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Published: August 25th 2007
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On the Glacier
Marie and Astrid on the neve of one of the many glaciers near Milford Sound Guest blog brought to you by seasoned experts on all things helicopter, Marie and Astrid:
Today started with a guided bus tour through the spectacular scenery between Te Anau and Milford Sound. Our Australian, ex-professional rugby player guide and driver, Skip, pointed out many interesting sights en route, including the location of pivotal scenes from the LOTR movies. He described fans of the trilogy as Ringons, a title Adrianne claims proudly. We saw majestic mountains, mirror lakes, the Homer Tunnel and a fantastic place called simply 'The Chasm', which was a breathtaking example of the erosive forces of falling water that had made surreal sculptures from the surrounding rocks.
At the end of the Homer Tunnel, Skip asked us all to close our eyes (and said he would do the same) so that we could experience the dramatic vista of Milford Sound once the bus had fully rounded the first corner. It was spectacular. The route was beautiful with imposing mountains and waterfalls enhanced by the many dizzying hairpin turns.
We drove to the port of Milford Sound, in Milford City, with a population of 90 people. Donald Sutherland (not “the” DS), the area's first settler, had expected the town to become the capital of this country. Perhaps one day it might, but with the prohibition on building and developing the area, the inhabitants should like camping. There we boarded the Milford Monarch to go on a 90-minute tour of the Sound. The scenery was overwhelming, with high sheer rock faces, hanging valleys, waterfalls, a lonely fur seal and many, many other tourists hoping to nudge Paul off his choice photographing site.
After the cruise, Marie and I went on a helicopter tour over the Sound, eventually touching down on one of the many glaciers high in the mountains. Having just been on a conference that covered helicopter safety, emphasizing how to climb in and out and when to give the pilot a thumb’s up, I was prepared to offer the pilot heaps of advice on both navigating and flying. Surprisingly, he didn’t avail himself of my expertise. The ride was choppy and loud, made even more exciting by the unexpected transparent floor. We rode in the front with the pilot, reassured by his cool control of the machine, but a bit put out when he tightened his seatbelt and turned his microphone off while speaking to someone, presumably the emergency services at Milford Sound airport. Marie was squished against the door but we felt okay about that having noted that the latches had been removed from the interior. Like the back of a police car. The chopper flew high above the mountains with thick clouds below us, being buffeted by the updrafts. In the turbulence Marie had the presence of mind to firmly grasp the Jesus strap, and I held onto her, so in the event of a crash her death grip on the chopper and mine on her would no doubt cause us to waft gently down to safety. We flew over the clouds but were able to see numerous avalanche falls, high mountain peaks and frozen mountain lakes. Skip had explained that men signed up to work to build the remote road in inhuman conditions for meagre wages during the depression, often to escape their (presumably shrewish) wives. The more rugged, forbidding areas had conspicuous names - Mount Christina, Lake Adelaide and Gertrude Valley. Makes one wonder, no? On the glacier, we took our time posing for photos and trying to leave footprints in the glacial ice. This was no mean feat for Marie, who wore her best sandals for the occasion. Sadly, we had to eventually leave the mountaintop to return to Middle Earth. The copter made another precarious landing, this time in a tussock patch beside one of the many glacial streams in the valley, barely missing a nosey kea that was eagerly eying Marie’s bum (see blog for last week).
We joined another tour group for the return trip to Te Anau. We quickly christened our new driver Bronco Bill and were not too appreciative of the speeds he achieved on the narrow mountain road, but were even less impressed by the endless loop of “Oakie from Muskokie" and "Stand by Your Man” that he sang along to on the staticky sound system. There were no forks available to stick in our eyes for amusement, so we suffered him in relative silence. Very relative.
We came home to crow to the rest of the family about this latest adventure. Now we have to go back to do it all over again with them.
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