Fiordland National Park
Te Anau to Milford Sound
31.03.2011
Our plans to stay in Dunedin quickly came to an end when our next Wwoofing host canceled on us. So we were back to square one again, living out of the van and no plans in sight. After contacting every wwoof host in Dunedin and not getting a thumbs up, we decided we had to switch gears. Even though it was over 400 km from Dunedin, we decided to make the trip to Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound. The drive down the Milford Highway made the trip more than worth it, not to mention the spectacular day hikes! Our first day hike was more of an hour and a half scramble up wet rocks than a pleasant walk, it was forgotten as soon as we reached the Lake Marion. Despite Fiordland's notoriously rainy weather, we had the most beautiful week since the north island! We did another hike along part of the Kepler Track (another Great Walk), which made both of us want to complete the whole track in the spring. We made the drive along the Milford Sound Highway into a slow, sightseeing adventure camping at Department of Conservation campsites along the way. The only hindrance were the hoards of angry sandflies who only stopped feasting on our flesh when the sun went down (and unfortunately thats the time of day the mosquitoes awoke and fed!). It would be impossible to write about Fiordland without mentioning Milford Sound. We drove to the sound at sunset, which ended up being the ideal time to experience the beauty and silence without the interruption of tour buses and other visitors. It was amazing standing on the edge of the sound and having the view all to ourselves! Our last (but certainly not least) adventure in Fiordland was skydiving. We had to take turns going up in the little plane as there was only one instructor to three people skydiving. Landis bravely went first. The plane took about ten minutes to fly to 10,000 ft and during that time there was a spectacular view all around. From the air we saw Stewart Island and the ocean to the south, the vast wilderness and rugged mountain spines of Fiordland where no road ventures to the west, and Te Anau to the east. Once the altitude reached 10,000 ft, we jumped out to about thirty seconds of free fall before the parachute was pulled by the instructor. What words can describe skydiving? (Susan.... Landis wants you to know that she is considering a career in the skydiving industry.)
Our trip to Fiordland ended when we got a positive response from a Bed and Breakfast that we could work for room and board in Dunedin. So we have been working five hours a day at Arden St. B&B and then spending the rest of the day surfing (although the water temp. is starting to drop to 55 degrees already). The dinners here have been the highlight so far, with a table full of 12 to 16 people from all over the world (Saudi Arabia, India, Germany, Japan, France, and Australia). There are a bunch of students rooming here that go to the university and also guests at the B&B. It is nice to have a place to stay for the time being. 
Too beautiful for words!
Always glad to see your smiling faces!
Love, Mary/Mom
01.04.2011 by maryesoda