I thought I had a good sense of how beautiful New Zealand is. The three weeks of March I spent showing my family around the South Island, though, blew me away all over again!
My parents arrived in Nelson, a small city in the north of the South Island, on March 13. We had a great week and a half together traveling from there down to Christchurch, where my sister was to join us. Here are some of the places we visited and things we did along the way:
Arches at Wharariki Beach
Forest near Harwood’s Hole
Lunch break while kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park
View from Queen Charlotte Track
Another view along the Queen Charlotte Track
Winetasting in Marlborough
Beach near Cheviot
Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Arts Center (formerly a university) in Christchurch
After an evening in Christchurch, we went to the airport to pick up Audrey. She was so happy with the gorgeous weather! In a very, very full car, we headed South:
Akaroa Harbor in the Banks Peninsula
Mom and Audrey at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo
View over Lake Tekapo
Lake Pukaki
Lake Wakatipu, near Queenstown
On the way to Glenorchy
Audrey
Lake Wakatipu and the Kinloch dock
On the road to Paradise!
Black Swans near Paradise
Hiking in Paradise
After a series of lovely lakes and mountains, we headed to Fiordland National Park, most famous for the Milford Sound. We lucked out (again!) with gorgeous weather!
Cruising Milford Sound
Mitre Peak, Milford Sound. The weather was AMAZING!
Mitre Peak, Milford Sound
Then, we began the 4-day Milford Track, supposedly the "finest walk in the world." I think it's ridiculous to assign that title to any hike, but it *was* an incredible hike. The first few days, we continued to have great weather:
Near Clinton Hut
Dad and Audrey hiking up the Milford Valley on Day 2
Mom and Audrey catch their breath while admiring the rainforest
Somewhat unfortunately for the hikers, part of what makes the Milford so amazing is the obscene amount of rainfall it receives every year - more than 25 feet!!! In comparison, Colorado Springs gets 13 *inches* annually. While our first few days were clear and sunny, on the third and fourth day we got 270 mm (about 10 inches) of rain! We'd been warned that there's no such thing as waterproof gear, and that was true. I was completely soaked through within a few hours. I've never seen rain like that, ever before.
Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of my own to share with you of the most amazing days, because my camera was safely wrapped in multiple, thick plastic bags, deep inside my pack. The rain soaked everything so thoroughly that everyone who tried to get some photos ended up with a dead camera, including my poor daddy! I will try to describe the scene for you, though, in less than the thousand words a good picture would convey!
The third day, we hiked over a pass and descended into a glacially-cut valley with sheer cliffs all around. From all these cliffs poured hundreds of the most amazing waterfalls I've ever seen. We walked by them, under them, and through the rivers they formed on flatter ground. At some points, the river overflowed onto the path and we resigned ourselves to sludging through calf-deep water (not that it made our feet any wetter). It was incredible. Here's one of the final shots my dad took with his camera before it drowned. If you look in the background, you can get a sense of what surrounded us.
Wet but happy among the Milford waterfalls!
After four fantastic days on the Milford, we decided we hadn't gotten soaked through quite enough, so we went out for a day onto Doubtful Sound. We almost cancelled because it was pricey and we were sick of being cold and wet, but in the end we thought we should go ahead. We were SO glad we did! In the remote corner of an already remote country, Doubtful Sound must be one of the most majestic places on earth.
Doubtful Sound shrouded in mist
And, with all the rain, of course there were some super waterfalls. One of the ones we sailed by would be the highest waterfall in the world if it flowed constantly. It was definitely pouring while we were there!
Waterfall(s?)
Dad and Audrey enjoy the view
After this amazing trip, we had a relaxed day packing up and strolling around Queenstown. Then, Dad and Audrey flew back to the US, and Mom and I flew off to the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga! Next post coming soon...
Posts
