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Map New Zealand 2014

October - November 2014
A 12-day adventure by Kristofor Read more
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  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 2

    Trip Start

    October 31, 2014 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 3

    Christchurch

    November 1, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    It was great to be back at the international terminal of Melbourne airport. It was a bit surreal. It all felt so casual, laidback, effortless and easy compared to last time around. 10 nights in New Zealand pales in comparison to an open ended world flight, but still Nat and I were looking forward to the adventure ahead. I spent the afternoon packing, and not just for myself; two rabbits had to be prepared for a holiday of their own. With their holiday retreat organized, we set off for Tullamarine for a 6.35pm flight.
    Everything went amazingly smoothly. Check in efficient; customs a breeze; and for possibly the first time in history I wasn't randomly searched and screened by security. We settled in for a pre flight beer, reminiscing about last year and enthusing about the trip to come! Theres so much to come.

    Our Virgin Australia flight was delayed, but otherwise pretty decent. Ultimately it just felt like a domestic flight. We sat next to a cheery lady from Christchurch who had plenty of suggestions for our trip ahead. The final half hour of the (3.5 hour) trip arriving into Christchurch was one of the roughest in memory. Still, we touched down in one piece just behind schedule around midnight local time (2 hours ahead of Melbourne time).
    We were quick to clear customs, grab a cheap local simcard $35nzd (exchange 1AUD = 1.13NZD), and pick up our hire car for the journey being a new brown KIA CERATO..with GPS (awesome!). Great car, just not a big enough boot to contain our luggage. Last year we had 20kg backpacks for over 6 months, this year it was 23kg for 10 nights.. It was just a 20 minute drive from the airport to our first nights accommodation at Merivale Court Motel on the fringes of the Christchurch CBD. Amazed at how exhausted we both were we just fell into bed around 2am    Read more

  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 4

    Blenheim

    November 2, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Well what an awesome day today has been. I'm sitting here now at our comfy room at the Two Tree Lodge in Blenheim, with slight sunburn, a full stomach and half a bottle of Shingle Peak wine to finish. After-all, we have now arrived in the Marlborough region!

    The day started off in Christchurch. We were up (barely) with weary eyes around 8.30am to grab breakfast and explore Christchurch. I found a nice spot called Vics Bakery and Cafe. Wasn't a bargain at 45nzd for us both but our eggs Benedict/Florentine and freshly squeezed juices hit the spot. Subsequent exploration of Christchurch was actually a brisk, sad and largely uneventful affair. Of course Id read/heard about the extensive damage done by the 2010-11 earthquakes, but actually exploring the CBD and seeing it for myself first hand was an eye opener
    Nat Kaikoura
    Nat Kaikoura
    . The city was a construction zone. It felt like a ghost town. Empty, quiet streets, ad hoc witches hats for seemingly random road blocks, quarter full make shift rocky car parks where buildings once stood and derelict, half destroyed structures everywhere you looked. Tumbleweeds would be right at home. Especially in abandoned hotels, shops and businesses it felt like someone had hit a stop watch in February 2011. They were left just as they were when the quakes hit. Menus still visible, lights hanging, tourist information brochures on the rack, all with dust, debris and leaves for company. It was all a sad sight, most notably the state of the grand central Cathedral, its spire gone and rear collapsed entirely, now a gaping window to the dozens of grateful pigeons that have taken residence on The exposed beams within.

    From Christchurch, we started the 2.5 hours drive northwards along the East Coast towards Kaikoura and then onwards to Blenheim in the Marlborough region. Don't think for a second though that this drive was a chore. On the contrary, I feel the drives around the South Island are going to make up a memorable part of our overall experience. It wasn't long after departing Christchurch we were marveling at lush green fields, rolling hills, pretty streams, rivers and yes, countless sheep.

    First a pit stop for supplies, and what eventuated into the worst part of the day. Not the shopping part; wine, muesli bars, chocolate, juice, water, chips, fruit, lollies, bread, ham and cheese to sustain us for our travels; that and an unwanted discovery on return to our car. A friendly and kind individual was waiting to deliver us bad news: some careless fellow had plowed his door into the side of our rental car, inspected his work, left his mark and went on his way with no note. Our informer kindly provided us details, but unsure of how this will eventuate.

