Milford Sound & Fiordland National Park

Craig:

One of my former co-workers told me once that if you come all this way down to New Zealand and don’t see Milford Sound, you are a “bloody wanker.”  So we went (as to not be “bloody wankers”).  Milford Sound is on the list of World Heritage Sites, which basically means a bunch of guys and gals sat around a table and agreed that is was awesome.  I agree with all those guys and gals too.  Milford Sound is awesome!  The only real way to see the sound is by boat so we booked a trip on a boat cruise around the sound as soon as possible.  Milford has so many different things to offer.  Thousand foot cliffs (home of the second tallest sea cliff in the world…second to one in Hawaii), incredible mountain scenery, glaciers, seals chilling on the rocks, waterfalls, rain forests, and sea caves are all seen on the two hour boat ride around the sound.  The boat traverses the 14 km of the sound out to the open Tasman Sea where it turns around for dramatic views of the snow capped peaks lining the coastline.  The weather cleared for us on the way back allowing some great pictures.  Here are some of the better ones:

Eglinton Flat...on the way to Milford Sound.

Entrance to Milford Sound from the Tasman Sea

New Zealand Fur Seals basking in the sun in their natural habitat.

On the boat cruise back into Milford Sound.

Sterling Falls (also in Milford Sound)

The classic view of Milford Sound with Mitre Peak on the left.

Bridget enjoying a cup of hot "drinking chocolate" and the view on the ride back.

Bowen Falls (in Milford Sound)

I highly recommend going to Milford Sound some time in your life if presented with the chance.  It is well worth the trouble of getting there. 

Milford Sound however is only a small portion of a vast wilderness called Fiordland National Park.  The park pretty much encompasses the entire southwest corner of the South Island.  This park holds some the most fantastic mountain scenery I have ever seen.  The weather however is a little more unpredictable so we were not able to do some of the stuff we wanted to.  We did manage to go on a few short hikes in the park to waterfalls:

Swing bridge on the way to Lake Marian Falls.

Craig looking down at Lake Marian Falls.

View of Humbolt Falls from lookout point.

Visiting this part of the country only succeeded in making us want to come back.  Two of the best hiking trails in the world are here (Milford and Routeburn Tracks) which we found out require booking WELL in advance.  Better luck next time I guess.  We will be back. 

Next Stop: Queenstown (for the first blog post of 2010)

Catlins Coast & Southland

Bridget:

After leaving Dunedin, we had our sights set on doing a little camping on the coast near the Catlins.  The Catlins are kilometers & kilometers of rugged coast line, caves, windblown trees, and great surf spots.  We first hit up a spot called Jack’s Blowhole.  We had no idea of what to expect here… a giant whale that surfaces periodically? A large geyser?  Hmmmm.  Well, whatever it was, it sounded interesting, so it deserved a look.  After a 30 minute walk through more sheep pastures (and poo) we found Jack’s Blowhole:

Turns out it is a giant hole in the earth carved out by many years of waves crashing under the caves and into this giant abyss.    Very weird but very, very cool. 

After the hike back, we drove and drove down some long gravel roads before finally finding our camp site at a place called Punakaiki Bay.  Here is the view we had from our site:

That night it rained and rained and rained, so doing things like cooking or going to the “toilets” proved to be pretty rough.  The rain did not let up, either.  If anything, it came down even harder throughout the wee hours of the night.  We were so happy to wake up to a break in the clouds….and about 30 sheep outside our tent.    We packed up all our sopping wet camp gear and managed to get a few more pics of the beach before heading out again:

That day we decided to drive through Invercargill on our way up to the Fiordland National Park on the west coast.  Invercargill wasn’t much to look at, but we did drive down to a small fishing town called Bluff during our short stay.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we are many, many miles away from our families and friends and geographically in a place that is so far away from most other countries.  Leave it to one little sign in Bluff, NZ to put it all back into perspective:

People traveling around NZ come down just to see that sign which kind of reminds me of the Southernmost Point in Key West, FL.  Bluff is the southernmost city on the South Island, but NZ actually has a third island south of that called Stewart Island.   Here is a picture of Craig looking out at it:

After a drying out the tent, doing some laundry, and getting a good night sleep, we were geared up and ready to see some mountains.  Onward, to the Fiords.

Next Stop:  Milford Sound

Christmas in Dunedin

Bridget:

A while ago Craig and I decided to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas in Dunedin, a small, college town originally settled by the Scottish.  It’s only a few hours south of Christchurch and provides plenty to see in a couple days.  The first thing we did was head out to the nearby Otago Peninsula to check out some amazing views of the bay and coast.  We had our first experience driving down some crazy, one-lane “unsealed” roads when we ventured out to a place called Lovers’ Leap.  We made it safely to the “carpark” and headed out on foot.  Keep in mind that the entire drive Craig and I are oohing and ahhing and the scenery….countless green hills dotted with sheep with views of the bluer than blue ocean in the background.  The start of the “tramp” looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings:  dark, eerie, and canopied with dense trees:  

Then all of a sudden we were in a sheep pasture, walking through gates and trying not to step in sheep poo. 

