With our adventure appetite satiated, we headed south toward Te Anau (tee ah-now) for a few days in Fiordland. Our accommodation would be at Dusky Ridges, a beautiful B&B set on 1,000+ acre farm and the first place we booked for our honeymoon. The hosts, Win and Henrik, are the most darling couple. Win is a fifth-generation NZ farmer, and wasted no time introducing us to her flock of sheep, deer, goats, and alpaca, and sharing details about farming practices. We received a warm (noisy) greeting, and Blair formed an instant bond with baby goat Elsa.
We'd reserved The Chalet, a guest house with a private entrance and views of rolling mountains and pasture. Inside, we were delighted to find a host of homemade goodies and personal touches, including a fresh-baked loaf of brown seeded bread, a slice of homemade carrot cake, and a bottle of local Pinot Noir to celebrate our marriage.
We headed out early the next morning to catch a 7:45am small group tour to Milford Sound, which Rudyard Kipling dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World". The sound (er, fjord) did not disappoint, nor did the trip to get there. Katie's camera was busy as we drove toward, around, and through towering mountains in our path. New Zealand's scenery is truly influenced by the ice age, as there are numerous U-shaped valleys (or glacial troughs) with steep, straight sides and flat bottoms formed by glacial movement. They are awe-inspiring and so beautiful.
After a number of stops to take in the scenery and stretch legs (including one for morning tea and freshly baked scones!), we reached Milford Sound and boarded our cruise ship. No photo will do these views justice, but we certainly tried our best. Blair marked up a photo to show scale, which is the only way we can describe how MASSIVE these crags were!
The weather was absolutely perfect with crystal blue skies, and we had an incredible day.
And in closing, a fun fact courtesy of Mr. B. Lapointe: Our drive to Te Anau took us to the southernmost point that either of us has visited, at (-45.6702972,168.2397825). Dome Cafe, you make a delicious flat white and now hold a special place in our hearts.