HEAVENLY WAY TO MILFORD SOUNDS–NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

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With brain full of thoughts of gold we left Arrowtown and proceeded on our way to Milford Sounds.
We had heard that the drive to Milford Sound was awe-inspiring ,indeed it was. Fiordland’s  has World Heritage Site status. Milford Sound is 288km from Queenstown (4 hours 15 minutes) and 121 km from Te Anau (2 hours 15 minutes).

Tony had instructed us that we had to pack our clothes in separate carry bags which he gave us  during the previous night dinner and we could take only those bags in the cruise and not our entire baggage which would remain safely in the bus ,we were to take our medicines if we were taking any
As the Milford Sounds had very limited net connectivity ,we were instructed to be aware that we could not connect with our near and dear for an entire day
As the weather in Milford Sounds was predictably unpredictable ,we had to carry warm and water proof clothing.
We all sat back comfortably and looked around at the beautiful scenery unfolding before us
The State 94 Highway climbed through the Southern Alps, taking us to heights of 940 m above sea level. To our surprise we could see deer farms as we traveled through tiny rural towns on the way to Te Anau
 After a Pause briefly in Te Anau we continued along the spectacular road
Tourists who have their cars are well advised to fill their tanks at Te Anau, as there are no petrol stations between Te Anau and Milford Sound, and also it was better to travel in a bus and not self drive to truly enjoy the scenic road

 From Te Anau, the Milford Road curved along the shores of the lake, heading north towards Te Anau Downs.
 Once home to the earliest European settlement in the area, Te Anau Downs was the main starting point for the Milford Track and a good place for scenic photos of the Murchison mountain ranges. It also marked the entrance to Fiordland National Park.
 Driving into the Park was simply beautiful , we could see no towns, no people, only just one road in the middle of all the wilderness

The road to Milford Sound passed through stunning landscapes including mountain ranges, glacier-carved valleys, clear blue lakes and native rain forest , there were countless number of water falls
 It followed a path originally traveled by the Maori people, who went on foot over the mountains to Milford Sound 1,000 years ago to hunt, fish and search for pounamu.
The road had breathtaking views of mountains which were snow capped, but had the sharpest bends and naturally has a high accident rate as a result.
We fortunately had a clear day with a beautiful weather and had a clear vision of the beauty before us.
 We glanced with delight at the disappearing mountains with magical mist and snow on top, we were however told that the roads to Milford often get snowed in winter and avalanches are quite common,some of which are fatal to humans and animals

Passing through fields of rocky debris left as the last of the glaciers marched through thousands of years ago, merrily we sped on
We now saw acres and acres of green trees,we had entered the Fiordland National Park and the Eglinton Valley  carved out by slowly marching glaciers thousands of years ago.
Steep rocky mountains covered in native beech forest lined the valley majestically and the flat floor of the valley was covered in eye-catching golden tussock grass,oh what shades of green and yellow,it was a feast to the eyes

The first Europeans to explore the area came here in 1861. They named the river and valley after the British Earl of Eglinton. In 1935 the road was built, allowing more visitors to experience the valley’s beauty.
Fiordland National Park was also significant for the wide variety and unique nature of its wildlife.. There are plants and wildlife not found anywhere else in the world, including more than 30 rare, threatened or endangered species, New Zealand’s only land mammals bats are seen here

We had a brief stop at Mirror Lakes which are a set of lakes lying north of Lake Te Anau
At 56 kilometres north of Te Anau, the lakes were about halfway to Milford Sound and our bus stopped at the car park right next to State Highway 94 and we all trooped out glad to see nature more closely
The lakes were only a 5-minute walk away along a wheelchair-friendly boardwalk, a feature I observed all through the country
 A wooden viewing platform and short walking track ran along the lakes, one of which had a deliberately mirrored sign mounted just above the water's surface, so that the name "Mirror Lakes" was shown correctly in its reflection.

 On a calm day, the Earl Mountains could be seen reflected in the water. Because it was windy the day we went there, we unfortunately could not see the reflections clearly

.We could hear chirping of birds and small ducks happily swimming in the water looking at us in disdain, we were told New Zealand’s smallest duck, the scaup or papango, live in the Mirror Lakes , as do the grey duck or pārera.
 Under the water we saw find long-finned native eels, as well as brown and rainbow trout
 The  lakes were so beautiful that some of us were literally dragged back to the bus - LOL
Another beautiful and historic stopping point within the Eglinton Valley was Knobs Flat the site where the workers building the road to Milford Sound including the Homer Tunnel camped up until the 1980s.

