Milford Sound and Arrowtown

We departed the Fiord National Park Lodge at 0645 and it was pitch dark.  There was frost on the car  windows which Brian scraped off with a credit card.  The sky was clear and we did not encounter any fog on the roads during our two and a half hour drive to catch the excursion boat for Milford Sound.  We had great luck with the weather.  The sun was shining bright and there was very little wind.  The locals told us it rains about 280 days of the year and this is the first sunny day they had in almost a week.  The three hour excursion took us down the fjord to the Tasman Sea then let us off for a nearly hour long stop at "The Discovery Center" where we descended steps to a viewing platform at a depth of about 15 meters below the water to observe sea life in the fjord.  Here we learned more about the formation and life in the fjord, as well as, some local history.  We departed "The Discovery Center" aboard another excursion boat which was full of Chinese tourists who arrived by bus.  Our goal upon reaching the wharf was to get into our car and stay ahead of the numerous buses heading back to Queenstown.

Bowen Falls - Milford Sound

Seal Sunning on Rocks

Rainbow As We Approach Bridal Veil Falls

Stirling Falls

Milford Sound

We arrived at our motel shortly after 5 pm.  It was a cute facility made up of small cottages - old and new.  Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town not far from Queenstown.  It nearly became a ghost town until tourism and ski resorts revitalized the entire region.  Today, it is a quiet village of restaurants and shops catering to the tourist. Shortly after our arrival, we headed to town for dinner.  Dwayne had venison and Carla had lamb.  It was a great meal in a quaint setting - an old stable.  For desert, we headed to another local pub which had a quartet of musicians playing Irish music in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.  Once again, we had a wonderful day and night in New Zealand.  Tomorrow, we fly to the North Island.

Dinner at The Stables

Dessert and Music at The Fork and Tap - St. Patrick's Day