Our last stop in New Zealand is at Te Anau. During the two-hour drive from Queenstown we come across a thick bank of cloud. Our hearts sink. We had deliberately left early in order to hike through Gertrude Saddle. However, it can not be attempted in anything but clear, dry weather. This part of the world averages 18m of rain a year! Fortunately for us, the travel Gods are smiling on us, and we drive out the other side of the offending cloud after about 30 minutes. Blue sky greets us as we near our destination and we stop at the Mirror Lakes en route. Well worth the small detour!
We’ve been told that even a short walk up the valley is worth the effort, even if one doesn’t make it up the mountain. It’s described as an expert track, with a duration of 4-6 hours. With the weather as it is, it would be rude not to give it a go!
The valley floor is one of the most beautiful that we’ve seen. It’s like walking through a botanical garden, but one framed by mountains. Despite being summer, there is still snow three quarters of the way up the slopes, with waterfalls cascading at regular intervals, fed by the melting ice.
The ascent, whilst beautiful, is not for the faint-hearted. Much like Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, it includes a hefty amount of bouldering, with sections laid with cable, to assist the climber. I hate heights and nearly call it quits before the Black Lake. However, a couple walking back down from the summit tell us it is worth pushing on and boldly state that it’s ‘the best hike they have ever done in their life.’ Quite the accolade. Feels rude not to keep going with an accolade like that. They are quite right, the view is pretty spectacular from the top.
We are both dead on our feet by the time we climb back down. We make it back to our Airbnb running on fumes after a long day! Our accommodation is called the ‘Tin Shed.’ I guess that is a pretty apt description – but what a setting. Our shed is perched high on a sheep and deer farm overlooking the valley. Simply stunning!
Next day we are due to head into Milford Sound itself. It has a reputation for being perhaps the most beautiful spot in New Zealand. It’s described as being an all-weather location. In the rain, the waterfalls are resplendent. In the sun, the mountains are purportedly stunning. If the weather forecast is correct – we should see both. Heavy rain is forecast for the morning with sunshine in the mid-afternoon. We head out with our figures crossed and our hoods up!
In fairness it’s not the best start to the day. Despite the aesthetic charm of the Tin Shed, it is in the middle of nowhere and to hammer the point home, we wake up to no power and no water (which is fed by pump). The only water available is via an outdoor tap. Given that it’s hacking it down with rain and cold to boot, our al fresco wash is certainly refreshing but perhaps not quite what we had in mind!
Jenn’s logistical genius comes to the fore again today. She has pre-booked a driver for the day – which means we both have the luxury of being able to sit back and enjoy the view without worrying about timings and avoiding the insane local drivers. The drive is supposed to be as much of an experience as the destination itself.
It takes the best part of two hours to get into Milford Sound – but we make a brief stop at Gertrude Saddle – to compare and contrast with yesterday. What a difference a day makes! The cloud is low and menacing. No one will be attempting the walk today, although the rain has created a myriad of new waterfalls.
To get to Milford Sound one passes through the Homer tunnel, which is a 1.2 km long single-lane, unlit road that passes straight through the mountain. So dense is the rock that no supporting infrastructure is required.
On the other side we encounter something that I have been itching to see, a Kea. It’s a characterful parrot that is known for its cheek and misbehaviour. Sure enough it soon hops on top of our Tesla looking for rubber seals to eat. The car bears the scars from previous encounters. I’d be prepare to forgive it, it’s such a cool and beautiful bird!
The waterfalls in the Claddeau Valley are countless. It’s impressive.
It’s still raining when we arrive at the dock to board the boat that will take us onto the Sound, which is actually part of the Tasman Sea.
We encounter bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, and the most incredible waterfalls. In fairness to the captain, he gives passengers fair warning before heading towards one of the more powerful cascades. Despite the advanced notice, people still seem surprised when they get soaked from head to foot. Safely ensconced inside with a coffee, we have a great time watching the chaos! The sun also makes a welcome appearance.
On the way back to Te Anau, Jamie lets me drive the Tesla. Toying with getting one when I get home, so this was an extended test drive. Have to say I was pretty impressed. I drove 70 kilometres and touched the break twice – despite the hairpin corners.