    The drive into Kaikoura was inspiring. Shades of the Great Ocean Road back home and Cape of Good Hope road in South Africa. Winding roads, crystal clear bright blue water, tunnels, and even the bonus of overlooking Whitecap mountains above. The town itself feels like a surf beach side resort, where we settled on the beach for ham and cheese rolls for lunch. We elected to skip whale watching due to time restrictions, extreme cost, mixed reviews and similar experiences. Instead we took a couple hours walk along the Kaikoura Peninsula trail down towards some seal colonies and beaches.

    What a beautiful and scenic walk in glorious warm sunshine under blue skies. Seeing wild seals only metres away was pretty special. The walk took us up along cliff edges with great views of the ocean, beaches and thousands of birds and seals.That wouldn't be enough, or the best of the seal action to come however. Id real of a place north of Kaikoura called Oahu where small seal cubs liked to hang out. When we found the lookout, that was pretty awesome. No other people, and a couple hundred seals on the beach, many very young and very playful. The best was yet to come though at Ohau stream down the road.

    A 10 minute walk to the base of a waterfall. Here a pool with 8 tiny seal cubs playfully living it up whilst their parents are out fishing... living it up.. and their big black eyes. Think the cat from Shrek, times 107. One of the best animal experiences in memory.An hour on, we arrived at Blenheim around 7.30. We picked up some fish n chips and settled for a night in as the weather changed and rain started to fall. Tomorrow we have a full day to explore the wine region of Marlborough before heading on to Nelson.    Read more

  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 5

    Nelson, Picton & Wine Country

    November 3, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We enjoyed a sleep in and leisurely start to the day. We woke to find the heavy rain of last night had passed leaving relatively clear blue skies. We checked out of our Blenheim accommodation and drove north to check out the coastal town of Picton, where the ferry departs for Wellington and the North Island. Picton was a pretty place, a small beach town, surrounded by lush forest overlooking a turquoise bay and impressive fjord. After some time here, we were ready to start todays main objective; tasting Marlborough wines.
    Our first stop at Saint Clair was a bit of a fail, the winery being closed for renovation. Fortunately there was a local foods business on site with cheeses, fudge, mushrooms and honey available for tasting. We walked away with one of the best bries iv ever had (Over the Moon OMG triple cream brie).

    Next onto Hunters, and a full range of wines for sampling here, a good sauv blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, pinit noir and a red blend called the chaser. Our third stop actually wasn't a winery at all. We passed it per chance and I insisted on stopping. I hadn't heard of the Moa brewery before and was excited of the prospect of visiting a New Zealand brewery. It was well worth it. The range of the German brewer was delicious and $5 got me a sample of 6 of his 40 available beers.

    Stop Four, one of Natalies favorite Marlborough wines in Cloudy Bay. $10 for 5 tastings here but well worth it. We didn't leave here empty handed, taking away a bottle of Savingnon Blanc for our travels. By now it was approaching 2pm and we were really hungry. Stop Five in Wither Hills had a delicious selection and tables free, but we were rudely informed wed have to wait an hour to be seated? This treatment meant we needed a drink.. so time for tasting. Thankfully the wines here were good and we left with an unusual sparkling white. Next stop, Villa Maria, cruise ship, asked to wait, no thanks, next!

    Stop six, Giesons probably saved our lives by actually offering us lunch! A delicious share plate with salamis, hams, chicken, oysters, cheeses and strawberries lifted our spirits. The wines here werent bad either. Stop seven, just across the road to Wairau River. We left here with a bottle of Savingnon Blanc. Nautilus was just accross the road so we headed over the road for further tasting. Overall, nothing special. Time was running out and my palate was borderline slaughtered, so one last stop for the day; Hans Hertog. A bit of an upmarket feel here.. $10 fee for just 3 tastes. They were good, but not value.

    That was about all I could handle, so off to Nelson now for the night. The accommodation; Courtesy Court, would have been more appropriately named Courtesy Landing Strip. Aircraft soared overhead on a regular basis landing just down the road. The place was was good value, but pretty basic, with only one silverfish. A short walk down the beach had us at a variety of dinner options. We opted for the Smugglers Inn. A home cooked feel meal and local beer topped off a good day. It didn't take us too long to negotiate our way home via some sidestreets before we called it a day.    Read more

