New Zealand Part 5

Saturday January 20th

Anniversary Part 2…. Off to Milford Sound.

We woke up to yet another gray day, and were wondering whether it was worth the 4.0 hour trip to the Milford Sound area, but decided that since it is one of the wettest places in the country it probably didn’t matter at all. We didn’t have to be in Milford Sound until 4:15 to catch our boat, so we figured we’d stroll around Queenstown first before hitting the open road. Queenstown is one of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever visited. Is sits at a bend on the northeast corner of Lake Wakatipu which gives it amazing views in all directions. The mountains surrounding the lake are bold and dramatic and in view no matter where you are in town. We drove down to the town center, parked on the street, and decided to walk around the various side streets to look for a place for breakfast. We turned towards the water and found a cute open square on the waterfront where you can pick up ferry and tour boats to take you out on the lake. Local artisans were filling up the main thoroughfare setting up tables and tents to sell their wares. Next to the square and dock is a well constructed plaza that houses numerous fine restaurants, the Minus 5 frozen bar, and the Wharf Casino. We found a great little place for breakfast right nearby called the Naff Caff Café and had ourselves a delicious meal! You’ll all be happy to know we had a proper breakfast with nary a meat pie to be found! After breakfast we hit up the artisan tables and chose a Tangiwai necklace for Phil. It was perfect, and a stone we learned was unique to the Milford Sound area which made it all the more special considering our final destination. The local legend tells the story of Tama, a Maori warrior whose wives were abducted by Poutini, the guardian of the greenstone. Tama wandered about searching for his wives and found one of them at Milford Sound. She had been turned into pounamu. He cried and his tears fell on the stone and changed into tangiwai, or weeping water, the pale translucent bowenite which is another form of greenstone valued for pendants. He searched further up the river until he came upon a waterfall blocking his way. The boulders he rested upon were his other two wives who had also been transformed into greenstone

We continued in and out of stores until about 11 o’clock and decided we should get back to the car and hit the road. We climbed into the car excited and recharged, when our hearts fell abruptly into our stomachs at the almost imperceptible **click click** of the last bit of juice leaving our battery!! It seems that smarty, that would be me (Shawn), forgot that not all cars automatically turn off the head lights and the few hours we were away were plenty enough to sap the poor old girl of her will to live… so sad! Thankfully we were parked outside the good old Salvation Army, so I walked in and asked the woman behind the counter if she could help me. She was a saint, and got right on the phone with her friend who owned a garage up the street. He arrived in short order, hooked up the sensors to the battery, and with a grim face told me we’d be wise to have it replaced. I started to get nervous though, because we really couldn’t leave any later than noon if we wanted to have any shot of getting to the sound on time, and it was fast approaching 11:30. On the other hand, we didn’t want to get stranded in Milford Sound which is way the hell off the beaten path! CURSES… I chose to replace it, and found myself pacing nervously in the garage as the minutes ticked off the clock, kicking myself for my stupidity! The funny irony here is that we thought we’d be budget conscious and decided not to get the extra insurance on the old beast, so because of that the rental agency wouldn’t pay for the repair… so the cost of the battery ended up equaling what we would have paid for the insurance we declined in the first place… I think there’s a life lesson here… hmmm

We got ourselves in gear by noon and I hauled ass out of there… I got nervous when the initial part of the drive along Lake Wakatipu was that slow snaking drive we’d grown accustomed to on the South Island, but relaxed when it finally pulled away from the lake into more open country roads. It’s a good thing the old P.O.S had all that new juice running through her, because I put her into overdrive. We made mad time and got to the Milford Drive with time enough to actually enjoy the drive. A quick geopgraphy note. As the crow flies, Milford Sound is actually not too far to the west of Queenstown, but because the mountains are so rugged, you actually have to take a long 4+ hour detour loop south and then back up north to get into the Fjordland National Park area: http://www.fiordland.org.nz/ . The Drive into Milford Sound: http://www.fiordland.org.nz/Travel-Guide/Maps/Te-Anau-Milford-Road-Highway.asp is listed in many places as one of the most scenic drives in the world! There are also several hikes in the area that are described as some of the most beautiful in the world. We couldn’t wait!!

