this year.

We departed Wanaka after wandering around the morning Sunday market which had many of the same vendors who were set up at the Saturday market we visited in Queenstown. I guess there is a well established market circuit in this corner of New Zealand. We got on the road out of Wanaka mid-morning heading north by north-west up the coast. It was to be a day of leisurely driving and short day hikes. With the sun in the sky we were primed for a great day.

Our first stop was a short hike through some coastal rain forest to some blue pools, which as the name implies, are bodies of water of the deepest, richest shade of blue this side of a blue moon. To reach the bluest of the pools we had to walk across a precarious swing bridge that had a max limit of 4 persons. The running boards couldn’t have been much thicker than 1″ — think pieces of timber one might use to build a fence. I’ve seen picnic tables with thicker wood. Once the bridge was crossed it was a quick left to a cliff face (only 5 metres tall) that plunged down into a pool that was fed by glacier water. The deep blue colour is created from the minerals that are picked up by the water as it rushes down the mountain to this point. Oh, and it’s cold. We dipped our feet into this icy water while a tour bus of young adventurers dove right in, and proceed to squeal like little pigs.

We continued on our path that crawled and wove up and down through the mountains, across single lane bridges, past waterfalls and finally out to the flats before the ocean town that was Haast. We had heard great things about Haast, so you can imagine our shock and surprise when we showed up. There was nothing there, and the greatest attraction was a convenience store where the owner was allergic to citronella based products. According to her crudely hand written sign the slightest scent sends her packing for the day. Not a laughing matter by any means, but impressive that someone could be that allergic. We had talked about maybe staying in Haast and doing some more hikes, but decided instead to stop for lunch on the beach and push on to Fox Glacier where we might find more eating and accommodation options. We had a lovely lunch on the Haast Beach with the Southern Alps that we had just traversed behind us and the Tasman Sea ahead.

As we pulled into Fox Glacier the clouds were starting to roll in. This would be the last blue sky day for essentially the reminder of my time in New Zealand. We decided it would be best to get a view of the glacier, as it was on the way into town, in case we got fogged out in the morning. We turned up a road that wound back and forth before reaching a parking area where we departed the car and climbed down some stairs that were indicated as the route to the viewing area. They didn’t lie. I think the last time I saw a glacier was circa 1992 on the way from Alberta back to British Columbia, and all I remember about the August day was that it started to snow, and we would not be going on the ice cat monster truck like vehicle that drove out to the glacier. This trip was all just a little bit of history repeating because they wanted $90 to climb the glacier (potentially justifiable) in the rain and fog (not gonna fly). It was a wonderful glacier, as glaciers go, with a dirty icy terminus and spectacular glaciation of the valley walls.

We checked into another wonderful holiday park cabin that had a spectacular view of the mountains before the fog rolled in. We decided to dine in town so that after dinner we could drive 5 minutes out of town towards the glacier to find some Glowworms. There used to be a Glowworm den in town but it was demolished to make room for buildings. As we walked down the path we were greeted with a sea of tiny blue lights. It was simply amazing. It felt like we were walking through a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Your vision was so filled with blue that it was difficult to get a sense of depth. Glowworms are an interesting organism. They are larva that mature into an insect, like a mosquito, but without a mouth. They glow blue to attract food, and the brighter the blue the more in need of food they are. Once they turn into their flying state they can no longer eat, so they must mate before they die. Isn’t nature wonderfully bizarre in it’s methods?

The next morning we visited the glacier in the rain and fog which proved to be an interesting climate to view such natural wonders. The glacier has receded many kilometers over the last 100 years to it’s current location. To think that the car park was one under an ice layer as tall as a small building is impressive. Ice beats rock in natures game of rock, paper, scissors/ice.

We departed Fox Glacier after enjoying some lunch and continued up the west coast: Greymouth or bust.

We arrived in Milford Sound just shy of 9am with enough time to book onto a boat tour for 9:30am. Off the top let me share a well known fact from the Milford Sound tour circuit: it is not technically a Sound, it’s a fjord (fiord). A fjord is a glacially carved valley that is filled by rising sea water levels while a Sound is filled by river waters. Either way Milford Sound is a land lost in time with scenic panoramic views, dark waters, and cliffs so sheer they could only have been carved that way. ‘The Maori were the first to attribute the creation of the fjords to a ‘titanic mason’, Tute Rakiwhanoa who hued out the steep sided valleys with keen edged adzes.’

We boarded the Friendship (the only ship I ever want to be on) we steamed into the blue skies of the fjord with Mitre Peak towering ahead. At 1695 meters tall it’s one of the highest mountains in the world to ascend straight from the ocean. As we made our way west out to the mouth of the fjord and the Tasman Sea we passed numerous waterfalls as well as a sunning group of fur seals. Many animals call this fjord home as it provides relative safety from larger predators. Under its surface it provides a unique habitat. With rainfall in the 6m range Milford Sound develops a distinct layer saturated in minerals and plant particulate that greatly reduces light penetration. Because of this low light many species that live in the deep ocean call the fjord home at a shallower depth, with the best example being black coral. With mountain names like The Elephant and The Lion and spectacular waterfalls called Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls, Milford Sound has it all.

The walls are lined with lush rain forest, but due to the steep walls and their incestuous growth to remain on such cliffs they, from time to time, tumble to the water in a tree avalanche. We liked to call them a treevalanche. With the low rainfall received in Milford Sound over the few weeks before our arrival the waterfalls were flowing a little slower then usual, but I think I’d accept that in exchange for the calm waters and the impossibly blue skies we experienced.

Milford Sound is one of the crown jewels of New Zealand. It is highly visited by tourists and rightly so. If you have time to make the trek it will make your day, rain or shine.