We left Gunn’s Camp reluctantly the next morning and made a sudden decision to drive in to Milford Sound as it was such a great day. What a lucky decision! The drive in is absolutely awe-inspiring. The views of the mountains with their impossibly steep faces are so spectacular.



We stopped at The Chasm where a creek has carved out amazing holes and deep hollows in the huge rocks. It is well worth seeing. There was a quotation on a plaque which was very apt. “The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.” - David Henry Thoreau

Milford Sound looked incredibly beautiful that day; the water was like a mirror. We had an early lunch at the lodge then walked round the new walk along the shore opposite the wharf, a pretty path over a bridge then through beautiful bush to a view of Bowen Falls. The golden grasses along the water’s edge with the sparkling blue waters of the Sound behind made a beautiful sight.

With the drive back to Te Anau, our Hollyford Valley adventure had come to an end but the valley will be long remembered as a special place, remote, beautiful and unspoiled, a reminder of the way much of New Zealand used to be.