After getting the requisite safety lesson, we took off most of our clothes and exchanged them for proper kayaking gear (i.e. if these things got wet I wouldn't mind). Even though we looked both colorful and sill (no pics were taken – thank goodness), we would at least be warm in the cold waters of Milford Sound. This was my first time kayaking – I've done rafting before so I wasn't too clueless about what to do. We were placed into two men kayaks and I kayaked with Josh. This kayak had a rudder like a boat so it was a tad easier to steer – Josh had to deal with that contraption, I mainly was the muscle that powered the kayak. Getting into the kayak and actually paddling into the Sound gave me quite an impressive feeling of how huge the mountains were. I'm sure we looked very much like gnats in comparison to the mountains that surrounded us. Unfortunately we were not the only ones on the water – there were cruise ships as well so that added yet another challenge to our trip: not only did we have to avoid the ships we also had to deal with the wakes they created. Fortunately for us, it was a gorgeous day for kayaking. Right before we started to kayak out the rain went away and the sun decided to show itself – it remained that way for the rest of our trip.
Kayaking Milford Sound really felt like a more personal experience compared with being on a cruise ship because it's just you, the water and the picturesque views. While we were kayaking out, the wind was pushing against us which made it even tougher to paddle forward. It was definitely an upper body workout to only go a few kilometers. We only went about 3-4 kilometers into Milford Sound but we fought for every single one of those kilometers. But just being able to paddle and then float and appreciate the sound was really nice (unfortunately I didn't bring my camera – but I didn't want to risk it but Josh took some photos). We didn't go as far into Milford as the cruise ships, but we still had a good time. One thing that really stood out is how you lose perspective in Milford Sound because a waterfall that looked small and quite close was actually quite large and far away. Being on water really threw off our depth perception because it took a few minutes to paddle what looked like a small distance. After stopping for lunch on a beach with the Sound, we headed back to our launch point. Along the way we actually paddled up to a huge glacier waterfall and actually got to stand next to it – it was an amazing experience. And what really drew home the point that kayaking is the way to go is when we were actually standing next to the waterfall, taking in its full power and people were going by on the cruise ships, far away from the full action. When we were done at the waterfall, ,we paddled back across the sound (so imagine we paddle in a giant box formation) and as we reached the home stretch our kayak guide turned us into a sail team by tying a piece of fabric to our oars and then letting the wind (which was beating us up on the way out) take us back in. Kayaking was a bit like riding my bike – it's a more experience but you don't get to relax and just enjoy the scenery. So we sailed in as much as possible and then paddled the rest of the way to shore.
Overall it was an awesome experience in Milford Sound, one I'm extremely glad we did. If you ever get the chance to kayak it, I would definitely suggest it – but I would like to do a cruise just to be able to take more pictures. Once we changed back to our regular clothes, it was time for our last long drive back to Queenstown. It took about 4.5 hours to make the journey back and I was dead tired when we got back to Queenstown, but because the sun was still out (at 7:30pm!) I couldn't go to sleep.
We found a hostel called 'The Last Resort' (how appropriate since this will probably be the last hostel we stay in) which we will stay at tonight and tomorrow night. I decided to chill tonight and what do I get for chilling? The last episode of the second season of LOST which I have wanted to see for months (the hostel had it on DVD) – is God good or what. Only at the last resort would I find what I was looking for!
Now it's time to enjoy a day and a half of Queenstown before the plane ride back to Auckland. My goal is to not spend a lot of money and not get tempted to do an adventure package (which would suck away money). Wish me luck!
*Side Notes*
- While there are few if any mosquitoes in NZ, they do have bug problem when you go near water areas. These bugs – called sandflies – don't seem to bite like mosquitoes; they're just highly annoying and can swarm you in seconds.
- Milford Sound is definitely a busy place. We saw kayaks, cruise boats, fishing boats, planes and helicopters all within an amazingly small area. The planes were literally landing one after another at the nearby airstrip – you would have thought it was an international airport.
- One of our roommates for tonight is a guy from the UK who's here on a 4 month holiday (his name is James and darn that's a strong pound/euro!) and he actually knew what the Peace Corps was. Not only that, he knew it was started by JFK! Quite amazing because few Americans know either piece of information.
- Even though I missed their game today, I would like to congratulate the Bears on avoiding another first round loss and making it to the NFC Championship! One away from Miami, baby! Now hopefully Indy beats the Pats and the Bears beat the Saints: Bears vs. Indy / Home team vs. School Team. Next weekend the vacation ends by the excitement begins!
- While in the Milford Sound area, I took a picture of a bird called the Takahe which is one of NZ's rarest birds. It's about 25cm tall, has green feathers and a red beak and legs. It can't fly and for over half a century they were thought to be extinct and were only rediscovered in 1948.
- BTW, the weather going out of the National Park was bright and sunny (which is the opposite of what it was like yesterday) and the place looked very different. Not as magical and creepy looking, but extremely scenic.
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