It is a useful stop on the way to the fiord, offering accommodation, information about wildlife of the Eglinton Valley and about avalanches in the area.
  Some of our friends who had booked for a helicopter ride could not do it due to bad weather conditions at the Franz glacier ,now they were picked up by two helicopters and flew away happily

Though there were two seats vacant and my kind husband offered to take me,I hesitated because of the high price of the ride ,a decision I later regretted as those who went, later told us that helicopter ride was the best part of the New Zealand trip alas!

We then came across the Monkey Creek a beautiful spot on the road to Milford Sound
We stood amid awe-inspiring mountain scenery and experienced the country’s clean environment
Located within the Hollyford Valley, Monkey Creek is a glacier-fed spring with water so pure we can drink it straight from the source.

Apparently this area which definitely had no monkeys got its name from William Henry Homer’s an European settler who worked in the Fiordland area as a surveyor in the 1800 s and his dog was named Monkey,I commented to my husband even the lucky animals got some places named after them
Our next interesting point was the Homer Tunnel a 1.2 km long road tunnel in the Fiordland region opened in 1953.

New Zealand State Highway 94 passes through the tunnel, piercing the Darran Mountain range at the Homer Saddle.
The tunnel is straight and was originally  a single-lane and gravel-surfaced and the tunnel walls remain unlined granite.
 William H. Homer and George Barber discovered the Homer Saddle in January 1889.It was then that Homer suggested that a tunnel through the saddle would provide access to the Milford area.
But his idea took fruit only in 1935 when work began, Progress was slow, with difficult conditions including fractures in the rock bringing water from snow melt into the tunnel.

 Compressors and a powerhouse in the nearby river were eventually built to pump out 40,000 litres of water per hour.
 Work was also interrupted by World War II and an avalanche in 1945 which destroyed the eastern tunnel portal. These problems delayed the tunnel's completion and opening until 1953.
Two tourist buses were destroyed by fire outside the tunnel in January and March 2008, though the fires were not related to the tunnel ,it prompted the authorities to install satellite phone and fire extinguishers in the tunnel.
Roof lighting was fitted and traffic lights reintroduced in 2004 to reduce capacity constraints and safety issues.

The tunnel was eventually widened and the surface sealed. These days, although the tunnel has two lanes, it's not really suitable for two buses to pass.
 Fortunately this rarely occurs, as most coaches travel in during the morning, then back out in the afternoon. During peak summer period traffic lights control the flow through the tunnel.
As we enter the tunnel it takes a while for our eyes to adjust to the light, and off in the distance one can see a small speck of light at the other end of the tunnel.
 Passing through the tunnel and seeing the steep, winding road leading down through the Cleddau Valley is nothing short of breathtaking
The journey through only took a minute or two, and before we knew it, we emerged into the light.
After passing through the Homer valley, the Milford Road emerged into the impressive Cleddau Valley and naturally we had to stop for photos.
Bounded by steep mountain ranges on either side, this steep valley is named for the Cleddau River which flows through it ,it was named by early European explorer John Grono,

The River Cleddau flows into Milford Haven, the harbour after which Grono named Milford Sound.
In the winter months, the area around the Homer Tunnel and Cleddau Valley is prone to avalanches. While the threat of a large scale avalanche can close the Milford Road, smaller avalanches can be seen further away from the road  an impressive reminder of nature’s power, as snow pours down the mountainside, carrying rocks and debris with it.
As the road descended into the valley for the last 16km of our journey to Milford Sound, it flattened out, travelling along the river, protected on both sides by native beech and podocarp forest.
We traveled past some historic bridges from years gone by, and crossed over the Cleddau River. Finally, at the end of the road, we could see the  much awaited beautiful Milford Sound along with the profile of  majestic Mitre Peak.

GO WHERE THE GOLD IS – ARROWTOWN – NEWZEALAND JOURNEY

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We very reluctantly left the charming city of Queenstown and proceeded on our way to Milford Sound for a cruise and over night stay on the ship
On the way, within 20 minutes drive we stopped at Arrowtown a historic gold mining town in  Otago region of New Zealand, rich in heritage and one of the South Island’s and New Zealand’s, iconic visitor destinations.

