In Fiordland

February 16th, 2009 Monday

New Zealand is a surprising country with lots of twists and turns; you never know what the geography has in store for you up ahead. The south west tip of the south island is the Fiordlands, and is a world heritage site as it is one of the wonders of the world. The jagged coast has been carved by glaciers and the original forests have been preserved, with extensive efforts to eradicate the invasive plants and animals. There are a number of well known "sounds" (erroneously named by European explorers) such as Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound. These areas are deep water inlets with impossibly high rock walls carved by moving glaciers, called Fiords.

I booked a kayaking trip in Doubtful Sound, the smaller and often overlooked of the two, and with great luck it was a wonderfully bright and sunny day. It has been really cold lately and I was getting grumbly about this, but thankfully the weather turned. Our group was small, and we had to take two vans and a boat to get to the put in area. There we paddled around the water, getting the hang of working in tandem, and the guide described the plants of the area. It was a perfectly beautiful day. My partner was a hilarious British guy Phil, who had me in laughing fits with his dry sarcastic humor. He offered me a lift over to Milford Sound in the evening, and since I didn't want to ride this steep and shoulderless road, I accepted.

On Sunday, I took a small boat cruise into the Milford Sound and enjoyed the cascading waterfalls, seals, and spectacular views of the sheer rock cliffs. It really is something you have to see in person to realize. I am so glad I didn't skip it.

Since having the wheels and company was a needed break adding some variety to both our solo "soul searching" journeys, and he didn't turn out to be a mass murderer which I so appreciated, I accepted another ride on to Queenstown. We picked up a friendly Swiss hitchhiker along the way, and thus we were three. We swapped tales of travelling and adventures next to come, and there was a nice spirit to the journey.

So here I am in Queenstown- the adventure capital of the NZ. I was well prepared for the over development and over hype so I am not too disappointed. Every shop is either an "extreme bungy" booking place or a retail therapy clothing store for showing off your adventurous bod. As we strolled around last night craning our necks like country mice, it was sort of funny to see some of the same people we had seen before. The island gets small after awhile.

The company has been fun for the last couple of days, as well as the easier view from the campervan, but I have also confirmed that cycling is my preferred method. Slower, and you remember more of your journey on the road because you earn each and every mile. Upcoming plans will be to cross the southern alps (that makes it sound tough doesn't it?) and get over to the west coast for the next week of riding. I can expect glaciers, cold beaches, wind, rain and black flies, as well as, hopefully, spectacular coastline and interesting scenery.