NZ Day 3: Milford Sound to Queenstown

The title makes this sound like a reverse of yesterday. I guess it was, but it was still amazing. By the end of the day, we were somewhat overwhelmed.

Even though the beds were very comfortable, I woke at 2am and couldn’t resist checking outside. It was peaceful and still and some stars were poking through a scattering of clouds. It wasn’t too cold, but it was still great to crawl back into bed.

With sunrise at 6 am, it was not the morning for a lie-in. The water was flat and we could see the Pembroke glacier with great reflections.

We got under way to head out into the Tasman Sea, and Samuel and I enjoyed our breakfast cereal on deck, so we didn’t miss any views, and were rewarded by a seal swimming past.

We went quite a long way out into the Tasman Sea, which is normally much rougher but today was glassy.

A small lighthouse about 75 feet above sea level gets destroyed by the biggest storms, which indicates what it can be like!

As we headed back in, we could see how Captain Cook twice mistook the entrance for a small inlet.

We saw seals on a rock, complementing the majesty of the sound. Again, photos just don’t capture it.

The Grand Princess cruise ship passed by. It gave mixed opinions. While it seemed to intrude, it was temporary like us, and its large size magnified the scale of the walls even more.

At 9am, we were back at the dock which is right next to the Bowen waterfall. After heavy rain, the dock is shrouded in the waterfall’s mist.

We had a fun walk along the shore to examine some of the native plants, experience their sandflies (which were there but not too bad), and enjoy the view for the last time.

Then it was back in the coach. With clearer skies, the views were quite different from the journey yesterday.

We stopped in a massive lupin field with greatly pleased Janet. They flower for about two weeks of the year so we were lucky!

Then we were back in the land of cattle, sheep, and then The Remarkables.

We picked up our car which was great, and checked into the Pinewood Lodge. Very few rooms had been available and having a shared bathroom with bunks was like a dorm.

We walked into the center of town to a fine little Italian restaurant, sitting outside watching the world go by. There is a wide variety of cultures and fashions in Queenstown!

As most shops will be closed on Christmas Day, we picked up some things for lunch from a supermarket on the way back, trying to find local New Zealand goods when so much is imported from Australia, Asia, and Europe. Even though the following day is Christmas Eve, we won’t be in big towns, and we needed snacks for our hike. We found some local ice cream bars to enjoy as our evening treat and to help cool us off as the air was still a bit warm.

It was the end of another fine day and we were exhausted. Coach rides are tiring, but I was especially tired from trying to absorb so much scenery. Lots more to come!

This page is part of our New Zealand trip set of posts.