[Scott] Our visit to Fiordland yesterday was absolutely incredible, and Milford Sound went right to the top of my list of favorite spots in New Zealand - or the world for that matter. This fascinating place is definitely a must-do for anyone visiting New Zealand. They have done such a great job preserving the natural feel of the area. Imagine what Niagara Falls would be like without the miles of pavement and shops up close to it, or Yosemite Valley without all the buildup in the valley floor. I think the mystical foggy weather we had and getting there early really made it extra special. I went for a run this morning along Lake Te Anau. It makes running much easier when you have the mountainous lake views to look at. After I got back, we went to the Fiordland Museum in town which was quite interesting. They had some great pictures and diaries from hikers who have spent time in the extensive hut system on the famous trails of the area. There were some really fascinating tales from people who were caught hiking in extreme weather conditions, and perhaps didn’t heed nature’s warnings. One of the most famous hiking trails in the world is located in Fiordland and it is called Milford Track. They only allow 12 (or is it 24?) people per day to set out on this 6 day hike, and reservations typically need to be made months in advance. We obviously didn’t have time to do this anyway, but we enjoyed reading all about it. We went and picked up some good sandwiches at the Te Anau grocery market for lunch, and had our first mince pie which was actually pretty good. We then got on the road and drove three hours to Queenstown and arrived around 6pm. We were really sweating it wondering if we were going to run out of gas (or petrol as they say here). We stopped at a place that wasn’t open, and then another that only took NZ ATM cards. We then had to drive 20km to the next town on a fairly narrow road lying between a lake and a steep mountain without any shoulders. We did make it but it was certainly a quiet ride full of anticipation. I thought Stef was going to bite here fingernails completely off! Anyway, Queenstown is essentially a ski town, and has become known as the adventure capital of NZ. Bunging jumping, sky diving, and paragliding are the big attractions here. We decided all of that was a little too crazy for us, so instead we took the ride up the gondola and got some really great views of the area. Unfortunately the luge (alpine sled) was closed, so we just had a drink sitting at the window overlooking the town. It’s really not a very big town, but they have a lot of shops and restaurants packed into the few blocks they do have for their downtown. For anyone visiting Queenstown, I would definitely recommend taking the gondola for the great view of the area. Also, it’s definitely the most hip place we’ve been in NZ. They have a bar called the “Minus Five Bar”. They keep the temperature at -5C and serve drinks in cups made of ice. We didn’t make it over there, and I think it’s like $25 just to get in, but it sounds pretty cool! After riding the gondola back down, we got checked into a holiday park. This place is the Mercedes Benz of holiday parks. We thought all the others were nice, but this place was top notch. The only downside is they charge a buck per six minutes for the shower – bizarre! We bought some “Porterhouse Steak” at the grocery store and cooked ourselves a meal in the campervan. Unfortunately, the steak tasted more like a leather shoe than a Porterhouse Steak. I guess all the good grain goes to the sheep here or something! Actually, I think they just name their cuts of meat differently here. We had no trouble falling asleep since we were still tired from our long day at Milford Sound yesterday. We are flying to Auckland tomorrow so we can catch our flight from Auckland to Sydney the day after. What a great two weeks it has been in New Zealand. We wish we had more time to explore the country further, but at the same time I suppose it’s the sign of a good vacation when you’re leaving still yearning for more. The hiking (tramping) system they have here is incredible and we hope to come back sometime and really explore the back country on the Milford Track, Routeburn Track, Kepler Track, and others. These are on the order of 30-60km each, and take anywhere from 3-7 days each mostly exploring the Fiordland where we were yesterday. This was Stef’s suggestion that we make it a priority to come back and do these hikes! Yes, the same woman who contemplated strangling her husband on our hike up the volcano last week. Perhaps that leathery steak has altered her ability to think straight, so I’m not going to make any reservations yet.
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