Sun in Fjordland?!

I left Queenstown after my last blog post in the direction of Haast Pass.
This is one of the three passes that cross the Southern Alps in New Zealand and it is the southernmost of them.
I had set my mind on going up to Brewster Hut and climbing Mt. Armstrong the following day, as I had heard only good things about it.
I arrived at the carpark rather late and I started the trail around 2 pm.
It started out with a river crossing, which was unpleasantly cold before the trail started a steep climb in the forest.
So in the end, it was already getting dark, when I got to the hut. Luckily there was still a bunk left.

The next day, I woke up early as I wanted to climb Mt. Armstrong before I started the descent back to my car.
After a two hour climb, I finally arrived at the top with an American traveler I met at Brewster Hut the night before.
The views were absolutely gorgeous and made the early start definitely worthwhile.

In the end, we spent nearly 2 hours at the top.
On our way back down, we took a different route, where we could see a small glacial lake on the bottom of Brewster Glacier.

After a strenuous downclimb I had to cross the river again, although it was a welcome relief for my muscles this time.
Afterward, I drove to Haast and enjoyed some nice West Coast rain.
I didn’t last long there and quickly decided to visit Fiordland and Milford Sound.
After making my laundry in Queenstown, I drove to Te Anau, where I waited for a weather window to arrive.
So this weekend, I finally booked my kayaking tour in Milford Sound, before I started the 2-hour drive from Te Anau.
After a rainy night, I woke up to strong winds and nearly freezing rain, which kind of destroyed my hopes for a good day in Milford Sound.
But after I drove through the Homer Tunnel, I could already see some blue spots in the sky and once we got onto the water, the rain had stopped.

Sadly the wind didn’t go away, but it got stronger. So by noon, the guide decided to go back to land and take an afternoon cruise instead.
Since it was rather cold, the surrounding mountains had a light dusting on top, we all gladly agreed.

So we set off in a motorized boat and it was so much better than kayaking.
The cruise first went out on one side of the sound and after a short while, we arrived at the first waterfall.
Together with the wind and the sun, it made for a beautiful view.

Once we reached the Tasman Sea, the look back into the sound was incredible.
I was glad we had a motor and didn’t have to rely on the wind.

After we got back into the harbor, I drove back to my campsite.
Once I reached Homer Tunnel, I was awed at the view back into Milford Sound, as the clouds had already moved in.

The next morning, after I scraped my car free of ice, I set out to climb up to Gertrude Saddle.
It is probably the most demanding and dangerous day hike in Fiordland, but the views are so worth it.
After an hour I arrived at the first steel cable to guide me up the slopes and I was so glad it was there, as the rock slabs were still slippery with ice.

Once I got to the top though, the views were really incredible.
I could see all the way to Milford Sound in one direction and had an impressive mountain face in the other one.

After I had some lunch at the top, I started the descent, as my campsite for the night was still pretty far away.
On the road back I also stopped at Mirror Lakes, as it had rained, when I came by there previously.

So now I am back in Te Anau and sitting over a map, while deciding on a route for the next couple of weeks.
I will definitely keep you up informed.
Until then,

Cheers!