Kayaking Milford Sound

Sat. Dec. 22

good way to start a day!

Was checking out and getting picked by 6:30 am, the whole gang from yesterday plus a brother-sister from USA and a girl from Germany also joined our trip. 
It was a perfect day. The scenery to Milford sound was spectacular!  We saw a rainbow!  There were wild lupines everywhere, gorgeous dark purples, light purples, blues, pinks and even some yellows. 

all my layers on!

magnificent!

sailing back!

There were very windy roads. The tunnel that Sarah had told me about did have a traffic light to control people entering it safely and supposedly this is only I use during high peak seasons. There is 15 minutes interval light switching times. 

Altogether there were 24 of us but then we put into 3 groups of 8, each with a guide - Nicole was my guide. After changing into our black thermal pants and long sleeve tops, it looked like we wearing long johns, we then had to put on a vest, the splash skirt, the peachy coloured wind jacket and the the PFD.

The kayaks were doubles and so I was with this girl Stephanie from Germany who was wearing wedged dress sandals as her water shoes and had never kayaked before, needless to say I had to do a lot of work.  She would be considered a lily dipper. There kayaks had rudders on them which was my most difficult as my feet kept slipping off the pedals and it was close to impossible to re-position them. 

We paddled by the 163 meter tall waterfall called Lady Bowen Falls and then up the coast of these large rocks called Stirling Falls.

Lady Bowen Falls

However the paddle was good and the views incredible! And the weather perfect!  After lunch we had a tough paddle out to the middle of body of water against the wind but then all rafted together and held a sail up and sailed back the way we came. 

I quickly changed and Luke the driver drove me up to the Milford sound bus/boat terminal for me to catch my bus which did go back through Te Anau and then on to Queenstown. 

I was a little concerned about how I was going to get to Wanaka as I arrived in Queenstown at 7:45 and the last bus left at 5:30pm. But Mark had arranged a driver to pick me up and drive me to Wanaka.  Barbara was quite pleasant and I was able to stop at a few places to take pictures of the scenery and the lupines. But that taxi ride cost me $160 bucks!