The Milford Sound, Queenstown and Wanaka

On a day trip and still based in Te Anau all four of us would take Birgit’s dying car (Pablo) and go to see this nature’s wonder; Milford Sound. Not many things for the independent traveler to do there. With Milford track out of the question (booked out until March) we will bargain for a boat trip deep inside the magnificent sound. We are left speechless even if the weather is not the best – always being the case in Milford Sound.

Next stop is Queenstown. I guess if I was 18 years old I would have liked it more. The prices there are much more expensive than in the rest of NZ. But as they say; it is always like this as long as customers let it be. After the Milford we say goodbye to Astrid and the three of us spend a night in this buzzing city. Next day we would climb the “pagoda” and get rewarder with a great view. Wanaka is next.

I would have never thought I would like it so much and therefore we stay there for four nights! It is possibly the nicest of the villages I’ve witnessed so far. There is also a “legendary” cinema there; Cinema Paradiso, founded by a Scottish man. We see “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” – reminds me of home – and “Mongol” which does not remind me of nothing. Trekking-wise we are doing the Rob Roy track in Mt. Aspiring National Park and Roy’s Peak very close to the township. The first one is incredible as it rewards us with an almost fake view of a picture frame that has it all; glaciers, waterfalls, rivers and rocky peaks. The second one gives us a picturesque panorama of lake Wanaka and its surroundings but it is hard to climb (3hrs uphill). After this beautiful pause in a village I strongly recommend to everybody before it becomes like Queenstown, I have to keep moving and Franz Josef township is next. The latter I’ll be doing it alone as the moment has come to part ways with Alex. I wish him all the best in his travels. The same to Birgit that left us in Queenstown…