Queenstown & Fiordland

Wow how the last few days have flown.
From Dunedin we headed up to Queenstown and were stoked to get there to an abundance of sunshine with snow capped peaks.

A lazy afternoon scoping out the town and being amazed how much it has changed. The centre of Queenstown is still pretty much the same, but the spread of the town from Queenstown to Frankston is quite amazing. Just goes to show how a once small town can thrive on seasonal tourism.

On our first full day we started the day with a trip to Shotover Jet. Sam had been through Q'town three times and for one reason or another (like being pregnant or doing the bungy instead) hadn't done it. It was yet another activity the kids were super excited to do.
The four of us and Poppa got the back row of the boat and over about 30 minutes got flung left right and through 360's and one 540 by the jet boat driver whilst reaching speeds just over 80km through the canyons and wider river sections.
It was a fantastic ride, and the kids were both demanding again again at the end.

For lunch we headed up to Arrowtown. Arrowtown like Queenstown has come a long way in 10 years since Sam last visited it (I was busy snowboarding that day). There are a lot of historical houses with a smattering of restaurants & cafes, the compulsory pub or two and even a small (very) cinema. What small town wouldn't be complete though without a microbrewery. I did stop in and do a tasting paddle of their beers and bought one for take away (Arrow Cherry Ale) which I'm drinking as I write this.

That night was also the BIG GAME. The day was also Sam & my 12th wedding anniversary.
The household was divided (Nana, Poppa & I), and Sam with the kids for the rugby semi-final decider between NZ and Australia. NZ came through with the goods and Sam has now come over to support the All Blacks with me against France this coming Sunday night. Aidan is still holding out, but he'll come around by half time at the latest.

After such a big night we still had to back up early for a 6:45am coach pickup to head over to Milford Sound. Whilst Milford Sound geographically is almost parallel with Queenstown a few lakes and the Southern Alps lye in the way. This means a 4+ hour bus journey to get there. You can fly (fixed wing and helicopter) there but you need plenty of the folding stuff, and even more than that for an entire family.
However doing it by bus had its advantages as the bus driver was also a very good tour guide, both with his commentary of our surroundings and the history as well as plenty of stops at the right places for the serene photo shots.

The weather on the way to Milford was fantastic until we started to close in on it after leaving Te Anau. We'd been hoping for a fine day all the way, but for a place that rains in excess of 250 days a year the chances were low.

The cruise through Milford Sound though was still spectacular. The rain was throwing down some awesome water falls from the steep cliffs that had been dug out by glaciers throughout history.

Aidan's highlight was being on the bow of the boat as the the captain nudged it up and under one of the water falls so he could get wet. Luckily he did it on the first waterfall the captain edged up to. The second one was a monster and the Asian tourists that did that one got absolutely drowned.