  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 6

    Abel Tasman National Park

    November 4, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today was huge. Were relaxed now, sitting in our beach side log cabin with hot chocolate following a spa and couple of beers. We were on the road from Nelson around 7.45 north west bound for the Abel Tasman national park. I couldn't believe our luck with weather. The forecast; thunderstorms and 20-40mm of rain. The reality, blue skies and relative warmth for NZ standards. The drive from Nelson to Kaiteriteri took around an hour. Here we boarded a 9.30 boat bound for Abel Tasman medlands boat stop. We got a prime view seat on the top deck at the back of the boat. Freezing and windy, with an hour of great views of the coast. We were dropped off at Medlands beach near Bark Bay around 10.30. We had around 5 hours to hike about 12-14km along the Abel Tasman Coastal track down to Anchorage for pick up. We took a couple of stop offs at South Head, the Falls River Swing Bridge, lunch at Torrent Bay and Cleopatra's Pool via the High Track. The walk offered breathtaking coastal views of turquoise blue water, lush green forest, golden beaches and the calming sounds of sociable bird songs. The weather held up for the vast majority of the experience, making it all the more beautiful. Rain sprinkled for the last hour, but was no hindrance or inconvenience. We arrived on anchorage beach with half an hour to spare, to explore some caves and get hassled by an overzealous duck.

    We chose an undercover seat for the boat trip back to Kaiteriteri, getting a seat next to a nice English guy Bert with whom we struck up a conversation. We were relieved the ship had us back at Kaiteriteri on schedule by 4.15, as our day was far from over. We had a 3.5-4 drive south and down the West Coast to Punaitiki. Initially it seemed a daunting task, especially with overcast skies and tired legs. After a while, the skies opened up, the sun returned, and we were treated to mountain views, rolling hills and countless streams and bridges.

    We arrived at the Pancake rocks by around 7.45, just in time for sunset. After being initially skeptical at the mediocrity of the first couple lookouts we were soon treated to some spectacular views and appreciated the popularity of this place. The blowholes here were amazing. Huge ocean swell bashing across a rugged coast and sending all sorts of admirable splashes about. The pancake rocks themselves also sported some impressive formations. After completing the 45 minute circuit and heading onwards we arrived at our nights accommodation at the Beach Hideaway just as light faded from the sky.

    Our log cabin was certainly my favorite accommodation to date and came with a separate spa cabin, contained with an outside view. What better way to round off an awesome but exhausting day. Sleep tonight around 11.30. Earlish start tomorrow for our trip to Franz Joseph glacier. Id like to get up and explore the area here in the daylight in the morning!    Read more

  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 7

    Franz Josef

    November 5, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    It all started with a sneeze. Nat down. Suspected broken neck and paralysis. Only 8am. Still time enough for a quick morning stroll before we head down to Franz Joseph for a helicopter ride and glacier hike. Its only a couple hours south and only 10 minutes to the beach. Wrong. The path to the beach is covered in mud. Deep mud. Deep enough to swallow and break my thongs. We saw a baby horse. That was pretty cool. By the time we got back to our hotel for departure and Id checked our route I realized we were behind schedule. It was further than I thought. We needed to average a speed of 260km p/hr to make it to our Glacier Hike on time. Oh and Nats life is flashing before her eyes so looks like I'm driving. Buckle up.
    At the end of the day, we made it to Franz Joseph in the nick of time, including a petrol and toilet stop, at the cost of a ruptured bladder and possibly becoming sterile. Nat ended up driving 2/3 of the way. I'm an alright driver, but shes the grand master. A seasoned veteran, especially on windy roads. Its not like driving my dying car to the train station and back. We did see a suspected kiwi on the way. Just beyond Parapoa park.

    So we arrive, blue skies, sunshine, 10 minutes to spare, ready to gear up for a glacier hike, only to be told 'Were deeply sorry' all helicopter flights today are cancelled. Its windy up there apparently. All tours are cancelled. I look outside and theres not enough breeze to make your hair move. It looks like the most beautiful day Franz Joseph has seen in years. Instead, we pick up a dissatisfying refund and try to decide what to do with our suddenly ample time. I'm not good at making nothing seem exciting.

    Theres a walk to the glacier, at least to get a view of it, so we opt to go for it. Its a nice walk in truth. We try to swallow our bitterness and enjoy it. Its a wide mountain valley track, overlooked by towering mountains dozens of waterfalls and a gentle stream down the centre.
    Earlier we were told some guides were stranded on the glacier due to helicopter issues. Throughout the afternoon we hear probably ten helicopters fly overhead, each being like a dagger in our hearts, like being forced to relive some long repressed torment or tragedy. The view of the glacier itself is nice, but a little underwhelming, I think we've seen better in Norway and Svalbard.

