march 3

Today, our fifth day of traveling together, Genevieve, J, and I set out early (at 6:30am) for Milford Sound. As we drove through the hills and approached the mountains and fjords, we saw fog and clouds rolling in and out of the valleys and over peaks and saddles in the mountain ranges. The morning was beautiful as the sun came up through the mist on our drive. We noted plenty of nice camp spots on our way, as well.

Arriving in Milford Sound, we instantly recognized a sandfly problem. The picture is a model sandfly. In actuality, the pests are quite small. These pesky critters are like mosquitoes in their mannerisms, and surpass the mosquito numbers in Fjordlands National Park. As long as we kept moving, we seemed to be ok. The dock for our Milford Sound breakfast cruise was a brief walk from the parking lot. On the way, there were a few signs explaining how Maori gods created the fjords and how the sandfly was created by the goddess of the underworld to remind people not to linger too long in the beautiful pristine area.

The three of us boarded our big boat and sat down for a delicious light breakfast of croissant and muesli. It did not take long to start seeing the beauty of the Sound. A magnificent waterfall fell on the starboard side of the boat. The ride was comfortable downstairs, but the real views came above on the deck. The green on the cliffs popped out of the shadows with remarkable color. With such brilliant life around us in every direction, it's amazing that this part of New Zealand is struggling through an 80 year drought. Typically waterfalls line the fjord, but today, only four falls had water dropping down them. I supposed this could be attributed to that beast called "global warming." The area usually sees rain every one in three days, but they haven't seen more than 1/2 day in the last 30-some days.

Our tour continued through the fjord along cliffs that dropped straight into the Sound. Trees, mosses, and bushes grow off the vertical rock faces.

The Real Journeys boat we were on also took an unprecedented round-about into the Tasman Sea. Usually these tours cannot venture into the Sea, so we got a fantastic little Taste of Tasman. On the return trip, we skirted the opposite side of the waterway. Fur seals were spotted on a single outcropping of rocks along the way. Genevieve, J, and I found it humorous that everyone ran to that side of the boat while we mosied on over figuring we had seen plenty of the sea creatures already. We did get to see these smaller seals pose adorably on the boulders for us!

A little further on, the tour guide on board found two crested penguins on the shore. These birds were out of place and season, so it was particularly exciting to see this rare variety of bird on our cruise!

We passes by another waterfall (where it is said if a woman passes under the mist of the falls, she will feel 10 years younger the next morning. The boat scoots in real close to these falls so we can all scurry to the front and feel the spray.

The three of us were glad to have indulged int he cruise. It was a wonderful way to experience parts of Milford Sound we wouldn't have seen otherwise! After the cruise, we walked back to the cafe and visitor's centre, sat with a cup of coffee and mulled over plans for the day. I really appreciate the casual attitude the three of us have. We have lost the rush of the east coast travel and eased our way up and around the west.

Our first stop on the way out of Milford Sound was The Chasm. A short walk brought us to a place where the water carved out softer stone to leave the harder rock behind. Holes, bridges, and tunnels dot this fascinating place. None of the pictures and postcards I have seen quite demonstrate the depth perception and quirkiness of the place. When we returned to the car, five tour buses had rolled up. We were fortunate to avoid most of that crowd.

Another feature of this Milford expedition was the Homer Tunnel. This single-lane hole through the mountain was not lit when we drove in before 8am. Driving through a dark cave is a strange feeling, but we made it safely. On our return trip, not only was the tunnel lit, but it also had stoplights on either end directing the single-lane traffic.

Our highlight of the day was stopping at The Divide and hiking part of the Routeburn Track. The three of us set out through a green forest, across a few trickling streams, and a lake. Genevieve and I wanted to head up to Key Summit, so we left J to hike up to McKenzie Hut while we turned back to take a cutoff up a hill. The view we took in astounded us. In 360 degrees we took in four mountain ranges. We stood on a marshy plateau with three valleys cutting beneath us. From here, rainfall streams down into each of those valleys in different directions. It made our climb worthwhile to see so much unimaginable creation! God certainly took his time developing this part of the earth!

I have been so impressed with how well-maintained the tracks in New Zealand are! They came complete with campsites, or cabins on many of the longer routes! The cabins are quite nice and homely with a kitchen, bunk room, and bathroom facilities. The trails are easy to find and well-maintained with bridges and culverts.

We also saw many birds while in the Milford area. One small songbird sang beautifully until it ended the tune with a squawk; every time! We also saw another kea (the alpine parrot).

By the time J arrived back at the car, we were sufficiently tired by our 12-15km of hiking, so we looked for a campsite right away. The sandflies were so horrendous that we decided to stay in the van. J and I hopped out to quick whip up some rice for dinner and pay our $5nz each for the site. Other than that, we rearranged our seats and gear to sleep.

*favorite photos: waterfall and fern shadow.