Milford Sound Surroundings

 The following pictures are those of the surrounding areas of Milford Sound. There is so much that a person could do there, that a few days was hardly enough. However, I reckon we did the best we could do and we saw a lot! Gertrude's Saddle and Key Summit were our longer hikes for the area and most definitely worth it. 

The hike up Gertrude's Saddle. It's hard to tell in here but the hike was quite steep and apparently if the weather is rainy, it's a bit sketch to hike up because the trails almost turn into rivers. This is why this hike is not advertised to tourists. We were so small in the magnitude of the mountains.

The waterfall coming down out of Black Lake. 

Black Lake from above. These guys were throwing rocks to see if they could get them in the lake, but to no avail.

Ahh! What we did the hike for. This is Gertrude's Saddle. The view you see is looking down towards Milford Sound, which you can see in the distance, further on to the Tasman Sea.

At the top of Gertrude's Saddle and we couldn't be happier. It was amazing and the weather was a rarity! Thanks for the pic Holly.

Loving the mountains :)

And if you look close....you'll see some cool stuff. I am not sure what this is....perhaps a type of fungi.

Mountaineering is nothing for Holly! She has it with the cable or not! :) Do you think she's scared?

A Kea, the only mountain parrot! They are cool birds :)

With the fog, the colors underneath almost look more vibrant. These red rocks are so neat!

What do you think? Love the crystal clear water? Then make NZ your next destination and there will be no lack of it.

The next day we took a hike up to Key Summit.....it was foggy out and we hadn't done research to check out what the hike was all about. We just trusted the recommendation and headed for it. Well because it was foggy, we were paying attention to the ground beneath us because that's all we could see. Here are some mountain orchids. They are so tiny!

Yes, I was being the tour guide! Reading the pamphlet as we went along :)

Even the moss is colorful in New Zealand....Not just green.

Lo and behold!!! The fog started lifting and we were actually surrounded by mountain peaks. What a pleasant surprise :) Loved it.

The fog came and went for awhile before it finally lifted. But isn't this still a marvelous view?

Holly is soaking it in! 

Wow!!

Neat, right?!

Holly utilized the panorama function on her phone and I'd say it takes pretty good photos! Here she is at the top of Key Summit with the fog partially lifted.

Another pano. You can get a better idea of the whole picture! :) It's so beautiful in New Zealand!

Road tripping it back towards Te Anua. We stopped at some of the key stops.....this is at Mirror Lakes. At morning and dusk the reflections are spectacular I hear. We were there late afternoon.

See the reflection?

The water is so clear!

You'll find lakes everywhere. Here is one with again another farm right up to the edge of it!