 Arrowtown is approximately 7.5 km from State Highway 6. There is also road access directly to Queenstown via the Shotover Gorge and a third route via the picturesque Lake Hayes
Arrowtown is built on the banks of Arrow River, once a rich source of gold, which attracted miners from around the world in pursuit of gold.  In 1862 thousands of miners flocked to the Arrow River . At the height of the gold rush, the population apparently reached 7,000.

Though the miners have gone, the legacy of those early settlers has been retained in Arrowtown through careful preservation and it has become a treasure in its own right.
 Arrowtown has a unique ambience with the historic downtown area offering a sophisticated range of fine clothing stores, art studios, galleries, cafés and restaurants, boutiques, accommodation and traditional pubs and bars. Free WiFi Public access hot spots give visitors internet access in central town.

The main street of Arrowtown, Buckingham Street, revealed the town's determination to preserve its illustrious past.
We got down from our bus  at the parking and ambled across the main street .We were to meet at Lakes District Museum, the focal point for the history of Arrowtown and the surrounding areas and is also the town's major Information Centre.

We found this Museum in the same building as the Information Centre at the main road ,small from exterior it was surprisingly an extensive two storied museum complex ,set around 3 historical buildings including the town’s original bank.

There was an art Gallery at the entrance, we saw the tribal costumes and masks very intricately made, entry to this was voluntary gold coin donation

 The exhibits presented an authentic picture of early Maori, harsh pioneering days of the European settlers, and the exciting gold rush era of the mid to late 1800’s

Most exciting of all was to see the gold exhibits there were kilos of gold arranged in attractive displays

We were stunned to see the gold weights used to weigh the gold and the scales itself was made of gold

There were gold coins and gold nuggets and gold dust too

There were exhibits of silver and gold articles given to people in those days

There were plenty of displays of old historical stuff related to people, immigrants coming from 4 different origins, gold mine, tools, arms, old machines, old banknotes and coins, carts, old photos of Shotover Bridge, we saw an interesting old butter churn that I first mistook for a wringer washer.

In the base floor of the museum there was a complete remake of a town, and we could walk down the streets gazing in awe at a blacksmith shop, gold smelting relics, schoolhouse, bakery, and more.

They even had a replica of an "outhouse" or toilet with sound effects and amusingly even a wax dummy on a toilet who complains when you open the door!

We felt that we walked into the history of the land - and the people as the museum displayed personal artifacts, letters, books, newspapers of different periods – effectively describing the daily life of people

There were bones and feathers from a moa bird which became extinct around 1600 A.D. The re-creations were very authentically done.
We were surprised to see how important music and musical instruments were to the early settlers - and many instruments were displayed such as old organs, small, medium, and large.

A good video presentation told the story of the area with some chairs for people to ease their legs
 The history of taverns was especially fascinating - and the role of women in businesses revealed that women did a great deal to build the country!

Since Arrowtown was a gold mining center, the museum cleverly allowed us to rent a mining pan and spades to try panning for gold in the Arrow River, a short walk out the back door.

Some of the ‘must-dos’ in Arrowtown include visiting the historic Chinese miners village, now stone ruins but once a thriving settlement, the small huts were pathetic and showed their harsh living conditions.

The picturesque preservation of two very different gold rush communities – Chinese and European has been done effectively ,visitors can see both sides of the gold-rush coin, the preserved avenue where wealthy banks and merchants traded in the mid-1800s, and the restored huts on the edge of town

Arrowtown is also renowned for being one of the most amazing places in New Zealand to experience the colors of the four seasons.
 In any season the town is a photographer’s dream and Arrowtown is renowned for its stunning autumn colors providing hues of gold and orange on the hillsides during April and May, we unfortunately missed this as we had visited in December

Arrowtown is also a popular base for snow enthusiasts during winter, with four world class ski areas between 20 – 60 minutes’ drive away. The town is also a year-round golf lover’s paradise with three superb golf courses only five minutes away.

