First There Is A Mountain, Then There Is No Mountain, Then There Is.

Today's journey to Milford Sound has convinced me that New Zealand is, in point of fact, Middle Earth.  Just from the little I've seen so far, I cannot imagine any other country where LOTR could have been filmed.

From craggy, menacing granite peaks to 1000' foot cascading alpine waterfalls to vast, lush green valleys and everywhere in between, this island has it all. I've only been here 3 days and may already be approaching majestic panorama overload.

Today I traveled to Milford Sound on a tour bus leaving Queenstown at 7 AM.
This part of the country, was carved out by glacial movement and wide, deep river valleys nestled between peaks on either side were ubiquitous. After passing through endless sheep, cattle and deer country, the passage to Milford Sound proceeds through Fjordland National Park. The route up and over the mountains to the fjords first follows a series of rivers and lakes bursting with green, purple, yellow and blue foliage.

Only later did I learn that the Scotch broom and lupines were all brought here by European settlers. Beautiful as these may be, the lupines at least, are considered to be a noxious weed, clogging up waterways and impossible to eradicate. That's how it is with much of the flora and fauna in New Zealand. It seems that 80% of the native bird population was hunted to extinction in short order by introduced predators such as possums and, of course, that most voracious predator of all, homo sapiens.

All manner of animals, trees and vegetation were brought onto this once pristine, virgin land in order to suit those who carved it up and shaped it in their own image. It's not by chance that whole swaths of countryside appear as if they have been deposited intact from the British Isles.  But it's in the mountains, which cannot really be shaped much to anyone's liking, that I found the most dramatic and impressive landscapes yet. As a skier, I have an deep and almost spiritual connection with such environments. As we began our ascent on the narrow, serpentine road up toward the summit pass, my heart was racing.  At numerous stops along the way, passengers were allowed to disembark to revel in the natural beauty and drink deep of both crystalline mountain streams and cool, bracing air.

The cruise on Milford Sound was the capstone to the day, as we spent well over 2 hours out amidst the peaks rising from the sea, encountering penguins and sea lions along the way.  It did not rain and was, instead, a gorgeous, sunny day which allowed most travelers to remain on deck in shirtsleeves.
There were a few waterfalls but none of the thundering variety which accompany a downpour. I was at peace with trading a dry day for a little less natural drama.

The return trip was a straight shot with only one pit stop. Many of the riders chose to nap for significant portions of the drive. I was too excited and as the bus went around this turn and that to reveal  one jaw-dropping view after another, I kept snapping photos all the way back to Queenstown. How those folks could sleep thru it, I'll never know.

Anyway... tomorrow I depart Queenstown to ultimately land in the town of Twizel, near Lake Pukaki and the access road to Mt. Cook, New Zealand's highest peak.
I wanted to be in high terrain on my birthday to observe a starlit sky but rain for the next couple of days now seems certain. I will base out of Twizel for a couple of days and if the road to Mt. Cook is not agreeable, will make day trips 2 hours east to the coastal towns of Oamaru or Timru or even as far as Christchurch.
My hope is that the weather will clear by the 2nd or 3rd day and I can proceed from Twizel for a day hike on the flanks of Mt. Cook for my birthday or at least the day after that. And perhaps the evening will yield an ocean of stars.

OK. All for now.

Here are some photos from today's trip.
As before, click on the thumbnail photos to expand the image to full-size.