    Next lunch at a bakery. A cold average pie and 'Glacier' pasty that was drier than the Sahara dessert. Were finding anything Glacier-related to cause grave heartache.
    We needed a couple more activities to fill the afternoon now. First, a kiwi experience. Ive always wanted to get a close look at a kiwi. $35nz each? OK, a bit pricey, but who cares?
    This was putrid value. It was literally three rooms. One at entrance with some kiwi info. The second was the kiwi exhibit, almost too dark to see the kiwi and two of the three small chicks. We were told silence was critical to the animals health. I guess the construction worker didn't get the memo. The sounds of intense drilling into the walls and blaring car horns annoyed customers more than the birds. The last room had a bit of glacier info (not that we were keen on thinking about that right now) and 2.67 minutes later we were finished.

    We checked in at our hotel at Glenfern Villas, which although a bit pricey seemed very comfortable, just outside of town. We emptied our luggage, mingled with the resident pet sheep and llamas and changed into swimwear. Last stop; the Franz Joseph hotsprings. For $50nzd for both of us, this was a decent deal. We spent a couple hours here soaking, relaxing, the springs doing wonders for Nats neck. With her recovering, and a comfy hotel villa awaiting us we opted to grab some take away Indian/Thai and sit at our villa with a bottle of Reisling from Gieisens and Lord of the Rings. Some fireworks crackled outside for 'Guy Fawkes' celebrations (why is this a NZ celebration) and we settled in for a comfy quiet night. Its late now, and tomorrow were off to Queenstown. We made the best of a disappointing day today, but I hope tomorrow is better.    Read more

  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 8

    Haast

    November 6, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We left the dissapointment of Franz Josef behind us to embark on a most spectacular drive south towards Queenstown. It was one of the prettiest drives I can remember, again maximized by picture perfect weather. Blue skies and sunshine. A half hour south of Franz Josef we stopped for a photo at its neighbour the Fox Glacier. From there it wasnt too far on down the west coast to the township of Haast. Not alot here, a few homes, and a few resteraunts/cafes. From here the road beyond leaves the coast and heads into the mountains. Its usually closed daily from 4-6pm on, and often completely in winter. Time, season and weather was on our side and the way was open.

    The scenery changed from coast, valleys and streams to a narrow windy mountain road, with forested mountain views, plenty of evidence of rockslides, countless waterfalls and one-way bridges. Iv yet to mention how commonplace one-way bridges are in New Zealand. You either get a 'right of way' or 'give way' sign, have to look ahead and hope to get through before oncoming traffic. The majority of the time its a non-issue as the roads arent exactly densely populated. We made a couple stops along the way, most notably the Thunder Falls which was quite impressive! Eventually we came out of the mountains onto a ridge road winding between two lakes; Wanaka on the left and Hawea to the right. The road offered spectacular views of again, that turquoise blue water, surrounded by mountains.

    Eventually, we arrived into the lakeside city of Wanaka around 1pm for lunch. We stopped in for a delicious pizza and beer. Refueling was again painful (cost between $2.10-2.25nz p/ltr). We spent a short time here on the lakeside enjoying the view before heading on towards Queenstown through the Queensrange valley road. Heading through the Queensridge towards Queenstown was another spectacular mountain views with steep cliffs, lakes below and Queenstown in the distance. After a while we descended a steep windy decline into the valley below.

    Not far from Queenstown we made a detour to check out the pretty Arrowtown, a historic gold mining town. We stopped for a stroll up and down the 'main' one way Arrow Street, with nice little shops and cafes. We enjoyed a memorable and delicious chocolate brownie from the bakery here. It was only a short drive into Queenstown from here, and with time ticking onto 3.30 we went straight to the Kiwi Birdlife Park. This was a nice little zoo with not only Kiwis but several other native New Zealand birds including the Koa mountain parrot. Whilst still small (we got through here in an hour), this was a vastly superior kiwi experience to yesterdays rip off at Franz Josef. Specifically memorable was watching the kiwis peck at me through the glass with squinty eyes, chase each other about and enjoy a feeding session.

