Heavy Snow Strands Tourists

From my last report there were threats of closing the only road to Milford Sound. Well, they did and me and about 35 other travelers were stranded in Milford Sound for 5 days. I knew going into the situation that we might get stuck there, but I never thought it would be for that long. There is only one place to stay there, The Milford Sound Lodge, and we did the best we could with the situation. The employees and management were very nice to us. After the first 2 nights they gave us free dinner. The next day there was free espresso, tea, or hot chocolate. The real problem was trying to avoid cabin fever because it was raining, sometimes so hard it looked like hail, every day except the last day which was wonderfully and thankfully cloudless blue skies.

Each day they would post a sign about the road conditions and it was usually updates at 7:30 AM and then again at 2:30 PM. Each time for 5 days we got the same thing, "Sorry the road is still closed." Some people were getting obviously nervous, but honestly I was rather enjoying the solitude. I made some great, what I feel will be, long term friends and drank a lot of beer. Because, well, there wasn't much else to do after I did my Pilates, meditated, read, wrote in my journal, and played clue for the one-millionth time. We all got really good at that game.

On the last day we again got the news in the morning that the road might be open later, but we won't know more until 3:30. So they took us to the start of the Milford Track, which is only accessable to start by boat and is supposedly one of the top 3 walks in the world, for free. There is normaly a twenty dollar fee per person just for the boat ride. It truly was a wonderful walk.

When we got back to the boat we found out that the road would be open at 4 PM for those who have tire chains, I have chains, who want to leave or go in, and then it would be closed again. I left. I helped out my fellow travelers Tom and Claire, who became very good friends over the duration and they were VERY thankful to be leaving Milford Sould too.

At the gate they made us put on chains even though the road ahead was obviously clear, but wet. I was a bit mystified by this, but I'm just a guy in a rental car, and we really didn't need the chains until about 1 mile before this long tunnel and about a mile after. They had plowed just enough of the avalanche on either side of the tunnel just enough for the width of a camper to get through. But you could obviously see the remnants of avalanches all around the area. The local paper even did a story about us all being stranded at Milford Sound http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/southlandtimes/0,2106,3732301a6011,00.html

A story to tell for the rest of my life and over all a good experience.

Taken from the Bluff Lookout.

At Bluff, a place really, really, really far south.