 

We ran out of time and actually didn’t make it all the way to the end of the walk, but there were amazing views all along the way anyway:

Next on the itinerary was a tour at Speight’s Brewery.   Since I have spent the past couple months working at a Speight’s Ale House, I am pretty familiar with these beers, but it’s always fun to get a “behind the scenes” look at the beer-making process.   Everyone I worked with, including the bartenders, claimed that the original Gold Medal Ale (they just call it “Speight’s” ) is the only beer worth drinking.  For those unfamiliar with this beer, it’s pretty similar to Yleung Yleung.   While this one is delicious, they also have some others worth giving a shot.  My stand-by was always the Pale Ale, but the Summer Harvest is also fantastic and tastes like fresh apricots… a lot like Magic Hat. 

The Brew Room

Helping myself in the pour-your-own tasting room.

The brewery also provides the great citizens of Dunedin and travelers passing through with a filtered water supply, available just outside the brewery doors.  People from all over stop here to fill up water bottles, so we did too.

On Christmas Day, we ventured back out the Otago Peninsula to see some New Zealand fur seals and albatross.  We didn’t happen to see any albatross, but did see quite a few seagulls, cormorants, and some seals, although they were a little too far to photograph. 

Then we headed back into the city to check out the view from “Signal Hill Lookout”

On the way back we just had to stop by Baldwin St….supposedly the steepest street in the WORLD.  It has a 19 percent grade, and this picture does not do it any justice:

Last up was a stop at the city’s botanic gardens.  It amazes me that we have been to three botanic gardens since being in NZ and we always find something new to photograph:

Dunedin was everything we had hoped for a place to spend the holidays.  Old city charm, fantastic views, great beer, and wildlife sightings.  Christmas was perfect…aside from setting of the fire alarm in the hotel after cooking a Christmas breakfast feast on a small camping stove.  Oops. 

Next Stop:  Catlins Coast & Southland

Moeraki Boulders

Bridget:

Craig and I are big fans of the clockwise direction.  We traveled that way on our “Cross Country Road Trip of Epic Proportions” and we’re doing it again here.  We left Christchurch and headed south following the coast to Dunedin.    Somewhere along the way was a “must-see” natural land form called the Moeraki Boulders.   Basically it’s just a bunch of ridiculously round, large boulders sitting on the beach in a place you would never expect to find them.  As our good friend Al put it, “They look like petrified dinosaur eggs.”   Craig and I had some fun taking some artsy fartsy pics (and a few cheesy ones).  They were pretty fun to jump around on but after a while, the tide came in.  So instead of getting stranded on giant dinosaur eggs, we decided to move on and find a camping spot for the night. 

Next Stop:  Dunedin

Goodbye Christchurch

Bridget:

On Wednesday, December 23, Craig and I said goodbye to Christchurch.   We have been living and working in this city for almost three months, and it has been such an amazing experience.  We have learned a lot about ourselves and this country, we have met and worked with some really cool people, and we have definitely had our share of fun times.  However, due to some changes in our employment situations, we have decided to move on.  We are headed up to the northern end of the South Island….but first we will be traveling around the South Island to see all the beautiful places this country has to offer.  So, to say farewell, we will leave you with a few festive pictures of Christchurch during this Christmas season.

Christchurch Cathedral in Cathedral Square

Cathedral Square and the Millennium Sculpture

Clydesdale horses pulling the old Ballantyne's carriage.  Ballantyne's is like our Macy's.

Some people playing chess in Cathedral Square

The city Trams decked out for Christmas.

Cashel Mall

Next Stop:  Moeraki Boulders

Christmas Shopping Spree & Akaroa Harbour

Bridget:

So with Craig and I working opposite schedules, our time spent together and places we can go have been somewhat limited.  However, this past weekend was different...I finally had the weekend off!  So, Saturday Craig and I spent the day doing our "Christmas Shopping Spree" in and around Christchurch, buying outdoor gear or clothing made in NZ.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we had lunch at a place called Annie's Wine Bar in the Arts Centre.  Not only did we score a table outside, but there was also a live band playing in the adjacent courtyard for all the restaurant patrons and scattering of people hanging out on the greens.  It was perfect.  So perfect, in fact, that we forgot to take pictures.  Well, okay we did take one picture of our appetizer, or "entree" as they say:

The great thing about NZ is that they love their fries or "chips" and can find them at almost any restaurant.  They are usually served with garlic aioli (mayo) and tomato sauce (ketchup).

After lunch we ran into, um, a Pipe Band Competition that was being held at one of the city's small parks.  It was a sight (and sound) to behold:

Warming up for the big show.

A few wee "sailors" dancing a little jig. 

The next day, Amy, a friend of Adam Derosa (former co-worker of mine), picked us up to take us down to Akaroa, a small harbour town located on the southeast side of the Banks Peninsula.  Amy was born here but grew up in the states and went to....drum roll please... Florida State University!  Talk about living in a small world.  Anyway, she has been here in NZ for almost 10 years now and has really helped us out with advice about where to live, getting jobs, etc.  She said we couldn't leave Christchurch without visiting Akaroa, so that's what we did.

Craig and I with view of Akaroa Harbour in background.

Amy and her adorable two-year old girl.

Pier at Akaroa.

Craig, me, and Amy overlooking Christchurch with Southern Alps in far background.

What a fantastic weekend!  We are so looking forward to getting out and seeing more of this beautiful country.  We will be in Christchurch for a couple more weeks, after which we will start a 25-day road trip around the South Island.  Then we will settle again on the north part of the South Island for work.

Next Stop: Dunedin, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Mt. Cook, Nelson, and many others!