Well the road to Milford and Milford Sound Cruise have completely blown me away. All unbelievably awesome huuuge views. I simply don’t have the vocabulary to describe what the last couple of days have been like. Well they say a picture tells a thousand words so here goes:
On the road from Te Anau to Milford …
Mirror Lakes
Big Mountains …
The Chasm:
Milford Sound from shoreline walk
Waterfall, Milford Sound Cruise
Mountains from Milford Sound
Today I had the option of doing one of two walks. Lake Marian or Key Summit – well thank fuck I opted for Lake Marian. 3 hour return supposedly – took me at least 3 and half and that’s not taking into account photo stops. The two hour up (UP being the operative word) involved a lot of clambering over boulders, tree stumps and tree roots.
The twin combo of my lack of observational skills and some partially obscured way markers at key points meant a bit more clambering than was strictly necessary… Fortunately I was put back on the right track by other walkers before I’d gone too far wrong clambering over a boulder slope you just wouldn’t believe. The walk went through beautiful beech forest and the end point was oh so worth it:
Ferns, Lake Marian track
Lake Marian
Me hips and knees took a bit of a battering but I made it and on the way back more views of that gushing river that was my guide (up to a point).
The drive back to Te Anau was no less stunning than the drive the other way. At Cascade Creek there were fields full of these beautiful flowers (who’s name escapes me)
Eglington Valley
Lake Te Anau
So sensory overload over for another day. It’s back to camp for me and possibly a meal out this evening.
Hi Aba: Wow you are showing me lots of my country I have never viewed before – keep them coming!! We are all thoroughly enjoying our tour around Kiwiland with you. Wouldn’t have blamed you eating out after that walk – I think I would have just have the energy to have a drink and turn the lights out!!
You have a good New Year as well. We are just walking to our friends down the road – are not great new year revellers usually – but seeing they have invited us & my sister and her hubbie are coming over as well & will have a sleep over at ours (your bed) we might just have to see the New Years in with style!!
Keep those pictures & dialogue coming!
Hazel
Happy New Year Aba,
Thanks for food photos, helped satisfy my need to know whats going on your plate during this amazing trip. Pretty impressed with healthy eating. Were they little sprats on your Christmas dinner? Photos of Milford Sound are incredible, especially the clouds reflected one. What a fantastic journey. The flowers look like they might be lupins? I thought they were cultivated, but maybe in NZ they are wild. I know they are good for soil nutrition. You can grow them like a green manure.
Wonderful to be that close to penguins and close enough to sea lions. Sending you love and good wishes for your travel into 2008. Jillx
That’s two votes for Lupins then and yes they seem to grow wild over here and crop up in many places by the roadside.
Those sprats were probably mushrooms methinks… and the wildlife experiences have been great.
Hi Aba,Thanks again for the batteries.we are back home now after a fantastic time in new zealand it looks like your having a ball look forward to seeing the whale watching photos . Derek
No worries Derek. Glad to hear you also had a fab time in NZ – hard not to.
Will be home by the end of the month and will get those pics to you asap after that (I have at least 3000 to wade through…).
Wow . New Zealand tourist board should sign you up.
Your photos truly show the beauty of the land.
Why thankyou J. Perhaps that can be my scam to come back here for longer. I’ll give em a call 🙂