We briefly met our tour group (12 plus us) and our lady tour guide/driver (call me “M” she says) at our 6 AM breakfast. The rest of the people had started last week with a tour of the North Island, so we were the only new additions to the group.  One of the couples we met happened to be named Bishop(from South Carolina) and the husband has been to 190 countries! That sort of makes my achievement not that impressive.  No, I am not changing my goal. I will simply accept new countries and add them to my list if/when they come.

We promptly boarded our 20 passenger bus at 6:30 AM for the day’s excursion- a trip to the world famous Milford Sound where we will be taking a boat ride in the largest fjord in New Zealand. It was a planned 6 hour bus ride there and we were scheduled to fly back to Queenstown after the boat ride to avoid another long drive back.  We left in the dark and most people napped until daylight allowed us to see the surrounding vistas. We saw many fields of grazing sheep, red stag deer (which are grown for food) and beef cattle. The area we passed through was lush and green with some good sized mountains looming beyond the fields. Some of the higher peaks had their first dusting of snow for the year, left by yesterday’s rain.

During our nearly 6 hour drive we stopped several times for “comfort” breaks and a bakery to buy luncheon sandwiches as there would be no food available on the boat. We also stopped for several photo ops and a short 20 minute walk at the “Chasm”,  a canyon carved by running water leaving interesting rock formations in the resultant canyon. The trip also included driving through a one-way (traffic alternates) 1 km tunnel at the top of a mountain pass.

We arrived at the boat launch area around 12:15. The weather was quite cool but luckily we wore our heavier coats and took gloves as we expected the boat ride to be on the chilly side. We were booked on one of the smaller (50-75? passenger) boats to cruise in Milford Sound. There was ample room both inside and outside for viewing and picture taking. The skipper did a nice job telling us what we were seeing as we spent an hour working our way out to where the fjord meets the ocean. We learned that this is one of the rainiest areas in all of New Zealand, receiving an average of 252 inches a year and that up to a three foot layer of fresh water lies on top of the salt water in Milford Sound.

At the mouth of the fjord we turned around for our one hour return to the marina. Of particular interest to most people on board were all the waterfalls we passed along the way. Because of the recent rains there were many new waterfalls which only appear after such rains, disappearing shortly after the rains finish. It made for delightful viewing. We also saw some young seals who live in the fjord and a school of dolphins.

Everyone raves about Milford Sound. Personally I was a bit disappointed as I expected it to be bigger and bolder, similar to Norway, but I am sure I am in the minority with this impression. For people who have not experienced a fjord it is indeed spectacular.

Our group was scheduled to be flown back to Queenstown in small planes from an airport near the sound but we sadly learned that weather conditions prevented the planes coming from Queenstown As we headed back to the pass it began snowing and accumulating on the ground. Our driver/guide said that sometimes the road gets shut down when weather conditions get bad, but we made it up and over, only to find ourselves back in sunny weather and warmer temperatures!  I had heard locals say you can experience all four seasons in one day in New Zealand. I now believe it. Today we have seen at least three of the four seasons since we left Queenstown this morning.

Now we had to drive all the way back to Queenstown.  It was a four hour trip resulting in a 10 hour day in a bus. Making the best of it we watched the passing scenery, slept and talked as we drove back to the hotel.  There was no stopping for food since our driver had to finish her allotted driving time ASAP or risk big fines. All the senior citizens pulled out those protein bars stashed in our fanny packs.  The driver passed back hard candy and we survived!

It turned out to be a very long day but we did experience more of the beauty this part of the country. Hopefully tomorrow will bring us better weather.