Kiwis and Fairy Bread

31 December 2023

Milford Sound is unlike anyplace in the world. And it was the last destination of our adventure. For a place so remote, wild and wet it still sees close to a million visitors each year. We were to be among them.

Queenstown is the jumping off point for all journeys to Milford Sound. Tour companies offer day trips, but it’s a four hour drive each way. That wasn’t our style, so we’d booked months ago to get one of just 20 camper van spots at Milford Sound Lodge. But first we had to get there.

The curving roads that go up, out and around Lake Wakitupu lead to a thankfully straight(ish) highway through a valley. About an hour out we saw a sign pointing to The Coffee Bomb. Sounded good to us. It was time for a flat white. This food truck is the focal point and highlight of the tiniest of downtowns. Locals caught up with each other in the art gallery. Mike got a fantastic egg and bacon on baguette. A tour bus pulled up and apologized if they’d parked in our way. People are so nice here. “No worries” is a phrase we’ve heard often.

Off again we could see the rain clouds ahead. The next stop would be Te Anau yet another lake front town. Low houses overlooked a windy lake with sea planes waiting to fly visitors over the nearing Milford Sound. It was windy and the air was filled with a piney, minty scent. It was coming from huge trees with bark peeling in huge sheets. They were shedding nuts that looked like flat acorns with a star imprinted in the cap. A local told us they were Blue Gum trees. Sweet. I inhaled the scent as we walked around the “Little Lake Te Anau” in a park. This replica of the lake served as a war memorial and told us that the lake is the deepest in the southern hemisphere.

On our way again and soon we were at the mirror lakes. The glacial plane here was kilometers wide, the mountains tall. We stopped to walk a boardwalk along The Mirror Lakes. And again to a loud and wide water fall. We met our first kea there.

Keas are rare large parrots that only live in the small area of the world we had just entered. They are deep green and orange, just like the foliage. Keas are known for their extreme intelligence and signs warn not to feed them. Because they want to be fed. Keas have no fear of humans. They waddle right up to you. Turn their heads to look up and beg. Their curved shark beak deftly picks up gravel to find any morsel of food. Apparently they can also break into your car. We saw only three of these fascinating birds. But “that’s one more square for exotic bird bingo. I am loving this!”

Again to a falls so strong it had recently washed out a bridge. The forest was deep. The trees grew in unique shapes. Mike and I could see faces, limbs, beards. These were the Ents. The wood was a deep orange, and on the young trees the bark peeled off in thin rusty sheets. It was raining. Here was deep rainforest.

The road got pretty scary again. Up and up rocky cliff faces. It began to sleet. Traffic stopped and we waited our turn in the Homer Tunnel. This one lane tunnel was a feat of Depression Era engineering. It greatly opened up access to Milford Sound. Traffic lights and flashing signs tell you when to stop and how many minutes to wait until it is your turn. The tunnel starts with a few meters of covered roadway right on a ledge. Into darkness we immediately noticed that the walls looked hand carved. And they were. Five years of pick axes and shovels. I was terrified when we as the road descended at steep angle. Never was I more glad to see the light at the end of a tunnel! Mike didn’t break a sweat.

It was raining. Then what we thought were lines of rock turned out to be waterfalls. Hundreds of them streaming down the mountainside. Beside them rocks were covered in red and yellow. Deep mosses. Bushes, trees, and the ents. How did it all stay up there?

The ultra-classy Milford Sound Lodge was smaller than I had expected. The buildings were made of the same red wood of the endemic trees. Having originally been a camp for the tunnel builders it has since been designed to blend into the landscape. Cabins with glass walks sit above a roaring river. The mountains rises straight up, straining your eyesight as you look for the top of the streaming waterfalls,

Our site was narrow, barely fitting Miranda, our van. But that was OK because the common area was big and comfortable. We would spend a lot of time there.

But first a walk to The Sound! Phyrne Fisher had warned me about the dreaded Sandflies that fill the air in this area. I had bought my netted hat just for this location. It was admired wherever I went! Strong bug repellant is a must. These tiny buggers swarm and bite deep! Mike got several bites on his hands, I on my head. Fortunately the Manuka Honey Balm we bought way back in Mount Maunganui is very soothing.

Behind the lodge is a rocky unkempt trail along the river leading to a free parking lot that was made of pale green gravel. Stone of green (not quite quality Greenstone) is so common here you walk on it! Down another path and we were there! Into the postcard of water, falls and the tall, looming Mitre Peak. As Mike took photos we saw a family of Oyster Eaters, black birds with long red beaks. They called to us to move out of their path to the water. It was dinner time and the fluffy gray chicks were hungry!

Back at camp it was New Year’s Eve. In the common kitchen Mike and I made dinner together. When it was time to open the Zero alcohol Prosecco I asked the other couple in the lounge to join us. Mariana and Juan are Australians originally from Chile and Columbia, respectively. Before we knew it hours had passed in conversation with these beautiful, interesting people. About 11:30 another couple came in, exhausted. Their campervan had broken down twenty kilometers out for Queenstown. That would have been my nightmare, but Chelsea and Rhys were unphased! They made phone calls, found the very last working camper van available for hire in Queenstown, and drove here in the dark! We counted down to midnight and toasted the new year! It was 2024! WOW!

We would spend two more evenings with these best of new friends.