In May 2008, I went traveling on my own for the first time and was out of England for a month. Along the way I took in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand before coming home. I kept a journal of my time on the road, so here’s a day by day account of my trials and tribulations that has the undeserved title of Dave’s Odyssey.
Day 8 – Queenstown – Milford Sound
Mirror Lakes
The 5.45 a.m. wake-up call wasn’t necessary as I’d already woken up long before. We set off before 7.00 while it was still dark and, worryingly, there had been frost during the night. Thankfully, the coach soon warmed up and we only had to wait for dawn before the journey could really begin.
In the darkness we proceeded through the Remarkables Mountains, which were covered in low-lying mist. Along the route we traversed the “Devil’s Staircase” named after the founder of Queenstown, William Rees, lost 39 cows he was walking back along the pass. One is said to have slipped over the edge and its cries caused the others to panic and unfortunately join their friend in its sad fate.
It took more than two hours before we reached the Fiordland National Park. This route is a winding road passing between mountains, through forests, over bridges and alongside lakes. There were numerous scheduled stops along the way to take advantage of the lush scenery.
Earl Mountain Range
The mist was still around but only served to augment the quality of the snapshots. We were so high up that some layers of mist appeared to be almost touching the ground. Our first stop was where the road made between the Earl Mountain Range and Livingstone Mountain Range. The Earl Mountains were enveloped in mist but just visible were the snow-tipped peaks above the thick layers. The Livingstone Mountains were covered in trees, a characteristic that was typical of this area and along Milford Sound.
Our next stop was at the Mirror Lakes. A careful shot and steady hand could capture the reflection of the mountains in the still, clear water. The peaks of the Earl Mountains were more visible at this point, aided by the gradual receding of the mist. Next we stopped off at the unfortunately titled Knobs Flat. Ignoring the innuendos, the area gave us an improved view of the mountains flanking the road. Further shots of the mountains came at our next stop – Monkey Creek.
View from Cleddau Valley
Our stop at Homer Camp was for the purpose of taking pictures of a group of birds known as kea. They were similar to parrots, extreme friendly, and by no means camera shy. The route leading on from Homer Camp was through a tunnel so long that traffic lights on either side were operating at fifteen-minute intervals!
The final stops before Milford Sound were in Cleddau Valley and further down at the Chasm. This is a short walk you can take across Cleddau River that flows from its source in the surrounding mountains. It was about this time that fellow tourists on nearby coaches began to rankle my tour group. They’d been with us since we entered Fiordland National Park. Our rival tourists were primarily from East Asia but the majority of my group was adamant they were all Japanese. What followed was some less than flattering remarks about the Japanese. One thing is true, some of our East Asian tourists are extremely rude. Their motto is clearly to ensure the best photo at all costs, which includes pushing other tourists out of the way.
Milford Sound
I escaped the bulk of this, save on my way back to the coach from the Chasm. Two lads were inspecting a donation box and looked to be trying to find a way in! Despite my obvious approach one of them proceeded to position himself in such a way that he blocked the entire path and I had to wander amongst the undergrowth to get past. I can’t complain much. The so-called Japanese mentality of every tourist for themselves is prevalent amongst my group, which explains why some of my photos contain people’s heads in the way when I just wanted a shot of the scenery.
On reaching Milford Sound we were given some helpful advice by Dave on how to tackle the East Asian tourists. As they are prone, apparently, to pushing we were told to push back because some of us are taller than they are! As it turned out the coach parties with our East Asian friends were on different boats so I’m unable to confirm if they’re as bad as some people make out. I certainly don’t want my love of the Japanese to be shattered and from what I’ve observed thus far the majority of tourists all have the same competitive streak when it comes to taking decent photos so I don’t abide by the stereotypes.
Miford Sound
The voyage on Milford Sound was the highlight of the tour so far. We were each allocated seats but had the option to head for the top deck and enjoy the view at its finest. I went topside straightaway and didn’t return to my seat until the trip was over. Despite the cold it was more than worth it.
Though called a sound, Milford is actually a fjord that Captain Cook somehow missed when claiming New Zealand. His loss it seems. On either side the mountain faces were covered in trees that grew close to the surface of the water and ascended almost to the peaks. Bare patches on the mountainsides were testament to the tree slides that had scarred the mountains.
The width of the fjord narrowed in places and each time we negotiated a thin pass we would see even more extravagant mountains flanking the water. If that failed, you need only turn around to see another view of the narrow pass the boat had just made its way through. Milford Sound was worth dozens of photos.
We reached the halfway point as we left Milford Sound and headed briefly out into the Tasman Sea before turning back. On the return journey we were privileged to see a trio of seals relaxing close to the water while further down our boat moved rather clumsily towards a huge waterfall for the benefit of the opportunist photographers. Presumably those eager for a snapshot had waterproof cameras as the spray from the falls proceeded to blow straight towards all of us. Soon enough the journey was over but I’m glad I chose the optional outing to Milford Sound.
Lake Te Anau
The way back was long but we could once more take in the spectacular scenery. We had a brief stop on the way back at Lake Te Anau. It was here that I quizzed Dave about the Japanese tourists. I’d seen a Japanese translation on a notice about jewelry and was curious as to whether they were the main tourists in New Zealand. Dave made me feel a bit better about the Japanese by insisting none of the groups we’d seen today were Japanese at all. He mentioned, of all the East Asian tourists, the Japanese are treated the best in New Zealand while the Koreans are sent to the inferior places and charged extensively. It was a real eye opener to hear such a thing from one of the locals and I can’t say I approved. At least my faith in the Japanese remains strong.
We returned to Queenstown just after 7.00. Another long day but no time to rest up. Tomorrow we leave Queenstown and make the long journey to Fox Glacier. It sounds a sight to behold but will it top Milford Sound? Difficult to say but if it’s as beautiful as the rest of New Zealand we’re in for a treat tomorrow.
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