Queenstown, Te Anau and onto World Class Milford Sound!

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Cloudless blue skies, the sun brightens our spirits. From Franz Josef to Queenstown has been my favorite drive to date. It is coloriscious. The hills change to mountains and the trees become more deciduous.
Driving through a tunnel of trees, the rainforest is left behind, and we enter wilderness, with still rivers like glass. Say goodbye to what is called the Southern Alps.
Lake Hawea is splendid at a whopping 35 km long and facilitates the power stations. Grasslands appear and the area is semi-arid, much like Kamloops.
Entering the 'Global Adventure Capital' of Queenstown you meet or watch the daredevils who try bungy jumping, parasailing and skydiving. It took us 2 ½ hours to drive 130km. Those curves really slow you down.
The biggest draw to NZ's south island is Milford Sound. Heading towards the 1,692m high monolithic mountain, one passes through a variety of terrain. We stop to trek through The Chasm and view boulders that have huge bowl like indentations from water erosion. The chasm plunges deep into the strata. This area is known as Fiordland.
On the way up, I count 26 tour buses heading down. Good timing on our part.

A few observations as a newcomer to New Zealand.....
-The people love to say right-e-o.
-A decent hotel room will cost between $180 - $220 a night.
At check in, you are given a bottle of cream for your coffee.
EACH plug-in has an on/off switch.
Check out time is 10:00am
-There are no old vehicles here either on the road, or left to rust in a field.
-Real food is served and there are very few fast food outlets, with KFC, McDonald's and Subway being the only three scattered across the islands.
-Everywhere is beautiful.

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Comments

[Carlos]

Parece que lo estan pasando muy bien
Hola Amigos, que linda foto parecen pareja en luna de miel. A seguir disfrutando. no olvidar las selfie. Buena suerte.