The best way to visits the fiords in New Zealand is by boat so we decided to spend a night on the fiord. This meant driving to the isolated outpost of Milford Sound in the land of glaciers and mountains. These 'Southern Alps' as they are known rise out of the flat Canterbury plains in the west coast of south island New Zealand. Glaciers reach the road and waterfalls cascade into deep gorges. The rainfall in this area is over 6 meters a year. The peaks are not in the same league as the rockies in western Canada (where many are over 18,000 feet) , but they are high with many of them over 12,000 feet. The weather was unseasonably sunny and warm for our trip. This meant less waterfall activity, but it also made the hair raising driver less terrifying. I found myself flinching as we crossed bridges and wound down roads without guardrails.
The boat we took out for the night cruise was built like an old sailing 'scow' with a young New Zealand crew who really took care of the group. It was a 'no frills' trip with tiny little bunk beds that we were fortunate enough to have to ourselves (they usually have four to a room). I think the tourist season hasn't been very good this year. The boat left the dock around 4:30 and we stopped for some sea kayaking and exploring before our sunset sail on the Tasman Sea. Normally it is too cold to swim in the fiord, but the weather was so warm for the last 10 days the water was a welcome relief to the heat of the late afternoon sun. We also learned that our cruise out into the mercilessly rough and dangerous Tasman Sea was quite unusual. They rarely have calm enough water at sunset to cruise to more than the edge of the fiord, but the captain and crew were really enjoying the change of scenery with the cooperative weather and sea. The sails were raised and and we enjoyed a colorful sunset on the Tasman sea.
We met a Stuart, James who were visiting from the UK and Stephan, a German cyclist from Frankfurt, on the boat. It's funny how we became a group during the trip and shared the same table for all our meals. The Brits felt right at home in New Zealand with so many of the same customs. Our German friend was cycling on his own around the south island. I had trouble understanding any joy in going up and down these steep mountainous roads. There was a tunnel through a mountain that had only one lane and the light would change every 15 minutes to ensure traffic was only entering at one end of the tunnel. Stephan was a bit worried because he did the calculations and realized he couldn't make it back up hill in 15 minutes. I tried to talk him into throwing his bike in our trunk and catching a ride, but he politely declined.
Out on the fiord at night we were able to identify the southern cross in a the starry night sky. The next morning we explored the fiord in the mist and saw two cruise ships enter the fiord for a tour. It was an amazing site to see and maybe a site that will not be around too much longer. Our naturalist guide said the glacier was visibly shrinking in the five years she worked on the boat.
With only a few more days in New Zealand, we headed for Dunedin and the Otago peninsula in search of yellow eyed penguin.and colonies of albatross. In New Zealand the distance is measured in hours of travel rather than kilometers. At first we would look at the distance and assume the residents were stopping during the trip, but we soon realized there was no correlation between the distance and time for travel. The travel takes much more time because roads are up and down mountains and winding around rivers and through towns. We finally reached Dunedin late afternoon. Dunedin has a very scottish history that still prevails. The university of Otago occupies a large portion of the city, but it seems to be a very reserved student body.
The buildings of interest were built in a black volcanic rock which contrasted with the white stone. Some of the buildings were stunning, but the real focus is on the Otaga peninsula that juts out into the Pacific ocean at Dunedin. It was here that we visited the beautiful Lanarch castle built in the late 19th century by a New Zealand banker/politician with a dark story of suicide and family scandal. The coast of the peninsula is home to large sea lions sleeping on the long white sandy beaches, brown seals lollygagging on the rocks and the mighty albatross fishing in the surf. A beautiful playground for the resident of Dunedin.
Last but certainly not least, we headed for the main city of the south island - Christchurch. The weather continued to be sunny and warm and we were able to enjoy the national New Zealand holiday in this lively capital city of the south. The cathedral, Christ Church, dominates the city centre and the square is a hub of activity celebrating the national holiday. It's a beautiful cathedral built with the same black volcanic rock that we saw in Dunedin and seemed to suit the environment. The city was intended to be a perfect christian experiment in the new world. The forefathers were middle class English and Scots who hoped to build a new society without crime and vice. It seems to be a vibrant international city today, but retains a sense of propriety and old world charm. We couldn't resist our 'punt' on the river Avon with Fredrick from Cologne as our punter. It was a hot day and there can be no better way to see the city.
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