The magic starts as you turn north from the town of Te Anau. The road takes you along the beautiful Lake Te Anau and then turns to the northeast towards the mountains in the distance. Within a half hour or so, my power driving ended suddenly when we came upon Knobs Flat. The view simply took our breath away and we had to stop. Mother Nature must have been feeling sorry for us for the morning’s drama, as the sun started smiling down on us, breaking through the clouds just in time to enjoy the moment. The Flat is a huge wide field of tall golden grasses extending far into the distance with jagged mountain crags rising on either side of the valley becoming more and more grand and snow covered the farther ahead you look! We weren’t the only ones amazed, as an entire tour bus worth of people about a half a km up the road had emptied into the fields and were twirling hands outstretched as if they were having a Sound of Music Moment…

We pressed on for another half our or so and found the path ahead narrowing and becoming more lush. Clouds started to hug the mountain tops again and fill in parts of the valley. For some stretches, we were buried in thick rain forest and in others the valley would open up again and reveal itself. At its most dramatic, we found ourselves on a stretch of road like nothing I have ever seen in my life. I think it was the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

The valley floor was a deep dark canvas of grasses, lush plants, and small trees. Gorgeous shimmering rock faced cliffs rose sharply out of the foliage trapping us on the valley floor. Waterfalls of all shapes and sizes coursed there way down every nook and cranny from the higher elevations all the way down to the valley floor. The air was cold and crisp here, and cleaner than anything I’ve ever inhaled. Looking up to the misty peaks, you could just make out the specks of blue of the high mountain glaciers seemingly defying gravity against the steep cliffs on which they lay.

This stretch of road curves off to the west and then stops abruptly in a huge rock bowl at the entrance to the Homer Tunnel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Tunnel You have to wait 15 minutes between signals, as it is a one-way trip through a steep and dark tunnel carved into the granite mountain ahead of you. With no sky in sight and the steep walls of rock disappearing into the clouds above it was a very surreal experience. We stepped out of the car to take in the view and noticed the air was starkly colder here. To our surprise we saw 3 Keas, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea playing at the side of the road. These are beautiful green parrots found in the alpine regions of the country and are known for being extremely “naughty” to quote the natives. They will take stuff right off of your person and tear off pieces of your car. They are not afraid of people and these three before us were tossing around someone’s dropped phone card. It was really funny! The tunnel drops steeply ahead to the opening on the other side of the mountain. It opens up into another awe-inspiring mountain bound road that defies description… and I’m sure you’re sick of my rambling attempts to put them into words. Suffice it to say, if you ever have the opportunity to get to New Zealand, you MUST take the trip to Milford Sound: http://www.nzti.com/cruise-milford/milford-sound.htm

The last kilometer or so flattens out and winds you down to sea level through the very modest “town” and up to the Boat Terminal at the eastern edge of Milford Sound. We parked the car with 15 minutes to spare and packed our overnight bag for the journey on the Milford Wanderer: http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/OvernightCruises/ The boat was a good size, able to carry up to 60 passengers and crew. It had viewing decks on all 4 sides of the main level, and 2 sleeping quarters down below. The main cabin had booths along the window and a longer cafeteria style table in the center. The kitchen was in full view at the front of the main cabin with a wide open counter that doubled as a bar, separating it from us. It was an interesting mix of people on the boat, the largest of the groups being a rather rowdy college-aged lot that spent a good portion of the time hootin’ and hollerin’ as frat guys tend to! Thankfully, it was more amusing than annoying, and once the sun went down we were comfortably distracted with our own group fun…

By the time we were ready to pull out of the dock, the sunshine we had seen an hour or so ago at Knob’s Flat was long gone. The air was cool, and the skies were cloudy and threatening rain. Sadly, we never got to see the classic picture of Milford sound with the clear blue skies and the dramatic mile-high sea cliffs of the triangular Mitre Peak proudly dominating the foreground. Instead, what we saw was a mystical world of low clouds and dramatic rocky cliffs rising steeply out of the water and disappearing into the mist above never revealing just how high they were. As much as it would have been spectacular to see the world’s most photographed mountain in all its glory, we were happy to have it this way since rainy days bring the mountain cliffs to life sending waterfalls careening down from the heights above in a stunning visual.

