Milford Sound and beyond.....

Sorry for the infrequency of blog posts on this road trip.....we left our Mac charger (we use the Mac for photo editing) back in Whangarei, and have had to rely on the occasional encounter with a fellow Mac user to bum a quick charge.....ughhhhh.   Will try to get caught up here as quickly as we can!

We're also experimenting with the blog design.....not quite there yet, but let us know if you think it's an improvement.....



Kayaking Milford Sound

In our last post, we had just arrived in Milford Sound.  The Sound is in a sub tropical rainforest, so we cooled our heels for a day of deluge until the dawn broke clear, and we were good to head out for a kayak trip with Roscoe Kayaks.  These guys do a great job.  The kayaks were new and in good shape, paddles were carbon fiber, and they provided all clothes down to the poly pro undies!

We left the dock at dawn, 3 double kayaks and a great guide, Tristan, in a single.  This was their longest trip, paddling the full length of the Sound, all the way out to the Tasman Sea, about 21 km.  Next stop would be Australia!

Sunrise over Milford Sound

It was a gorgeous morning, no wind, clear crisp skies, and an awesome sunrise lighting the peaks around us.  The paddling was at a decent pace, all in the boats were experienced paddlers.

We paddled by many waterfalls, the walls streaming from the rain of the previous day.  At one, we stopped to take a quick shower under the falls, following Tristan's lead so as not to capsize the boats.  No worries, all made it in good knick.

Really great to go early, as we beat the armada of cruise boats who overtook us just as we were finishing the trip a few hours after we started.  Milford is one of the top attractions of NZ, and we hear they take as many as 5,000 people A DAY to the sound, by boat, plane, and chopper.  Wish we could have cued the sound track from Apocalypse Now.......

Finally, after stops at waterfalls and sea lion rookeries, we reached the end of Milford, where Tristan called for the pickup boat to come and get us back to "town".......All in all, a great morning on the water, and we think the best way to see Milford Sound.



On the road again

We headed back to Queenstown to meet up with Seattle friends, Glen and Carol, who had picked up their camper van in Christchurch for a bit of Kiwi adventuring.  All went according to plan, and we got in some good tramping, both around Queenstown and east, as we worked our way into the Catlins, on the coast between Invercargill and Dunedin.

On top of Queenstown Hill

Glen takes one for the team as he thwarts an alien invasion

South Island traffic jam

More traffic

"If sheep could fly....."  Oh wait.....they CAN !!!

Trying (unsuccessfully) to keep dry.....

Emptying the vile efluvia.....ah, the glamour of the open road!!!

What's the worst that could happen, right???

Nothing handles like a rental !!!       "Yes sir, we'd like ALL the insurance for this bad boy....."

Glen checks out "berdans", part of an old gold mining operation on a hike through "the "Invincibles"

Before we head off to the Catlins, here's a pop quiz, from our last post.....

You may recall that we stopped off for a visit with friends Gray and Carolyn at their bach (pronounced "batch".....Kiwi for vacation home).   What sport is being pursued in the following picture, taken in their living room ???

. . . . . . . . . . .


Still guessing???

If you guessed "FISHING", damn you're good !!!!!   We set up the rods over the beach across the road, about 10 meters from the window........."FISH ON".......Sweet As !!!!!


Cheers!