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Sunday, December 24, 2006
Pencarrow B&B, Queenstown, NZ

We’re in Queenstown! We had a nice morning drive from Te Anau, with interesting hills and mountains on all sides. On the way we had a lucky encounter with the Franklin Flyer, a lovingly maintained steam engine which runs a 12 mile track near Queenstown, and I got some great photos. The weather’s a bit cloudy today, though it shows some signs of clearing a bit.

Yesterday, though, it was spectacular weather for our Milford Sound trip: not a cloud in the sky! This is very unusual for Milford Sound, which is supposed to be the second most rainy spot on the planet, with more than 200 days of rain a year. (The first most rainy spot, Anne tells me, is in Hawaii.)

Anyway, we were picked up bright and early from our hotel-style B&B in Te Anau, the Cosy Kiwi, by a mini-van. Our two guides, Will and Eve, gave us a running commentary on the drive to Milford Sound, which went through progressively more and more spectacular scenery until we passed through the tunnel and descended to Milford harbour. There we stripped down to our bathing suits and were given a full set of gear, from thermal underwear to spray skirts and PFDs, and after a brief set of paddling instructions we set out in our double kayaks. The group (11 of us plus the two guides) was split into two, with our guide, Eve, leading us out into the sound.

The mountains rose steeply up on either side, topped in many cases with snow and all with silver threads of waterfalls cascading down to the sound. While the stillness of the sound was frequently interrupted by the seemingly endless stream of aircraft and helicopters doing tours of the area, it was still a vast and magical space. Tour ships cruised up and down, dwarfed to insignificance by the mountains towering over them. We had several hours on the sound, with a picnic lunch on Cascade beach as our far point. After lunch, the heat on the mountains created an updraft that brought the ocean wind up the straight. We set out into the resulting waves to the middle of the sound, then rafted up and set a makeshift sail (with some difficulties) to be pulled back towards the dock area. In total, we had some 5 magical hours on the water, and despite our sunscreen we ended up a bit overcooked on our hands and faces. (The rest of us was safely covered with gear!)

After piling up the gear and stowing the kayaks we set off back to Te Anau, with frequent stops for photos, returning to town some 11 hours after we set out. A wonderful day!

We’re at the Pencarrow B&B now for the next three nights, a nice break from moving every 1-2 days. We’ll be calling family tomorrow morning, our Christmas day, which is Christmas Eve in Canada.

Blessings of the season to everyone, a happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year! We’re having a great time and looking forward to seeing everyone when we get home.