    From here, we walked over the road and boarded the Queenstown cable car (included with our Kiwi Park ticket).What a view from the top. Wow! Queenstown has to among the most picturesque cities Ive visited, nestled in a valley on a giant turquoise lake surrounded by whitecap mountains. Amazing! After a while enjoying the views, sunshine and fresh air we thought wed go enquire about dinner at the resteraunt here before heading down. We were interupted by the shouting of some Mouri actors inviting guests to the Mouri culture show about to start. 'So youre here for the show??' Ah, sure? 'Can I see your ticket?' Sure, heres our cable car ticket? Whilst this wasnt for this extra show, there were only four others there for it, so they invited us in anyway. But first, we need a male volunteer, and since theres only two males here, and the other is a timid asian guy.. looks like Im it..Basically I was elected to be chief of our group and receive a peace offering after an intimidating Mouri dance. The show was great and lasted about half hour. It consisted of a variety of cultural dances and songs and got everyone involved; the ladies (Nat included) on stage to dance with these traditional balls-on-ropes. After that, both us guys were invited up on stage to learn and perform the 'Haka'. It was fun giving it a shot, but my technique probably needs work.

    We headed down on the gondola and off to our hotel Mantra Marina by around 7, located about 10 minutes out of town. We changed and headed into the city centre for dinner, starving. We found a place by the water called Pub on Wharf with $20nz meals. I can say that my meal was amazing, possibly the best PorkBelly I have ever had. Just amazing. A couple hours and Macs beers later we were ready to call it a night. We have an early start tomorrow as we head over on a long drive to Milford Sound.    Read more

  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 8

    Queenstown

    November 6, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    It all turned out to be more difficult and painful than I had hoped. Eventually, I found a nice place to drop to one knee and ask the question. After laughing at me in shock for 30 seconds, she eventually said yes.

    Our cabin at Milford was so picturesque, comfortable and beautiful I opted to keep the window above our bed open for sunrise to greet us. When light shone in around 5am, I opened the stream side curtains to enjoy the view and sound of the stream while I snoozed. It looked overcast, but dry.When I woke again proper around 7.30 it had started to rain. Thick cloud and mist had rolled in, hardly ideal for a helicopter ride. Looks like more trouble for my engagement plans. The initial objective was to propose at Franz Josef Glacier. That helicopter cancellation was brutal, especially on such a clear day. Id left the ring in the car at Ohau Stream north of Kiakoura, opted to hold off (whilst tempted) at Abel Tasman, and left the ring in the car for our ride up the cable car in Queenstown. Another potential hindrance in proposing was grinding on my nerves and the ring was getting heavier and heavier. It was starting to be as heavy a burden as Gollum experienced in Lord of the Rings. It wasn't just the hindrance, I wanted the proposal to be perfect and all my plans were either being cancelled beyond my control or the opportunities were unfolding in the wrong sequence.

    We checked into reception for breakfast around 8.30, rain falling steady and visibility non existent. The bacon egg and tomato baguettes were delicious. Staff advised us the weather was predicted to clear by the afternoon (our flight was scheduled for 3pm) so everything should be alright. Much like at Franz Josef, Natalie was getting frustrated at my apparently excessive disappointment, which not being able to explain, just made me more annoyed!First up, we had a scenic cruise of the Milford Fjord booked. We sat up on the deck, undercover, with jackets and coffees and enjoyed the view. It was a great cruise (not great enough to propose), despite visibility being slightly restricted and the dreary weather. It really provided an accurate and typical viewing of the typical state/conditions of the fjord. We sailed by countless cliff faces, caves, felt the power and spray from a grand waterfall, and saw a couple of rare penguins and plenty of playful seals on the shore. Another notable feature was sailing past only one of two visible fault lines on earth; where the New Zealand and Australia plates meet.

    The cruise took us right out to the Tasman Sea edge, then back around the other side of the fjord to drop us off at the floating sea observatory: Milford Deep.The whole observatory was basically a cone, suspended over (and under) the fjord water by a couple metal arms. You descend 60 stairs from the boat landing to an underwater aquarium view. Basically, the people are in the 'enclosure' here and its about hoping some fish swim by to have a look. Some attached coral beds provided extra incentive for some fish to drop in for a feed. It was actually really impressive and we saw plenty of colorful fish and other sea creatures.We were soon speeding back to the boat terminal at Milford Sound, arriving there around 1.45. We fixed ourselves a quick ham and cheese roll lunch and then dropped into the cafe/ info centre for a beer and hot chips.

    By now the weather had substantially improved. All rain had stopped, fog had lifted and cloud cover was still dense but scattered. I figured Id ask the info lady here as to whether she was aware if the weather was adequate for our planned heli flight to go ahead. She called the company, who appeared to give a hesitant/unclear response that the weather wasn't quite good enough. I resisted the urge to go on a killing spree and figured wed confirm it at the helipad just down the road. The lady there kept me waiting about 10 minutes on what seemed like a personal call, then casually shrugged off that the weather wasn't ideal and generally 'they don't fly without three people'. She said an alternative flightplan to Sutherland Falls might be more feasible if they could find a third person? A bus off Asian tourists showed up and she vaguely suggested this to them, but of course no one was interested and the whole idea was put to bed. Just like that. Someone take my money and let me complete an awesome proposal dammit!

