Fiordland National Park - Population: 1 Gozillian Sand Flies...

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Fiordland National Park is a bit off the beaten track, but boy is it worth it. My first glimpse into this natural wonder was a day cruise through Milford Sound. The drive in itself was spectacular with mountains so tall and jagged they looked as though they could cut the sky. Milford Sound (actually a fiord) did not disappoinwith the rugged coastline, dolphins, seals and waterfalls. The only downside was the hords of camera snapping tourists, so I just cranked up Enya on the ipod, tuned everyone out, and soaked it in.

In an attempt to leave the tourists behind and get a little up close and personal with these fiords, Marielle and I went on a 2-day kayak trip in Doubtful Sound. There was a group of 7 of us (2 Germans, 3 Dutch, 1 English and myself), plus our guide. Now this is the opportune moment to introduce the true residents of Fiordland National Park - The Sandflies. You know how if you would venture to Antarctica, you would need to have all flesh covered for any exposure would lead to frost bite - well, in sandfly country the same is true, except that its blood sucking instead of frost bite. These monsters are relentless! The process of stripping from your clothes into your wetsuit alone results in the loss of about a pint of blood and temporary insanity. Once on the water though, they were easy to leave behind, and pleasantly swapped them for a couple pods of dolphins. Talk about being one with nature. Our camp had an insect shelter, which allowed us to enjoy the evening, rather than the pesky bugs marrooning us to our tents.

After Doubtful Sound, we had a day to rest up and prep for the Kepler Track - a 60km hike that we opted to do in 3 days instead of the recommended 4. This is one of NZs 9 Great Walks (Abel Tasman being another). It takes you up through Beech forest, starting on Lake TeAnau, past limestone cliffs, up into the alpine with stunning views and feeling like you'd been transplanted into a scene from Lord of the Rings. We saw some spectacular caves, different from others I've seen because they were all natural (not riddled with lighting, hand rails and again, camera snapping tourists). We shared the bunkrooms and resident sandflies with 55 other trampers, who kept the conversation flowing and gave me more ideas of other hikes I want to do. My list isn't getting any shorter... The first 2 days were very difficult with a steady ascent on day 1, and steep ups and downs on the second. The third day we covered the most ground, but it was a flat walk along the river and then Lake Manapouri. We hopped on the Stray bus the evening of our last walking day a little worse for wear, but feeling like the luckiest people in NZ to have spent a whole week in the stunning Fiordland National Park (and not require a blood transfusion)...

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Photos

Doubtful Sound
Marielle and I - finally escaped the sandflies and it was safe to bring out the camera without an ambush!

No that's not a hobbit
As if you could mistake me for one ;-), the scenery of the Kepler track however, definitely looks like Middle Earth.