Milford Sound

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New Zealand is bbbbbbbbbbiiiiiiiiiiiggggg. In fact Big with a capital B. Leaving mount cook behind, Clive the campervan pottered south towards lake wanaka where we acquired Hatty the fan heater from a supermarket to help us combat the sub zero nighttime temperatures. Lake wanaka was still in ski resort mode, and unwilling to fork out the money for all the ancillary expenses that skiing entails, we moved on to Milford sound. The weather forecast was favourable and it turned out that the ten hour drive was worth it. We were rewarded with dazzling sunshine for our five hour sea kayak trip round the sound. A shiny, plump seal rolled around beneath the kayak and a pair of fjordland penguins teased us by appearing briefly and then diving back down into the depths!

Our kayak guide mooted the opinion that we had probably peaked too early in our trip scenery wise. The new zealand sounds are beyond stunning, the mountains which rise up on either side out of the water are dotted with plummeting cascades of water which stream down into the sea. Tom and I were lucky enough to see Milford sound in the evening rain after the thousands of daytrippers had departed back to Queenstown and the five cruise boats were left deserted. We were left standing entirely alone in the harbour, watching the ethereal mist gather across the water, the gentle rain distorting the otherwise perfect reflections.

Although the landscapes which followed over the coming weeks were incredible, I would have to concede in retrospect that there is an element of truth in our tour guide's point!

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