    It was after 3 now, and we had 4 hours travel back to Queenstown. Instead I dragged Nat back to the waters edge at Milford fjord, saying wed get another look at it with the tide further in, it'd look better now after all. I took her along the boardwalk, then off the track stepping carefully via the tide, right out onto the edge of the water. There the skies opened up, sun beamed down, and with a full view of the fjord and great waterfall beside us, asked the question. We hardly wanted to leave thereafter and spent a while longer enjoying the moment and scenery.The drive back was pretty smooth sailing, again soaking in the impressive range around Homers tunnel. We stopped for a walk at mistletoe lake near Te Anau downs, then on towards Queenstown. Nat couldn't stop looking at her ring (which ended up costing her a speeding fine..). We again stayed at the Mantra Marina motel on the outskirts of Queenstown. The drive in was spectacular too, coincided perfectly with the sunset. There was just enough time to enjoy an amazing Fergburger in Queenstown before falling into bed exhausted.    Read more

  • TravelerMap New Zealand 2014
    Day 9

    Milford Sound

    November 7, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Here I am in the most picturesque, scenic cabin after the most breathtaking, awe inspiring drive I have ever experienced. The Te Anau - Milford Highway is an experience in its own right. We arrived at Te Anau around 10, after departing Queenstown at 8.15. Its a pretty place by a lake for a stroll, to top up fuel, gather supplies and information before heading North towards Milford. We grabbed a pepper steak pie from here which lived up to its hype. Heading north is a journey into the heart of the Fjordland National Park. Its basically a sole 120km highway all the way to Milford with the exception of a 30km unpaved turnoff, Hollyford Road which finishes at Humboldt Falls. Along the way, dozens of short and long walks, lakes, tracks, pools, waterfalls and places to marvel at. Brief description aside, Ill pretty much just let the photos do the talking but I still feel they don't fully encapsulate the beauty of these places.

    First stop on the Highway was the Mirror Lakes. Aptly named as when still, so clear they reflect a mirror image of the overlooking mountains. Second, Cascade Creek, which linked onto the Lake Gunn Nature walk. This was a dense, green forest trail. The moss and fungus here clung to everything, making for a tangled array of green shapes all around. The track touched onto the banks of lake Gunn for a nice view.We made a couple of scenic lookout stops before reaching the Hollyford Road turn off. At one, we were lucky enough to see a wild Koa mountain parrot by the carpark, who was kind enough to pose for a photo. 1km into the Hollyford Road, we stopped off at the Lake Marian track. This sported a very cool swingbridge over a scenic river, following the river to a lookout of a few small but powerful waterfalls. This was nothing compared to what was to come.

    We followed the Hollyford road to the end and hiked about 15 minutes to come before the impressive towering Humboldt Falls. It really was huge. A thin falls broken into three sections tumbling off the mountain.From here we turned back, stopping at a historic grave en route back to the Highway. Here the mountains really lurched up, imposing their magnificence all around us, until we reached the mouth of Homers tunnel, the only land entrance to Milford Sound. Built in 1953, the tunnel pierces sheer rock to allow access to Milford. As if passing through wasn't enough, the views on the otherside rivaled anything Id seen before; Imposing cliffs, mountains with countless waterfalls falling everywhere. We wound through until we reached the Chasm, touted for its powerful waterfalls. Another place living up to its billing, we were greeted soon enough by the deafening sound of water surging through a canyon gap into the gully below.Just kilometres now to Milford itself.

    The actual view at the end was slightly underwhelming. With the tide out, it looked a little more like Milford Swamp. We checked into our amazing cabins at Milford lodge a little after 4. There was nothing underwhelming about this place; Luxury cabins, right on a turquoise blue river, with amazing mountain views. The rest of the afternoon we spent on a short Milford track, enjoying nachos at the cafe and just lapping up the views and atmosphere from our cabin. I decided tomorrow to book a helicopter flight above the Sound with a possible glacier landing. We also have breakfast, a fjord cruise and an underwater marine exhibit to look forward to. Plus the scenic return to Queenstown. Tomorrows going to be another great day.    Read more

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