Farewell to a National Hero

Sir Edmund Hillary died today. New Zealand is in national mourning for the first man to reach the top of Mt. Everest.
July 20, 1919-January 11, 2008

To find out more information visit: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/edmund-hillary

Saying Goodbye

It was poring down rain as we left Milford Sound, but by the time we got to Te Anau, it was beautiful weather all the way back to Queenstown. We spent our last three days here, doing a little shopping, suntanning and eating. We even found a Mexican restaurant that I had to try. Mexican food is what I miss the most about the States (besides family and friends of course!)

On Saturday, Amy and I went Jetboating on the Shotover River. These jetboats skim over the water at extremely high rates of speed doing 360 degree spins. They can even run in water as shallow as 4 inches! We sped through the Shotover Canyon, narrowly missing the canyon walls. Amy and I managed to get into a boat full of Americans, from LA no less, who were so obnoxious that it made us cringe to be from the same country.

We made a lunch of pesto sandwiches to eat by Wakatipu Lake before heading to the Skyline Gondola for some fantastic views. At the top we saw a Maori performance called the Kiwi Haka. I have to say I was a little disappointed with the show. But I have since learned that there is less Maori influence in the South Island. Most of the Maori were wiped out by Europeans or other Maori tribes. There are very few Maori that live in the South Island.

On Sunday, it was time to say goodbye. We returned out Apex rental car at the airport. Can't say that I was sorry to see it go. But at least with all the off roading and river fording we did, I was pleased we didn't have to pay extra for any additional scratches or dents in the car.

It was sad saying goodbye to Amy. I boarded a plane for Napier, and Amy, a plane to Loma Linda, via Hawaii (lucky girl!) Our Kiwi Christmas holiday is now over, but between us we have over 1000 pictures of our time together.

Mystical Milford Sound

Amy and I were lucky to see two distinct sides of Milford Sound. We saw it on a day with tranquil water, small trickling waterfalls and clear blue skies. However, after a night of heavy rainfall, we woke up to a transformed Milford Sound. Thousands of waterfalls now fell from the cliffs, some of them not even reaching the water below because of the high winds that blew the falls back into the air. Mist clung to the granite face of the cliffs, making it look mysterious and mystical. It was truly awe-inspiring.
As we were heading back to land, a pair of dolphins followed the Milford Wanderer back into the harbor, staying with the boat for about half an hour. According to our guide, they were "hitching a ride." They ride the wake of the boat, helping them cover more distance in a shorter amount of time.
To top off our Milford Sound experience, we were dropped off at the underwater observatory to see rare black coral and glimpses of deep sea life.

Milford Sound

We boarded the Milford Wanderer, a 61 passenger boat, for our overnight cruise in the Milford Sound (known as Piopiotahi in Maori). After a 30 minute safety talk we found our bunk beds and returned to the main cabin for a snack of soup and bread rolls before starting our outdoor activities. Amy and I opted for a speedboat outing with the guides telling us humorous narratives of early explorers and Maori expeditions. The Milford Sound was incorrectly named-it's actually a fiord. A fiord is formed by a glacier, while a sound is formed by a river. The name stuck and it's never been changed. Milford Sound is one of the wettest places in the world, receiving an average annual rainfall of 6 1/2 meters! Because it rains so much, there is a layer of fresh water sitting on top of the ocean. This tannin-stained freshwater filters out more sunlight than the salt water does, allowing species that usually live deep in the ocean to be found in relatively shallow water. Wow! I learned a lot from that little speedboat expedition!

After our speedboat learning session, the passengers assembled in the dining room for our scrumptious dinner of lamb shanks, veggies and mashed potatoes, with chocolate cake and self saucing pudding. Not sure what the "self-saucing" pudding was, but it was tasty. We ended up sitting with our bunkmates, a middle-aged English couple touring New Zealand on motorcycles, and a family from Australia. Initially, I thought our bunkmates were a decidedly unfriendly pair; however, I was soon able to see past the horrendous state of their teeth and find their English dry humour quite funny. We spent the evening with the Aussie family and some Japanese tourists, playing card games and comparing our holiday schedule.

Before actually seeing the Milford Sound, I imagined it would be scenic and picturesque, however, I wasn't prepared for how spectacular it really was. None of my pictures are able to capture how magnificent it all looked. Sheer rock cliffs rose out of the water, making the Milford Wanderer seem insignificant in comparison.

Drive to Milford Sound

We woke up early to start our presumed 4 hour drive to Milford Sound, however, as we were driving out of Te Anau, a road sign stated 2 hours to Milford. Apparently neither of us can read distances on maps. Don't know how we figured out it took 4 hours, but we actually needed the extra time for all the picture stops we made along the way. It's a spectacular drive through farmlands that eventually give way to flats and meadows filled with flowers. There are patches of forests where we stopped to see Mirror Lakes and Lake Gunn (called O Tapara by ancient Maori who stopped here on their way to find greenstone). This scenery changed drastically by the time we reached the Divide which is the lowest east-west pass in the Southern Alps. Huge cliffs rise up on all sides with the occasional waterfall trickling down. We drove through the Homer Tunnel and emerged into the Cleddau Canyon on the other side. A 10 minute walk through the forest brought us to The Chasm, which is several boulders that have been eroded into a deep chasm causing cascading waterfalls and rock formations.

Despite needing all the extra time for sightseeing, we still managed to get to Milford Sound a good three hours before we were scheduled to depart on our overnight cruise. We ate an overpriced lunch at the Milford Cafe, and then decided a good nap is what we needed. We ended up sleeping for an hour in the car and were the last ones to board the boat!

Barnyard Backpackers

January 1, 2008! We started the new year off by packing up our tent and driving the two hours to the town of Te Anau. This beautiful little town is used mainly as a base for travelling to the Milford Sound. Our backpacker turned out to be a deer farm about 9 km out of town. We weren't sure what to expect from this Barnyard Backpacker, but the log cabins and fantastic valley views turned out to be a pleasant surprise. We took advantage of a few free hours to do some much needed laundry. We were both out of clean knickers and t-shirts.

That night we took a half hour cruise on Lake Te Ana-au to the glow-worm caves, accessible only by boat. The 200 meter glow-worm grotto was a magnificent display of millions of tiny lights hanging from the ceiling of the cave. We floated along in little boats in the darkness. A few times I had to remind myself to keep my mouth shut as I gazed upward-didn't want any of the worms accidentally dropping in!