Milford Sound, Queenstown, and home…

Hello all, and welcome to what may be our final post for this journey.  We got home safe and sound on Sunday, January 21st.  Once home, we slept as much as possible and remained confused about the date and time.  Margo didn’t allow any time for rest as she headed to Dallas, TX, on Tuesday evening for a work event on Wednesday.  But we now want to catch up, reflect, and share the remainder of our incredible journey down under.

 We departed Wanaka Tuesday morning (we think, remember we haven’t been very good at keeping up with what day or time it was since we’ve been on this trip) for a long day of driving to Te Anau, a small town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand.  Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters in Māori. Thankfully, our destination of Milford Sound was worth the six-hour drive.

Along the way, we saw even more beautiful, breathtaking scenery – untouched forests, mountains, and streams. Again, the mountains on the South Island are so rugged and steep.  Mark only wished he had his motorcycle for all the switchbacks and twisties.  But riding through these areas and remembering to stay on the left side of the road may be a bit challenging.

This time, when the tour brochure said we were embarking on a Feature Stay, they did not overhype.  We had an overnight cruise on a purpose-built vessel to enjoy a full-length journey along the Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea.  After about an hour and a half, we got to our mooring spot for the evening, in a cove where we could see the remnant of the glacier that formed the fiord. 

We had the option of kayaking or a small boat tour. We joined all our traveling companions for the small boat tour.  It was such a delight, gliding up close to the towering sides of the cliffs, where we saw seals lounging on the rocks.

We watched the entertaining way seals help digest their food by rolling around in the water.  They just dive and roll around and around in the water.

Milford Sound has a unique water composition where the top 32 feet (10 meters) of surface water is fresh and stained with tannins from the vegetation, creating a reflective surface that stops light from penetrating the deep-sea water underneath.  Perhaps because of this composition, life generally seen at great depths can be found only 30 meters below the surface. We could not visit the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory because it was closed when we motored by around 6:00 pm.

Margo hoped to have a clear, starry night to see the constellation Crux, known as the Southern Cross.  When she woke at 3:00 am, she looked out the window and saw rain falling, so there would be no stargazing that night.

The fact that it was raining wasn’t atypical since Milford is one of the wettest places on earth, with an average of 182 rainfall days per year. Once the rain comes, the mountains are covered in hundreds of temporary waterfalls spilling down from the mists.

After a peaceful night of sleeping on the boat, we continued our journey out of the fiord toward the Tasman Sea. It was easy to understand why the great explorer Captain Cook sailed past the entrance to Milford Sound, not just once, but twice.   One side of the fjord extended from the left slightly in front of and overlapping the right side of the fjord, completely hiding the entrance into the sea unless you were coming from a particular angle. Captain Cook named the area Milford Sound because, at the time of discovery, the word fiord did not exist. 

Milford Sound is simply extraordinary.

Expecting a relaxing drive back to Queenstown, we were awakened out of our lull when our driver shouted, “Kea!” and quickly (and safely) pulled off the road. We had to look closely to find what he was talking about, but the Kea bird was actively working to get our attention.  Unlike the Kiwi bird that we talked about in a previous post, the Kea, an extremely smart alpine parrot, works with its fellow birds to cause mischief.  The first one we saw was not afraid of humans.  He/she let eight of us walk within five feet while calling out to its friends in the mountains.  Gradually, another Kea joined the first as the birds continued to call out to each other. 

Robbie John, our tour leader, had told us stories of how the Kea would attract humans and then distract the humans as they (the birds) would eat the rubber – windshield wipers, tires, rubber seals – off of vehicles.  We thought he was exaggerating.

As the tour group was all gasping and awing over the two Kea who were showing off the beautiful red underside of their wings, we noticed that Robbie John was not easily distracted, instead standing by guarding the van.  Suddenly, we noticed that three other Kea from the mountains came down to our bus one by one, landing on the roof.  The original Kea continued to preoccupy our fellow travelers while the three friends started to attack the rubber parts of the bus.  Eventually, the first two Kea, having successfully diverted us long enough for their friends to overtake the bus, decided to join the top of the bus.  We took turns banging on the bus in an attempt to deter the Kea from eating the rubber seal along the bus doors.

Keas are said to be as intelligent as four-year-olds and, in our opinion, even more mischievous and less fearful.  Videos on YouTube show how clever the Kea is.  One shows a Kea dragging three traffic cones from the side of the road into the middle of a lane to block the lane. Apparently, this action is to get motorists to stop and feed them.  The Kea are beautiful, fascinating birds!

As we left Milford Sound and the Kea birds, we were both quite certain the rest of the trip might be a bit of a lull. We were proven wrong when, the next morning, we arrived at the Kimi Akau (Shotover River) for an exhilarating jetboat ride deep into the spectacular Shotover Canyons. 

