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skyring's book "Bookcrossing Through Middle-Earth," I knew that New Zealand was a place that I wanted to visit. After signing up for our "ski" trip, I was hoping to visit some of the same places, but I wasn't sure how many would be accessible. However, the descriptions of Milford Sound convinced me that I HAD to find a way to get there. Luckily, our trip leader decided to organize a side tip to Milford Sound, and I eagerly signed up.
On our second morning in Queenstown, our bus pulled away from the hotel in the pre-dawn dark, in a light rain. Unfortunately, the early hour prevented us from enjoying the scenery as we drove south around Lake Wakatipu. A couple of hours later we stopped for breakfast at a tourist trap in Te Anau. I grabbed some food from the cafeteria, released a book (The Confession of Joe Cullen, by Howard Fast), and did some souvenir shopping. Soon, we were back on our bus, driving up through the Fiordland National Park to Homer Tunnel and Milford Sound. It was overcast, but light enough to enjoy the increasingly beautiful landscape. We left the farmland behind and moved into the mountains, with snow capped peaks surrounding us. It was strange to be driving through the middle of a rain forest, looking up at the mountains, which were covered with snow, only a few thousand feet above us.
As we drew near the Homer Tunnel, which passes through the mountains below the Homer Pass, we began to see signs of recent avalanche activity, and the roadside was lined with signs that read "No Stopping - Avalanche Zone." After passing through the tunnel, we finally arrived at the wharf at Milford Sound. We were running behind, and had to hurry to catch our boat to tour the Sound (though I still released another book at the wharf -- A Botanist at Bay, by John Sherwood). It will take me a long time to find the words to describe the beauty of Milford Sound. It is one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous places I have ever visited. For the time being, I have to hope that these pictures can convey at least a portion of the beauty of this place.
After a stunning cruise, one that included dolphins frolicking in our bow wave, seals sunbathing on the rocks, and penguins working their way over the rocks to their breeding grounds, departure time inevitably arrived. During the long, drowsy ride back to Queenstown, I happened to look to the left and saw one of the most impressive rainbows I've ever seen:
It was a long, tiring day, but it was one of the highlights of the trip. Milford Sound, by itself, was worth making the long trip across the Pacific. The amazing thing is that this was only one day out of a two week trip!
skyring's book "Bookcrossing Through Middle-Earth," I knew that New Zealand was a place that I wanted to visit. After signing up for our "ski" trip, I was hoping to visit some of the same places, but I wasn't sure how many would be accessible. However, the descriptions of Milford Sound convinced me that I HAD to find a way to get there. Luckily, our trip leader decided to organize a side tip to Milford Sound, and I eagerly signed up.On our second morning in Queenstown, our bus pulled away from the hotel in the pre-dawn dark, in a light rain. Unfortunately, the early hour prevented us from enjoying the scenery as we drove south around Lake Wakatipu. A couple of hours later we stopped for breakfast at a tourist trap in Te Anau. I grabbed some food from the cafeteria, released a book (The Confession of Joe Cullen, by Howard Fast), and did some souvenir shopping. Soon, we were back on our bus, driving up through the Fiordland National Park to Homer Tunnel and Milford Sound. It was overcast, but light enough to enjoy the increasingly beautiful landscape. We left the farmland behind and moved into the mountains, with snow capped peaks surrounding us. It was strange to be driving through the middle of a rain forest, looking up at the mountains, which were covered with snow, only a few thousand feet above us.
As we drew near the Homer Tunnel, which passes through the mountains below the Homer Pass, we began to see signs of recent avalanche activity, and the roadside was lined with signs that read "No Stopping - Avalanche Zone." After passing through the tunnel, we finally arrived at the wharf at Milford Sound. We were running behind, and had to hurry to catch our boat to tour the Sound (though I still released another book at the wharf -- A Botanist at Bay, by John Sherwood). It will take me a long time to find the words to describe the beauty of Milford Sound. It is one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous places I have ever visited. For the time being, I have to hope that these pictures can convey at least a portion of the beauty of this place.
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After a stunning cruise, one that included dolphins frolicking in our bow wave, seals sunbathing on the rocks, and penguins working their way over the rocks to their breeding grounds, departure time inevitably arrived. During the long, drowsy ride back to Queenstown, I happened to look to the left and saw one of the most impressive rainbows I've ever seen:
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It was a long, tiring day, but it was one of the highlights of the trip. Milford Sound, by itself, was worth making the long trip across the Pacific. The amazing thing is that this was only one day out of a two week trip!
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