Milford Rd reopens for tourists
TE ANAU: Dozens of tourist coaches were allowed to travel the Te AnauMilford Highway yesterday for the first time since a storm closed the road at the start of February.
The only road into Milford Sound was extensively damaged when more than a metre of rain fell in less than three days at the beginning of the month.
While essential vehicles such as fuel tankers and food trucks gained access last weekend, businesses and tourists alike have been in limbo.
Tourists started arriving for their coach tours before sunrise in Te Anau yesterday.
Alan Banks and his wife were relieved to finally go to Milford Sound.
‘‘We were here 20 years ago and there was a slip then and they’d closed the road, so we did Doubtful Sound that time.
‘‘We were really looking forward to doing Milford Sound this time and then we heard there’s been the big storm and the roads had washed out we though ‘aw, we’re going to be very lucky to get in there’,’’ Mr Banks said. Southern Discoveries coach driver Reece Hay has been driving Milford Rd for the past 25 years, but he said he has never seen it in such a state.
‘‘One area in particular . . . you’re right beside the river where you’d never see the river before.
‘‘It’s taken all the trees out, everything like that.
‘‘There’s washouts under roads. There’s a lot of gravel sections where they’re repairing the roads,’’ Mr Hay said.
‘‘It’s a different road.’’
The start of the convoy is about an hour’s drive out of Te Anau.
But after weeks of hard roadworks and long hours, Milford Road Alliance manager Kevin Thompson watched 40 coaches snake through the forest towards Milford Sound on time.
‘‘It’s good news and I’m really pleased for the people on board. They’re on their way to Milford and that’s No 1.’’
The bus convoys are expected to run again today.