Traveling at speeds up to 80 km over water as shallow as 4 inches deep, the jetboat driver enjoyed careening close to the canyon jagged rocks in exceptionally narrow passages. Mark was sitting by the side and had to lean in to avoid getting hit (so he claims).  We frequently got sprayed with water when the driver did VERY tight 360s in the pools of water.   It was a blast!!

When we stopped, Mark asked the driver, “How much do you have to pay to have this job?” The only disappointment for Mark was that he couldn’t drive the jetboat.  We learned that the drivers must have around 300 hours of training to operate the boat with passengers.

On our drive back to town, we stopped at Gibbston Valley for a wine cave tour and wine tasting.  Gibbston Valley is home to the South Islands’ first vineyard.  At 45 degrees south of the equator, everyone thought it was too cold for grapes in this location.  Undeterred and fed by his passion for winemaking, Alan Brady planted his first wines in the Gibbston in the early 1980s. We appreciate that he brought winery to the South Island, but neither of us was remotely impressed with the wines we tasted – a Sauvagine Blanc, Rose, and Pinot Noir.  Margo decided that Sauvagine Blanc isn’t one of her favorite wines, and neither of us could even finish the Rose and Pinot Noir tastings.  Some in our group liked the wines. 

The wine cave was kind of neat but, again, not overwhelming for anyone who has been to California or Italian wineries.

That evening (Thursday), we went to a highly-rated Indian Restaurant called Taj.  There are a lot of Indian people throughout New Zealand.  The food may have been the best Indian food we have ever had.  It is somewhat different, with phenomenal flavor.  The food was so delicious that we returned on Saturday, our last day in Queensland.

Our tour group enjoyed a final group dinner at Captain’s Restaurant in Queenstown on Friday night.  We had heard about green-lipped mussels when we first arrived in New Zealand but had not yet tried them.  Margo ordered some as an appetizer with the intent to share them with the table.  It turns out she ate many more than she shared!  They were surprisingly good!  As described, they are juicy and have a sweet, delicate flavor and a tender texture.  And these were perfectly cooked.

After dinner, we said farewell to our traveling companions.  We all communicated throughout the trip using a group chat on WhatsApp.  We are still hearing from group members as they experience new adventures.

On Saturday, we explored Queenstown by ourselves.  It is a cute town (small city) with a lively and interesting downtown shopping area.  After Margo got the last remaining souvenirs, we experienced the most incredible ice cream at Patagonia Chocolates.  What a place!  The long line out the door was well worth the wait. 

As we were walking along the street, we saw a sign from the Universe saying we must stay!

Sunday, we packed our bags and headed to the airport.  We bought our tickets through United Airlines but had to fly on its partner airline, a very uncomfortable, budget airline (Jetstar) from Queenstown to Auckland.  After booking the flight, we learned Jetstar is rated among the bottom ten low-cost carriers. Fortunately, it was only an hour and a half flight, so we managed (although Mark constantly complained about his knees hitting the seat in front of him.)

During our layover in Auckland, Margo had (or created) some excitement.  We have been hearing about the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, which is ranked second in the world.  Since Elliott is such a sports fan, we had bought him an All Blacks jersey in Queenstown.  As we are entering the Air New Zealand lounge for our layover, out walks two players from the All Blacks national team.  Margo reacts in a not-so-quiet manner.  Then, heading up the escalator, she sees four more All Black players on the down escalator.

“Excuse me!” she yells.  “Are you part of the real All Blacks team!?”

They smile and acknowledge yes, they are.  “Can I get your picture?”

Acknowledging their agreement, they smile and wave as they continue down the escalator as we head up.

Disappointed that she didn’t get a better picture of the players to share with Elliott, she looked up and, walking towards her, was a lone All Blacks player – sunglasses and headphones on, signaling, “Leave me alone.” Margo rushes towards him and says, “Excuse me.  My grandson is a huge sports fan.  Can I get a picture with you!?”

He was such a trooper! After our pose, I asked, “And what is your name?  My grandson will want to know.”  Margo sends her sincere thanks to Akuila Rokolisoa.

And Elliott and Margo are pleased.

After the photo session had ended, she noticed that many of the passengers in the lounge were watching her, some of them smiling, some of them shaking their heads.  Yes, she had made a scene with the players, but it was a fun story to share with Elliott!

It was a short flight home – we left Queenstown Sunday morning at 10:45 and arrived in Phoenix Sunday afternoon at 1:45. We have no idea how many hours the flights covered, but we lost a day flying through the International Date Line – ignorance is bliss.

Both Australia and New Zealand are wonderful places to visit.  The people are friendly and hospitable.  And we never had to worry about drinking the water or eating the food.  Put it on your bucket list and go with a tour guide.  We never would have seen, experienced, or learned so much without the benefit of our tour guide.   

 We may have a postscript with some follow-up thoughts, but for now, this is the end of our incredible journey down under!