We spend a day in Milford Sound hiking and taking a cruise.  Because of the rains and warming temperatures, the road to Milford Sound has been closed off and on due to avalanche danger – usually in the later afternoon and reopening in the morning.  There was a line up of cars in the morning waiting for the road to open – it turned out to be a beautiful day.

We first took a boat to Sandfly Island and hiked the ending portion of the Milford Track – a multi-day hike that starts near Te Anau.  As the name implies there are sandflies.  New Zealand doesn’t have mosquitoes but they have sandflies – small insects that bite and suck your blood. Unlike mosquitoes you’re not suppose to smack them but pick or brush them off, otherwise it can cause your skin to have an allergic reaction.

After the hike we took one of the popular cruises (meaning boatloads of tourists) around the spectacular fjord.