The road to Milford Sound was treacherous. It had just been cleared of the snow which blocked the road and kept me in Glenorchy those extra two nights. The mountains were so steep, so snow-covered that the entire area was an avalanche risk and cars were forbidden to stop.
I snapped a single pic waiting at a signal for the tunnel under the mountain to clear of outbound traffic. (See that tiny black oval at the end of the road? That’s the single lane tunnel under that giant fucking mountain.)
Milford Sound was an eerie clash of alpine and tropical. 
The foliage looked downright Hawaiian, yet the mountains were dusted with snow.
I had miscalculated how long the drive all the way from Glenorchy would take. The day’s last sightseeing boats out into the Sound had already left. 
The Sound itself was calm and quiet. 
I found this giant block of sacred greenstone (“pounamu” in Maori) in the sightseeing boat terminal.
In fact the Maori name for the South Island is “Te Wai Pounamu” which means “Island of the Greenstone Water.”
I started worrying about getting snowed in, so I hurried back. All the way to Queenstown.