Scroggin Mix

8/4 - Milford Sound

Per James Redfern's recommendation we signed up for a day trip from Queenstown west to Fiordland and Milford Sound. James was right - definitely some of the most stunning scenery we've seen thus far. We had a beautifully clear day for the 5 hour drive through the Great Dividing Range to the west coast. Our little bus made its way along the winding mountain roads overlooking Lake Wakatipu, passing waterfalls, mirror lakes, an avalanche area (they actually create controlled avalanches in the winter with helicopters and explosives to make it safe to use the road), a chasm, lots of deer, cattle, and sheep farms, and an enchanted-looking evergreen temperate rainforest (as opposed to a tropical or subtropical rainforest) which is part of the Fiordland World Heritage site. We reached 3000 ft above sea level at the highest point and drove under the mountain in a tunnel it took 10 years to bore through. Having said all that, the 2 hours we spent on a boat on Milford Sound (which is misnamed, it's actually a fiord carved by glaciers, and not a sound eroded by a river) was the best part of the day. We saw a seal and a penguin and were awed by the amazing mountain scenery. The photos hardly do it justice. Also, I just love being out on a boat - there's something about being near water that makes it feel like vacation.

8/5 - Mt. Cook

Today we took a bus from Q'town to Mt. Cook - New Zealand's highest mountain (although it's hard to tell because it's surrounded by other mountains in the Southern Alps that are almost as tall) and home to the Tasman Glacier. From our hostel in Mt. Cook Village (population 150 in the winter and 250 at the height of tourist season in the summer) we took a 4 hour hike (between 10 and 12 miles) out to Hooker Lake across some rocky terrain and two swing bridges. Hooker Lake was almost completely frozen over save some visible swirls and cracks etched by the afternoon sun. The color of the lake and its tributaries was also striking -- it was a whitish gray and our bus driver told us it's called glacier milk or glacier melt - the coloring is caused by the rocks pulverized by the glacier as it scrapes and slides down the side of the mountain. On our way back to the hostel we hear a rumble and looked up just in time to see some snow thrown up in cloud near the top of the mountain -- the aftermath of a mini-avalanche.

P.S. For any Francophones who are bothered by the grammatically incorrect name "Arwen a la monde", you'll have to accept it as poetic license. I was going for a cross between "au monde" and "a la mode" (stylish world traveler that I am) but more than that, I just liked the sound of it.

P.P.S. Some surprising (or random) things about NZ so far:

• We haven't met many American backpackers but there were tons living in Q'town - all of our waitresses, bartenders, etc. were American students who came here to live and ski.
  
  
• Aside from the striking landscape I could be in Britain - the accent is slightly off but from tea time to driving on the left and even the brand names and pub food (sticky toffee pud) I feel like I'm getting a head start on UK living (just wait until tomorrow when we rent a car and I get
  
  Another stop...
  on the way to Milford Sound. Beautiful!
  to practice my UK driving skills...)
  
  
• Traveling by bus here is great - luxury coach and commentary along the way on the landscape, history and other interesting facts. They even make stops at scenic points for photos.
  
  
• On the way from Mt. Cook to Christchurch today we passed the Mt. John Observatory which is jointly owned by Canterbury University in Christchurch, UPenn and the University of Florida. This part of NZ is supposed to have some of the best stargazing on the planet.
  
  

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Part of trip: Summer Travels 2006

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