As we pulled out into the sound, we had a meet and greet with the crew and our fellow travelers. They gave us the rundown of the tour, showed us our bunks, and opened the bar! To our delight, we were given our own bunk and were able to spread out a little in the ever so tiny space. Each bunk was closed off to the public by a sliding terry cloth curtain. Tres snazzy! Inside there were dual narrow bunk beds on either side, with a walking space in between that Kate Moss would have a hard time negotiating! High on the wall on at the end of the aisle was a porthole between the bunks providing some natural light and a cool view about 2 feet above the surface of the water! Since our transformation to total winos was not yet complete, we figured we’d finish the conversion on this fine day and cracked open one of the bottles we brought on board! We made our way back up the steep and narrow ladder-stairs to the main deck to head outside to enjoy the views. Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance between step and ceiling, and clocked my head on the leading edge on my way up. To my dismay, the volume of wine I had imbibed up to that point was not enough to dull the pain! Oy!! The lesson was clearly to drink more and faster to avoid such a catastrophe in the future… I got right on it!

The starboard, port, and aft decks were covered to provide shelter from the elements, but the bow was open to allow for the full experience rain or shine! Our journey took us along the inner half of the sound past striking sea cliffs, huge and powerful falls, with sea birds shrieking past from time to time, and the occasional group of adolescent fur seals resting on the exposed rocks along the cliffs. We were in heaven, again! After a several hour loop, the boat turned us back to the eastern shores into a quiet cove for an opportunity to get more intimately connected to the sound. We had the option of a sea kayak tour or a large motorized skiff tour of the deepwater basin. Since the weather had really turned south at this point, we opted for the motorboat option. We spent about 40 minutes skimming right up to the rocks getting the detailed tour from the crew’s naturalist. He was a very nice bloke, telling us local stories with a fun dry sense of humor. He had a handle bar moustache/gotee-looking thing, big hoop earrings, bandana on his head, and slight stutter. A regular pirate he was! The tour took us past waterfalls, old avalanche sites, beautiful flowering tress, and a cute lonely fur seal basking proudly on a small exposed rock. As fun as it was, poor Phil was having a hard time relaxing as his full bladder was conspiring against him! By about 20 minutes into the tour, the wind, rain, and splashing waterfalls were just taunting him, and ceased to be amusing!! Thankfully, Mother Nature saved him, as a sudden downpour of rain forced an early end to the tour!

Once back on board, we dried off, replenished our wine, and made our way back up to the main cabin for dinner. We found a booth and were joined soon after by 3 young women on the tour, Liz, Tracy, and Colleen. They turned out to be great fun, and we ended up spending the next 5 hours with them drinking, laughing, telling stories, and playing games. Liz is a Kiwi from the Auckland area. Tracy is a fun American from Wisconsin. Tracy and Liz met in college and have remained friends since. They were traveling with Colleen, a San Diego native, who was now studying with Tracy in Hawaii. The three decided to take a holiday in New Zealand, giving the Americans a chance to see the magic, and Liz a chance to get to the South Island. This, of course, worked out well for us, as it gave us the pleasure of meeting them! To our surprise and delight, dinner was actually really tasty. The cook on board prepared a pumpkin bisque that was delicioso! This was followed by roasted lamb and potatoes for the main course, and a tasty pavlova for dessert. Pavlova is a creamy meringue dessert covered in fresh fruit, that originated in New Zealand. YUMMY!

