Foreshore Track

In the evening, we opted to camp at The Milford Sound Lodge rather than the DOC campsites outside of the Homer Tunnel given its proximity to The Sound and the plethora of indoor offerings (Showers, WiFi, Lounge Area, Cafe) to make camping more pleasant during the frequent, heavy rains.  Totally worth it.

Overcast Milford Sound
Overcast Milford Sound

After a rain-filled night spent comfortably inside our cozy Honda Odyssey, we checked the forecasts which predicted more rain, so we decided to head to Bluff via Invercargill, visiting The Chasm on the way out of town.

Chasm (Bridge View)
The Chasm (Bridge View)

(Early morning before the swarm of tourist buses show up is the best time to visit The Chasm.)

Chasm  Back View
Chasm Back View

Upon our arrival in Bluff, we decided to stay long enough to take a few photographs…

Along Way From Home
Along Way From Home

…and then continued on.

Bluff Lighthouses
Bluff Lighthouses

Next up…. The South Coast to Dunedin

22 comments Which Way South Island (Leg 2 – Queenstown to Bluff )

nowathome says:

I want to go to the South island on my next trip to NZ

I hope you are able to travel here soon Aletta – both to see the beautiful South Island and to see your son and his family :-). There are lots of adventure activities here that I know you will love.

yprior1 says:

wow – thus is a must visit place – two favs – the close up of Kea – and the yellow Bluff sign – crazy and fun to see the distance to all this enlaces… 🙂

Agree that this is a must visit place Yvette! Glad that you liked the pics!

Spectacular, I really need to get out more 😉

Thank you Terri! I hope to see more travel in your future. Have loved your photos of Hawaii.

Totally amazing photos here. 🙂

Thank you Cee! I seem to have the Which Way Challenge on my mind a lot these days 🙂

Jenny says:

As always, you’re photography is gorgeous! Since we missed a South Island visit, I’m living it through you. Looking forward to the continuing journey!

Thank you for your lovely compliment Jenny 🙂 The influence of your blog is actually part of my upcoming post ‘Bluff to Dunedin’ :-). Writing it now.

Your photography..everything about this blog is absolutely beautiful.

Well thank you so much! You’ve certainly made my day

Todd B. says:

Don’t sell your photography short…you’re catching many less than obvious shots really well. The close up of Kea is amazing. What great detail becomes clear!

You are wonderful to say so Todd! You absolutely made my day with your lovely compliment. Thank you, thank you, thank you :-).

Steve K says:

Just coat up with your travels. Looks like you are having a great time. photos are great. We are enjoying the FL weather . Have make upgrade to the condo and are enjoying the runabout.

Great to hear from you Steve! Certainly envy your Florida weather. Today in Christchurch it is 55 degrees….ah summer in New Zealand. Still, it is beautiful! Thanks for much for the compliments on the photos. Would love to see some of yours from Florida. Hope we have the opportunity to create some travel photography together in 2015 🙂

Great photos despite the weather Lisa! We went to Milford Sound on a day trip a few years back when we were staying in Queenstown and it was a memorable day out (though unfortunately I got very sea sick on the boat which went out to sea!). I remember dolphins swimming alongside the boat and the seals relaxing on the rocks. We went by coach so stopped in Te Anau for a refresher – the scenery all the way to the Sound is spectacular words don’t do it justice!

You are lovely to say so Rosemary! I would have loved to have seen Milford Sound on a sunny day. Your boat trip of the area (excluding the sea sickness) sounds like it was lovely. We considered the boat trip but opted out because of the rain. Would love to see your pictures of Te Anau and Milford Sound. Love the picture of Queenstown on your blog.

Still dreaming about Milford Sound, even in the mist 🙂

I feel lucky to have visited such a beautiful place, even without the sun 🙂

Really beautiful places. And for a nascent photographer, as you named yourself, you rock! I loved the Overcast Milford Sound reflections the most.

You are absolutely lovely to say that I rock Lucile! I am lucky to have traveled in such a beautiful place!

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