Queenstown
Trip Start
Jun 10, 2010
1
9
13
Trip End
Jul 06, 2010
Where I stayed
What I did
Milford Sound Cruise
Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand
Friday, June 25, 2010
Had a very good breakfast, then walked down to the Queenstown Wharf to board the Kawarau Jet boats. The walk was only about 1/3 mile. It was a chilly morning with frost and ice on the docks. We had dressed in several layers, then they gave us heavy parkas and life jackets. We felt like the Michelin man.The grab rails on the boat were supposedly heated, but the were not effective. If you took off your gloves to take pictures and then had to hang on, which you did frequently, your hands got quite cold. The boat went up the Frankton Arm, up the Kawarau Falls, around the airport and up the Lower Shotover river, see MAP, turning and spinning the entire way. It was truly a thrill ride. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but not everyone did. Being from Boston we are used to cold and to boats, Those from warmer climes were not as happy. You can't stay totally dry and the wind in your face is quite brisk, but it was well worth it, even in the cold.
After landing, we walked back to the hotel to warm up and shed some layers, and have some lunch along the way. There was a lot of activity on the wharf for the Winter Carnival
We returned to the wharf in the afternoon to take a boat to the Walter Peak Sheep Station for for demonstration on sheep herding and shearing, see MAP, GPS(45 06 45.04S, 168 32 38.39E), about 8 miles down lake in Beach Bay. To look up and see there sheep herd grazing up on a slope reaching over 4000 feet above our heads was awe inspiring. There was a demonstration showing sheep dogs rrespondin to verbal and nonverbal commands herding the sheep. In rough country like this would be impossible without them. They also demonstrated shearing the sheep, As a sheep was brought in it was struggling and fighting against being handled. Once the sheep was brought to a position sitting on it's haunches it became docile and could be sheared easily.
From these demonstrations, we were led into a shop where they did demonstrations of carding and spinning of the wool. There was time to shop, but no hard sell. We returned by boat to the wharf and hotel and had the night free. I think that we had enough fresh air for the day and went to be early.
After an early breakfast, we departed by bus for Milford Sound, see MAP, GPS(44 40 08.37S, 167 55 36.96E), about 45 miles each way, as the crow flies, but there was no road going that way. By road it was about 180 miles. Along the way we saw many signs that tire chains may be needed, and we had them on board, but did not need them We did, however hit occasional patches of ice. As we got closer to the sound, we encountered scenic views and nature walks. Our driver was excellent, he seemed to be always getting to the stops just before other buses, letting us get photos without a crowd. Milford Sound is not really a sound, but rather a fjord. I'm not sure what the technical definitions are. See the MAP of the sound. We board a tour boat for the sound and are provided with a box lunch, as we get underway. The sound has high steep walls with many waterfalls and we sailed about 10 miles to the sea. There were constant spectacular views.
One trouble with a 180 mile drive one way, is that you have 180 miles to come back. It would have been possible to fly to the sound and back, taking the route of the crow. We got back to the hotel after about a 12 hour day and had the evening free.
In the morning we had to have the bags out by 7:00 and be on the bus by 8:00 for the airport The airport was fogged in, so we were delayed a couple of hours getting to Aukland.