After we cleared the dinner plates, we sat with our new lady friends and laughed a lot! Since Phil and I had run out of our wine, we replenished the bottle at the bar, and kept the spirits flowing! Tracy was a regular comedian, and had us rolling in the aisles… so much so at one point I managed to send my glass of wine splashing across the table!! Oh yeah, I’m a classy date. We talked about our lives, our trips so far, music, dating, you name it! After awhile, and the opening of our 3rd bottle of wine… I mean second, I mean, shit… ha ha… um… well it was over the course of many hours… um, yeah and of course we were sharing it with the girls… I mean please, do you think we’re that bad… wow. Anyway… inspired by our neighbors, the games began. Since Phil had actually been through college without ever playing the game of asshole, the rest of us decided to introduce him to the old college staple. It was fun hearing the different regional rules as we talked him through it. We had a lot of fun, and well, as beginner’s luck would have it, Phil actually did well, making his way all the way up to Presidente. Que bueno! After asshole, we decided to reclaim our pride and sophistication, and introduced the ladies to “In the manner of the adverb” Tracy was a genious performer, and it was hard to guess through the tears of laughter. Good times! At one point, I ran downstairs to get some paper to exchange information with them, and in my hasty return, managed to clock my head yet again on the same edge! Thankfully, this time I was numb enough not to feel it… (at least not until the morning… damn… the knot I had on my head the next morning was shocking!!) By midnight, the ladies decided to call it a night, and Phil and I stepped out onto the back of the boat to have a night cap. There we met a nice guy from the Canadian Army who was on a government paid vacation and managed to hook himself up with the aforementioned crazy big group not realizing what he was getting into. It was an interesting conversation, and while chatting and sipping we may have been persuaded to have a cigarette with said soldier… I mean who were we to deny him the company after serving so honorably in the middle east… okay, fine, we had 2.

We poured ourselves into bed comfortably after one, and readied ourselves for the next day of our trip. Our grand plans were to get up at dawn to make the most of the time, but we didn’t even stir until we heard the sound of the breakfast announcement! We met our new lady friends for breakfast, filled ourselves up on eggs and bacon, and stepped out on the deck to enjoy the morning air. The plan was to take the boat out to the west to the entrance of the sound and beyond into the Tasman Sea. As we approached though, we found ourselves staring into a wall of white. The fog was so dense you could not see anything ahead; it was eerie. The crew thought better of pressing on and turned us back into the sound. We traced the southern shore on the way back in and were taken to a large waterfall with a rock face so sheer the boat was able to get right up and touch the wall with the bow of the boat. Our resident Naturalist, the aforementioned pirate, suddenly appeared in full rain gear carrying what looked like a cup of coffee. He proceeded to step right on to the bow and under the crashing waters. After a short spell he stepped out and proceeded to tell us a story. It turns out that because this particular waterfall falls from such a height over exposed rock, the friction created actually warms the water. He had the water in 2 coffee cups, and it was warm to the touch even through the 2 cups! Amazing! Nothing like a natural warm shower!

The last hour of the trip really blew our minds. We were heading back towards the dock and got word that the resident pod of bottlenose dolphins was nearby, so they made a detour and took us over near them. The show we got was out of this world! We cruised at a snail’s pace into the cove, and noticed quickly that the dolphins were everywhere; easily 20+ in the pod. They were swimming just off to the port side of the boat, moving slowly in the opposite direction we were headed. In the silence, you could hear the gentle splashing of water as they broke the surface, punctuated by the deep respirations they made before diving back under. The water was so clear here that you could see them a fair distance underwater as well. There was an unusual effect created where the gray of their skin seemed to become almost illuminated a blue/white when they dove underwater. Amazing! We even had the good fortune of seeing several young calves surfacing next to their moms. They were so adorable. While the bulk of the group was quietly going about their business, we had the occasional wild child make a more bold statement by jumping completely out of the water! Sadly, the camera had a hard time catching them at the exact moments of their surfacing, so I missed a lot! The memories, however, are indelible... and Phil’s video footage is fantastic!! After spending a good time coasting along with the group, the crew decided to turn it up a notch and try to encourage more exciting play. They slowly turned the boat back out towards the main body of the sound and kicked up the speed. This really got them going, at least half of the pod started to chase the boat and ride the pressure waves it created! It was out the park cool. The were jumping out and ahead of the wakes, diving back and forth between each other, and at one point 4 of them were swimming so close to each other, it looked like they were toughing. I have never seen anything so exciting!! The best start of a day ever!!!

After about 10 minutes of play, they suddenly turned away, and once the show was over, the crew turned us back to port and took us home. We said our good-byes to Liz and company, wished them a safe journey, and went back below to pack or bags for the journey back to Queenstown. It was sad to leave, but we were looking forward to having a little more time to see some of the things we missed on the drive in…