With an early departure from Invercargil we woke up in plenty of time so we could get near the front of the bus to make the journey more pleasant. On route we visited; Lake Manapouri, Te Anau, drove through Eglington river valley, Mirror lakes, Lake Gunn and Falls creek which I am sure on a bright day would have all had beautiful views.

The highlight of our bottom bus and the Southland had to be spectacular Milford Sound, a spectacular journey that includes a trip through the scenic Southern Alps, across lowland pastures and alpine fields to arrive at the Milford Sound. Once at the sound, we had a 90 minute boat tour which cruised and explored the dramatic scenery of this glacial fjord with its sheer rock faces and cascading waterfalls. You could say we were lucky with the weather, it poured down with rain the entire day which meant that the waterfalls were full flowing.

However, the day was so long with 10 hours on the bus it meant that the day wasn't as magical as it was made out to be. If I had the opportunity to do the trip again I would definitely try to stay over for a night or two to break up the travelling time.