Welcome back, it's been a while since my last post. If you're following me along you've probably realised that i'm a bit slow at releasing new blogs. But it's quality that counts right?

With that in mind, I can assure you that this one is a gooden!

I should also mention that this is my first blog done on the laptop so I still don't know where all the tools are etc. It's completely different to using a smart phone.

Anyway, on with the adventure.

The next place I visited was a day trip from Queenstown where I was based for a few weeks.

This was one place I'd wanted to visit since I arrived in Queenstown and I'm so glad I did.

They say that sometimes it's not about the destination, it's the journey. Well, what a journey it was!

Off I went into the beautiful countryside of New Zealand.

This whole trip is more or less focussed on one long windy road, to and from the destination. But this is one I'll definitely remember.

When you drive along a road like this, the view just hits you. It's like you're in a dream and you're not actually there. Every now and again there would be a huge open space with Mountains in the distance.

I had to get out and admire the view.

The mirror lake

This isn't the only "mirror lake" in New Zealand or the world for that matter but it's famous enough to have it's own sign next to it, so I stopped to have a look.

Unfortunately, it was a windy day and the ripples on the water made it so there was no mirror of the mountains and clouds but still quite a view none the less.

Whilst driving along, every now and again I'd see the peak of a mountain covered in snow....

Snow!? This was the middle of summer almost. Where I'm from there are not many mountains so this was unusual for me.

I climbed higher and higher into the mountains and despite the fact I had a ferry to catch and didn't want to stop-start all the way, there were some stops I just couldn't ignore.

I mean, would you just drive past this?

I didn't expect this climb into the mountains. Every now and again you'll turn a bend like this.

...and as I climbed higher I saw more snowy peaks

and more incredible views

It was an overwhelming experience. I couldn't believe how much the scenery had changed since I left about an hour ago. When people talk about New Zealand they never seem to mention these quiet roads.

Then came trouble...I was warned about some birds on the way to Milford Sounds. "They will eat your car," they said.

"Watch your keys and belongings because they'll steal them"

I thought this was all a big joke for tourists like the "drop bears" back in Australia.

But then I met them...

They're called "Kea" are basically large parrots with mainly olive-green feathers Awesome to look at. They seemed very friendly at first, letting everyone get a nice picture and coming up rather close.

But then...

They started eating someone's car and biting the ariel!. One hopped in the back and started going through a woman's bag! I couldn't help but laugh (as it wasn't happening to me)

"He's going for your keys" I warned trying not to laugh.

I wouldn't class these as a pest though, just very clever cheeky devils! Not like the sand-flies! You don't know what's annoying until you've been bitten by a swarm of those little pests! Think mosquito bites that itch more and last twice as long. Oh, they're smaller too so harder to kill.

Anyway, I was lucky enough to not be the victim...this time...

Thinking it couldn't get any better and already more than satisfied with the day, I drove right into this...

It was like driving into a painting, that's the only way I can describe it. Have you ever driven and seen something so mind blowing that you take your foot right off the throttle and completely forget about everything for a second. This was it for me.

As I got closer and closer the views got even better but as the roads were windy with blind bends I thought I better not risk drive and try and take a picture, so you're just gonna have to take my word for it.

At last...Milford Sound

The pictures I took here don't do this place justice. When you arrive it's like you've walked into a new biome. All a sudden wham! there it is.

Concidering the amount of stops I made I was surprised that I somehow managed to get there in time.
I barely made it onto the ferry and never thought I'd be that loser you see running down the jetty. But alas, today was my time. The bridge between the boat and shore lifted as soon as I stepped on so if I'd lost my footing, I'd be in the water, no question about it.

Here's the ferry (the white one)

I took this AFTER I got back :-)

But no one was waiting for me. It wasn't as if they said "we need to wait for one more passenger".

Nope.

You don't make the time on your ticket, you don't get on. Simple.

Bowen Falls

The main reason I wanted to visit the sounds was because of the waterfall. It's the tallest waterfall in New Zealand apparently at 161 meters, that's 11 meters higher than my bungee jump so I can imagine the view from the top!

Here it is

lol

and here it is from a a helicopter view.

image source

At least with this picture (which is way better than mine) you can get a better sense of scale.

As you can see, due to the ground beneath the falls, it's impossible to get close by boat.

Stirling Falls on the other hand...

Stirling Falls, in fact, the second tallest waterfall in New Zealand. How convenient!

I didn't know ths prior to leaving but they take you right by it

Pretty cool huh

Ok we're getting pretty close

maybe not so close captain?

At this point i'm pretty sure everyone else ran for cover in side..appart from me. Yes I got a bit wet, but it was a hot sunny day and despite looking like a mong I was nice and cool for the next 10 minutes while the sun dried me off. :-)

Check out the rainbow beneath the fall

Everybody loves a rainbow :-) but seeing one you can almost touch is pretty cool.

These aren't the only waterfalls here either, there's Stirling Falls and Fairy falls too.

The good thing about this boat is you are free to move around from front:

to back

It's such a calm place...

Seals!

hehe, sorry. Where were we?

I managed to get a few more good photos on the way back too

Yes I waited until the ferry was right in the middle of those two peaks

Even after every few hundred meters the view changed drematically.

This was possibly the best short boat trip I've had so far in my life, in terms of the surroundings. Well worth the drive from Queenstown

Normally this would be a great point to end the blog. I mean, I've shown you the epic journey and now you've seen Milford Sounds.

But there's a few little extras I missed on the way.

Such as this cute waterfall

and this bizarre rock formation nearby

Honestly this route is full of hidden wonders

I decided to pay my little green freinds a visit on the way back. There was no one parked there this time and no parrots. Instead I sat in the car for a few minutes and had a bite to eat. The weather was still fairly warm so I had the windows down.

Wait a minute...