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Published: August 15th 2006
Spiky ice...
Looks like you can cut yourself on it, but it is just ice and falls off...Before driving up to Milford Sound (another road that just stops, like at Mount Cook) I slept at Te Anau and met up with two of Ian's friends from back home. They've been living in Queenstown for quite a long time and were able to give us a free jet boat ride when arriving in Queenstown, that was very nice of them - you've got to love freebies!
The drive up to Milford Sound was spectacular. You start off passing heaps of fields after leaving Te Anau then progress onto dense lush forest (and very windy roads!). Further down the road mountains appear until you are driving through them, and I literally mean that! The Homer Tunnel goes right through one of the mountains and man is it scary! It is pitch black in there (yes I did turn off my headlights at one point to see how dark it would be) and there are even icicles hanging from the ceiling. Luckily I only passed one car as it is very narrow. Exiting the tunnel you were then in AVALANCHE ZONE!! I had know idea that you had to drive through such risk areas to get to Milford Sound! You
A scary drive...
This was most definately a first! I was certainly not briefed on this when taking my test last November... weren't allowed to stop unless there was a sign saying you could. At one point you could see where an avalanche had happened, the snow was so close to the road...very scary but exciting. Arriving at my destination, one of the most photographed places in Aotearoa, and I can understand why. The way the landscape is shaped is just perfect, especially with Mitre Peak central from the shore. Man was the wind a-blowing though, walking along the pebbled shoreline it nearly blew me over!
Ian and I went on a cruise through the sound. Saw some lovely waterfalls along the sides of the cliff faces. My favourite was called Fairy Falls. It was so delicate and sprinkled down from a great height, to make it even more special the sun created a little rainbow across it for me.
There is only one hostel at Milford, and it uses a diesel generator for its power...so lights off at 11pm! There was a family there who were at the same hostel as Ian and I in Takaka, I love it when things work out like that whilst travelling. The hostel had heaps of board games so Ian and I had
My one and only set...
The best streets to have in my opinion... a game of Monopoly, but the New Zealand edition. Ian was winning by far (he even had the two expensive purple streets!) until I finally completed my one and only set, the orange, my beloved orange streets. I worked my way up with construction until I had 3 hotels which for some strange reason Ian just
loved to stay at...yes I swiftly made my opponent bankrupt...
Driving back Ian and I stopped again at the Mirror Lakes. Although the reflection wasn't as calm and still as it was on the way up...if only the ducks would stop sticking their bums in the air...
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nigelonius
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