A MAGICAL CRUISE ON LAKE WAKATIPU –NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

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We were briefed by Tony that our evening cruise on Lake Wakatipu with dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm would start at 6 pm sharply at the Steamer Wharf, as it was included in our regular tour all of us gathered in the foyer of our restaurant by 5 pm.
We had to be picked up by a local bus to be transported to the wharf which got delayed and we started thinking that maybe we are going to miss our cruise .
Suddenly there was an announcement that our bus had arrived, we all trooped into the bus, to our dismay we found it  quite dirty and filled with paper debris, it was the first time we saw such a bus in the entire tour, driver was profusely apologizing at its state ,however as it was a very short distance we took it lightly
We got down, were given our vouchers and made our way to the Steamer Wharf at Queenstown’s waterfront, and presented them for a cruise on the TSS Earnslaw.

The "TSS" in the name stands for “twin screw steamer”, and the TSS Earnslaw is the last remaining coal-fired passenger steamer in the southern hemisphere, propelled by a pair of screw propellers mounted on either side of the hull.
 It is a 1912 Edwardian vintage twin screw steamer plying the waters of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand. It is one of the oldest tourist attractions in Central Otago.

 At the beginning of the twentieth century, New Zealand Railways awarded 20,850 pounds to John McGregor and Co shipbuilders of Dunedin to build a steamship for Lake Wakatipu at their Otago Foundry and Engineering Works.
The Earnslaw was designed by naval architect Hugh McRae and was based on a Siemens -Martin steel hull design and used Kauri wood for decking. Propulsion was provided by twin coal-fired triple-expansion, jet-condensing, vertically inclined engines.The keel was laid on 4 July 1911 and the ship was named after Mount Earnslaw a 2889-metre peak at head of Lake Wakatipu.
 51.2 metres long, it was the biggest boat on the lake, and the largest steamship built in New Zealand. On 24th February 1912, incidentally same year as the Titanic, TSS Earnslaw was launched
She then became a valuable vessel for New Zealand Railways (NZR) and is known as "Lady of the Lake".
The Earnslaw worked with her sister ships, the paddle steamers Antrim  and Mountaineer and screw steamer Ben Lemond, transporting sheep, cattle and passengers to surrounding high country stations.
In 1968, the Earnslaw was very nearly scrapped but was fortunately rescued.  She was leased by Fiordland Travel (now Real Journeys) in 1969, and later purchased by same company in 1982. She was taken out of service for a huge makeover in 1984. Her 12 metre high funnel was painted bright red, with the hull a snow white, and her kauri timber decks glassed in.

In March 1990, the Earnslaw carried Queen Elizabeth ,Prince Philip and president Bill Clinton, other royalty to travel on board were the King and Queen of the Belgium and the Prince of Thailand.
The TSS Earnslaw even made a brief cameo appearance in movie Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) as an Amazon River boat.
The Earnslaw celebrated her centenary in October 2012 and continues routine operation carrying tourist passengers across Lake Wakatipu from  Queenstown to Walter Peak High Country Farm, a tourism operation with farm tours, horse treks, heritage tours, barbecue lunches and evening dining at the historic Colonel's Homestead.
The ship works fourteen-hour days in the summer months and cruises for eleven months of the year, despite being over 100 years old.
Each year, the TSS Earnslaw undergoes an annual survey – typically from late May to early June – with every second year being taken out of the lake.
As we had arrived late, our entire group got totally scattered and we had to sit in separate places .We had time to explore the ship during the 1.5-hour cruise, and headed below the decks to engine room, where profusely sweating young stokers fed a roaring coal fire ,seeing them I felt bad for them as it was a hot and tough job ,seeing my forlorn face, my husband consoled me saying that they must be getting adequately paid for their hard work.

 We then explored the small on board museum that was located in the forecastle and found that there was a lot of teak .There was a TSS Earnslaw’s lovely bar/ cafe offering reasonably priced hot and cold, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, cakes, sandwiches. There were multiple decks and toilets on board too

We finally settled down to see the dramatic views of the mountains that surrounded the lake, which has a maximum depth of 1,250 feet .All around us we could see boats of various sizes going by merrily .
If one takes off the shoes and stand barefoot on the age old timber decking eyes closed, we can almost feel the beautiful presence of those who would've traveled on this beautiful vessel more than 100 years ago.
Before the ship came to shore at the farm it gave a long penetrating hoot and we could see uniformed and capped staff come out of the home stead and give us a friendly welcome waving vigorously.

As we stepped abroad we were struck by the serenity of the place, the water was lapping gently at the shore, as it was too tempting ,I stepped into the water which was however ice cold .

