We drove to the top of Queenstown Lake to Glenorchy where we walked on boardwalks through a lagoon. Above us we could see helicopters flighting passengers to Milford Sound (a 15-minute ride over the Southern Alps). It was a bright and sunny afternoon but the air was cold. Carrie went to yoga in Queenstown to warm up as I read Sapiens in the car on her Kindle. Afterwards, we both enjoyed a tasty dinner at ‘Captains’. We camped the night in a rather grubby campsite just out of Queenstown- it felt very ‘Mad Max’!

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We left early to arrive at Milford Sound for our 2 o’clock tour and had a four-hour drive to get there. It was a stunning road with snow capped mountains and endless views. We arrived in good time and boarded a wide boat with a dozen others to cruise the fjord. The sights were breath-taking, what a beautiful place! The tour began on the western side of the fjord where our captain pointed out highlights such as; Mitre peak (one of the highest mountains in the world to rise from the sea bed at 1692m), the pretty cascading Fairy Falls, Anita Bay (where Mauri dug Tangiwai- green stone, for weapons and jewellery).

 

Once we reached the open water of the Tasman sea we were lucky enough to see a baby albatross (which already had a large wingspan) gliding across the waves. As we returned on the eastern side, we went past a couple of seals relaxing on Seal Rock, the powerful Sterling Falls (rumoured to make any maiden who gets splashed by the water look ten years younger. Needless to say, our captain made sure we all got a good soaking!), the mighty Lion Mountain and Harrison Cove before returning back to the mainland.