On the return journey we can’t resist another Kea stop, pull over for to walk amongst incredible lupins, and walk along the shore of a lake so clear that we can see the salmon from the bank.
Navigating rogue sheep, we return to the Tin Shed where power has been restored and cook a simple barbecue overlooking the stunning hills and bewildered cloven neighbours!
One of my dearest ambitions in the this part of the world is to see the aurora australis, otherwise known as the southern lights. We’ve seen the northern lights in Norway – but not many people talk about their southern counterparts. I have an app that reports solar flares and gives an indication of likelihood. To see the lights you need: to be a long way south (tick); altitude (tick); a clear sky (tick-ish); an early phase moon (tick); a good viewing platform (tick); and plenty of solar activity (fingers crossed).
It doesn’t get dark until 22.30 and the moon, although in an early phase, casts a decent amount of wholly unhelpful light. I sit outside with my camera and tripod for two hours. One of the frustrating things about the aurora is that sometimes you can’t make it out with the naked eye, but it may be visible through a camera on appropriate settings. The challenge is that you have to sit outside in the cold and dark, take a million photos, and hope that at some point you start to see some interesting hues. My two hour vigil is rewarded. The lights aren’t dancing, in the way that we’ve seen them in the northern hemisphere, but they are a beautiful purple!
The contrast with the dark night sky is pretty incredible. Milky Way on the left, southern lights on the right.
What a day! Milford Sound, Kea, and the southern lights!
Our last day in New Zealand sees us up bright and early. It’s another stunning morning. We’ve booked ourselves a late anniversary/early Christmas present. We’ve never been on a seaplane and figured there can’t be many cooler places to break our duck. It’s a short trip of 60 minutes, but we head up over the mountain and land on a lake that few people ever get to see. Taking off and landing on water is great fun, and the location is idyllic.
Well, I say the location is idyllic… it is certainly beautiful. However, one of the challenges with New Zealand is the sand flies. I’ve not mentioned this fact to date. But at the time of writing, Jenn and I have more bites than we can count. They are incredibly itchy and in my case resulted in a crazy rash that has managed to curtail my sleep for two nights on the bounce. Hence, even on a bright sunny day, people cover themselves from head to foot. This location is by far the worst that we have been to. They are everywhere!
Glad to get back in the plane after a twenty minute stroll in the solitude, that almost results in repetitive strain injury, such is the ferocity of my swatting.
Back in the plane a battle ensues. This mountain range was featured heavily in Lord of the Rings. However, no battle was fought as fiercely as the one that I am embroiled in with the sand flies. If you’ve seen Boromir fighting the orcs at the end of the first movie – this is similar. Overwhelming numbers, all hope lost… they are everywhere! It’s quite hard to take photos with one hand whilst frantically swatting with the other. I would like to think however, that I give a good account of myself and had any sand flies survived to tell the tale, it would have gone down in folklore amongst future generations of biting critters.
Having survived the battle of the sand flies, it’s back to Queenstown for a final Fergburger before headed to the airport and a flight to Auckland.
Both Jenn and I have mixed emotions as we start the next leg of our travels. We are excited about where we are heading over the next few months, but equally sad to be leaving New Zealand. We have really lucked out with the weather on the South Island, and when the sun shines in this part of the world, the scenery is as beautiful as anywhere we have ever been (including Patagonia and the Dali Desert). We both think that 5 weeks was a tad ambitious and that we could easily have filled two months here.
Aotearoa (Maori name for New Zealand) lacks the wildlife of Australia, it has maddening sand flies (that unlike most insects lack the decency to operate solely at dusk and dawn), it has the most ferocious sun of any country we’ve visited, (ozone layer is crazy thin here so you can get burnt in 15 degrees and overcast conditions), but it is stunning! I can fully understand why people rave about it.
Will certainly be sad to say farewell as we head for Taiwan tomorrow. But who knows, maybe we’ll be back one day…
The scenery looks stunning and the colours spectacular.
The light is so clear and air suct be so unpolluted.