The home stead was beautifully designed surrounded by large gardens full of flowers mainly roses of all colours, grounds were like mini England  gardens.

We spent our time wandering around in the gardens enjoying the peaceful setting till we got called for dinner .

As we were a big group we were accommodated inside the homestead for dinner .Some tourists who were couples or small groups were sitting around tables outside overlooking the lake.
The timeless ambience and refurbished interior of homestead was very soothening . The homestead offers a variety of private rooms or the option to hire the whole venue exclusively for functions like weddings

Walter Peak High Country Farm, on the western shores of Lake Wakatipu, is steeped in history. Its sheltered bays were used as camping sites by Maori
European settlement commenced in the 1860 s with initial farming attempts by Von Tunzelman. Stock deaths, snowstorms and lack of money eventually forced him off the land.
Following a quick succession of owners, Walter Peak Station was taken over in the late 1880 s by the Mackenzies. This family is credited with developing many of the principles of successful high country farming during their 80 years of working the property.
At its peak, the station was one of New Zealand’s most famous with 170,000 acres, 40,000 sheep and up to 50 full time employees. The original homestead block of Walter Peak Station is now known as Walter Peak High Country Farm.

 It runs 18000 Merino and Perendale sheep and 800 beef cows
Over time various permanent homes were established and these included the Colonel’s Homestead with its beautiful lakeside gardens.
The lovely home generally known as Colonel‟s House was built for Peter Mackenzie, one of the six sons of Hugh Mackenzie.
Colonel Peter and his family continued to live there until 1970.
The Colonel‟s House was built in 1907 when Peter married. At Walter Peak homestead extensive tree-planting was carried out to stabilize the ground and shield people and buildings from boulders shed by the mountain during storms.

In 1977 fire broke out in the Colonel’s House. Staff thought it had been successfully extinguished. Alas, within hours the 70-year-old building with all its interesting contents was consumed by fire.
The replacement building was sympathetically designed and fits the setting very comfortably. It is more functional than its predecessor, catering for large number of visitors.

 Recently Real Journeys purchased 300 acres of Walter Peak land and the lakeside buildings,  securing future of the establishment which provides enjoyment and an appreciation of New Zealand high country farming to those who visit this special place..
The dinner was a BBQ a buffet style meal with plenty of trimmings and the most perfectly cooked Canterbury pork and Otago beef.

The food was beautifully cooked and plentiful with a huge range of barbecued meats, salads and desserts with un limited refills
There were huge prawns, smoked salmon, mussels etc. to start with, and then wonderful meats to follow (beef, lamb, pork, chicken but the star of the show was the lamb (as one might expect on a sheep station).

There was chicken and fish ,succulent meats cooked on the outdoor grill, selections of delicious vegetables and salads and irresistible desserts.

 We found the mouth watering range of home made desserts so tastefully decorated hard to resist

After the dinner we had a stroll in the gardens and sheep shearing demonstration where we watched the remarkable skill with which farm dogs round up sheep from paddocks.
We had a walking tour of the farmyard, visited holding pens, where we tried to help feed the sheep and deer and even got up close to the Scottish Highland Cattle.
There was a charming gift shop where we did some window shopping

Suddenly one of our friends from the group came and whispered in a conspiratorial tone to us that Tony had planned that we would be sitting in a group while going back, so we were to quickly board the ship and sit in a group near the piano
Sensing the starting time was arriving, we quickly gathered in the location specified, feeling quite like naughty children.
We were given NZ song books and we had an energetic  old man who was at the piano who played all the old ‘sing along songs’ like "Irish eyes", "long way to Tipperary" etc and encouraged everyone to sing, Soon the ship gave a good bye hoot and started moving

Most of the songs we had learnt in school as nursery rhymes, so I could happily join in the ‘sing along’ much to the surprise of our friends ,we held hands and sang and danced ,our Australian friends declared that they were giving an Australian citizenship to me, LOL !
We wished two people who had birthdays that day and a couple who had their wedding anniversary .Seeing our group’s enthusiasm many on the ship joined us
Gradually the light of the setting sun kissed the mountain ranges all around us as we sailed gaily across the sapphire blue water of the Lake Wakatipu

The cruise ended in no time as the lights of Queenstown drew nearer,we reached the wharf and alighted saying a reluctant goodbye to a magical cruise and an enchanting night