Day 12

Today was another long day (as if there have been any short ones), on the bus at 7:30 for the 4 hour 175 mile trip to Milford Sound. Located on the North West side of the Island it is only about 45 miles from where we are in Queenstown, but we have Lake Wakatipu and a large range of mountains, so the only way to get there is by driving around everything.

As we left in the morning the sun was rising over the mountains, and there were low clouds sitting in the sky, making a great view with the lake, mountains, blue sky, and white clouds
Mixed in. Our drive took us through rolling, dotted with cattle and sheep ranches, as well as several ranches where deer are raised. We passed a number of large lakes one is the second largest in NZ, the other not as big, but billed as the largest fresh water lake in NZ, in that it is over 1000′ deep.

As we drove by lakes and over rivers and streams, the clear blue water which began as snow at the higher elevations created hundreds of waterfalls that were everywhere you looked. The rivers we passed over were so crystal clear that you could see the rocks on the bottom. We stopped several times along the way to take pictures at “scenic overlooks”, and even parked along the road before crossing one of the many one lane bridges we encountered on our trip.

The 175 mile journey was on a so called two lane road, I’d call it 1 1/2 lanes, a dozen one lane bridges where when traffic was approaching from both directions, you took turns. There was even a 3/4 mile tunnel that was one lane, where there was a stop light directing traffic. On our way to the Sound, the tunnel actual drops 400′ in the 3/4 miles.

Once at the Sound, we boarded a boat that took us out to the Tasman Sea, and back during a roughly 3 hour cruise. During the cruise we saw waterfalls, snow capped mountains, Fur seals, and even a Penguin. The weather was absolutely gorgeous which is a rare treat in that this area gets roughly 300″ of rain each year. The highlight is Mitre Peak, named such because of its resemblance to a Bishop’s mitre (hat), and is considered Milford Sounds most famous landmark.

After our cruise it was back to the bus for the 4 hour ride back. We arrived back at 7:45 PM, then joined two other couples for dinner, in that it was my birthday and one of the wives birthday.

Tomorrow is another busy day, a jeep ride through middle earth, for all you Lord of the Rings fans, in the morning. A jet boat ride on the Shotover River in the afternoon, then a Lake Cruise on a 100 year old steamer ship followed by dinner.

We are both exhausted at the end of the day, but have enjoyed every minute!

Until Tomorrow!