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Published: November 29th 2012
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On the morning we left Lake Tekapo we met Laura and Scott at the Astro Cafe on Mt John so we could all drive in convoy down to Te Anau.The drive was quite spectacular to say the least and even though we were still at high altitude we were surrounded by rivers, snow topped mountains and lakes.
Just twenty minutes down the road from Lake Tekapo we stopped to take photos of the beautiful Lake Pukaki which had a view of Mt. Cook in the distance. It was a lovely setting and as no one else was around, Scott being a Kiwi said that we should all go for swim as it’s the thing to do in NZ.Jane and I were a bit hesitant on the idea but before you could say ‘sweet as bro’ Dr Sellers had stripped off to her pants and vest and was splashing around in the clear glacial waters like it was a summers day on Hornsea Beach. New Zealand is still technically in spring and, believe me, in the mornings and evenings it gets cold. Even so, Scott quickly followed Laura and my brain quickly calculated that left me and Jane to keep the
travelling flag flying. Unfortunately as my brain was doing this Jane looked at me and said ‘I’m not going in’, so I knew it was down to me and I slowly tiptoed my way into the icy cold water. Eventually I plucked up the courage to dive in and even though it was breathtakingly cold I think it must be the most beautiful place I have ever had a bath! We continued the drive south and after stopping for a lovely lunch in Cromwell the road became even more scenic as we approached Queenstown snaking its way through the valleys surrounded by rivers and high sided ‘Remarkable’ mountain range. After passing Queenstown and heading south the scenery started to change and became greener with more rolling hills and farmland; if you didn’t have a view of mountains in the distance you could be mistaken to thinking you were in the Yorkshire Dales. Soon enough we arrived in Te Anau, the gateway to the Milford Sound and booked ourselves into a cheap and cheerful campsite on the edge of town. After cooking up some veg pasta we spent the evening drinking wine and having a sing song as Scott had brought
along his guitar.
The next morning we were up early so we could take the two and half drive from Te Anau to Milford. Unfortunately for Scott it seemed that all the swimming and singing had taken its toll and Dr Sellers quickly diagnosed him with viral tonsillitis. Even so, Scott was determined to come and did an excellent job of driving the difficult windy road.
The 119km drive was a trip in itself as we made our way through the wet misty forests and mountains until we came to a queue of traffic ahead. The road was closed until 9am because recent rock falls had blocked the road and the authorities were working through the night to clear the blockages and enable it was safe to travel. When the road opened it was quite scary as we slowly climbed past the fragile rock sections until we eventually made it to the highlight of the road, the Homer Tunnel. The tunnel is only one way and after queuing at a basic set of traffic lights we made our way into the darkness. The mile long, dark, wet, rough edged tunnel looks like it must be in the same
condition it was when they first carved it with picks and shovels years ago, but the most unique thing about it is the way it descends making you feel like you’re heading into the centre of the earth. Needless to say it was relief to come out the other end to the magnificent views of waterfalls and cloud covered mountains. A few minutes later we made it to our Milford Sound ferry terminal where we would board our wildlife cruise.
Now, for those of you who aren’t quite as geeky as myself, time for a quick geography lesson.The Milford Sound isn’t actually a ‘sound’ it is in fact a ‘fjord’ and was incorrectly named when it was first discovered. A ‘Sound’ is created by run off river water which carves its way through the rock and a ‘Fjord’ like the Milford is created by glaciers which rip their way through rock taking everything in their path along for the ride and hence creating a deep valley. The glacier that created the Milford Sound definitely did an excellent job as the result is a picturesque sight of unbelievable high sided rock formations and numerous lovely waterfalls. The rock walls are
so steep and high that when it rains you are literally surrounded by hundreds of high falling waterfalls. Luckily for us it didn’t rain that much and we were able to stand outside on the deck and take in the scale of the place. It’s also one of the wettest places in NZ with an average of over nine metres of rain a year and a drought is called if there are nine consecutive days without rain!
For the next two hours we enjoyed the cruise on the sound as it took us past amazing scenery and wildlife. The water in the Milford Sound is so deep that cruise ships can come for a visit and it also enabled our boat to get up close and personal with the waterfalls and rocks so we could feel the power of the falls. The boat ventured to the mouth of the Milford Sound until we eventually made it to the rough Tasman Sea. Looking back the opening to the Milford Sound is totally camouflaged by the rocks, which is why when James Cook first sailed by he missed it and it wasn’t discovered some years later. On heading back into the
Sound we saw wildlife such as seals, penguins, Kea and many other different bird species. All in all it was great trip and the Milford Sound is definitely one of the planet’s most serene places.
The next day we said our thank you’s and goodbyes to Laura and Scott and decide to head south on the southern scenic drive to the Catlins National Park. The drive was nice and we stopped along the way at McCracken’s Rest which had great views of the wild sea and the mountains back to our right. We drove through Ingacarvill and headed to Slope Point the most southerly place on the south island. After a brisk twenty walk across farm land we arrived at a signpost and the most definite change was the temperature, it was freezing! You could tell that the next stop south (apart from a few small islands) is the home of the polar bears.
We stayed a night at a DOC (department of conservation) campsite in the Catlins National Park. The Catlins are pretty wild and the amazing petrified trees have adapted to their surroundings and all look like they’re stood on end and scared to death. The
next day we decided we’d had enough of the Antarctic weather and decided to drive back north towards a hopefully sunny Queenstown.
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Lou Hunn
non-member comment
I'm enjoying your travels !
Hi both Really enjoying reading your blog and keeping up to date with where you are. You both look really well and it sounds like you are having the time of your lives. I love the way you write about the things you've seen and the places you've been to, whilst Im sat here in the HEY R&D office I can lose myself for just a few minutes and enjoy the next episode of your travels. Stay safe and take care -- most of all keep enjoying yourselves. TTFN Lou x