Awaking early, I almost forgot what I was doing today. In the dark of my warm hostel room, it would have been easy to go back to sleep until I remembered: kayaking! I was picked up in Te Anau at 7.30 am for the two hour drive to Milford Sound and our kayaking adventure.
Even the drive was beautiful. We went through part of Fiordland National Park, and the scenery was gorgeous. We saw waterfalls and lakes, and a giant facade of rock was a continual presence throughout our drive.
Finally, made it in to Milford Sound and suited up in thermal leggings, a thermal shirt, a wetsuit vest, a windbreaker, and a PFD (personal flotation device, aka life jacket). We were prepared for any weather.
They split our large group in to two sections of 8 people each with a guide, and I was thankfully placed in to the more experienced group. We spent several hours on the water and had lunch on a secluded little beach.
Highlights of the trip include 3 fur seals, lots of cormorants, some giant waterfalls, and more towering cliffs. The pictures will do it more justice.