I love it so much I am doing it again & again in different locations around the country!

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A more reasonable start this morning a cushie 9.50am pick-up from my hostel by the kayak instructor Wayne. Yes, I am going kayaking again - this is the one place I was determined to have a go at it before I even arrived in N.Z. so despite being on many kayak trips already, I booked a full day trip - surely I should be good at it by now....

This is the furthest south I have been on my trip and this was also set to be the coldest trip I had been on to date, so I was pretty pleased that the kayak folk had lovely matching stripey thermal gear to dress up in as well as fleeces, beanies (hats) and spray jackets in a fabulous shade of purple.

Back in a tandem kayak - which are supposed to be more stable, however, I was paired up with an American woman who turned out to be the most annoying person I have met so far on this trip.

It started when she was rocking the the kayak and I responded with an array of squeals and colourful language, but there was nothing to worry about because Linda has her own sea-kayak at home in Martha's Vineyard . This temporarily gave me some confidence, although this was quickly shattered when she boasted stories of 'kayak-chicken' this is the same game as some idiots play in cars, so as you can imagine I was a little nervous. The water was so cold I really did not want to fall in here, but still managed to have a few nearies, no thanks to Linda sitting behind me.

Despite my kayak partner having her own vessel and her insistence on steering she was rubbish - partly I reckon because she refused to follow my directions. As the navigator sitting at the front with the best view she should be listening to me but hey-ho she thinks she knows best - and she consistently made sure I knew that throughout the trip.

Well probably should stop this bitching now - I could say so much more, and yes - she did kind of ruin the trip a wee bit. However, I still saw immense scenery and varied wildlife during the trip and I didn't capsize which is always a bonus. Later on in the trip my technique improved and poor old Linda couldn't keep up ...hehehe...

The low cloud gave the fiord a more mysterious atmosphere than I experienced yesterday and I am glad that I stayed here overnight so I could experience Milford in different conditions.

After all the fresh air I decided to have an early night which ensured I was once again cosy in my bed before the power went off.

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Photos

Surrounded by beautiful scenery
I don't think there is a way to capture this scenery on film in a way that shows the scale of the place. Glaciers 2+km thinch carved this scenery!

Colour-coordinated kayaks
Instructor Wayne with half chewed paddle (don't ask) and the magnificent Milford scenery.

Comments

[anonymous]

Hello sunshine
Hey Vikki, Just caught up on your whole adventure so far, it sounds absolutely superb. I can't figure out which I'm more jealous of, you swimming with dolphins or you meeting up with Fiona. Hope Australia is as good to you as New Zealand has been. Don't bring back any spiders. Neil x