Out of the Caves, on to Milford! (Kepler part 2)

A bit of a struggle to get out this way!

Guess where I was for my golden birthday!

One of our better group pictures. We payed the money for a 5 hour paddle around the sound with a great guide

 

 

It was cold. But who can say they swam in Milford sound!

600' waterfall.. everything looks half its height here. EVERYTHING is so big

Funny little hotel rooms at the Milford lodge.. where tenting is $20/ person night

Little more of Mitre peak after the kayak ride from the top of the Milford track lookout. This really is the finest of the fjords. Our guide told us the Maori legend of the creation of all the fjords. (Having forgotten the names: ) a son of the creator hadn't gotten to do much creation himself, so he was given an axe and told to spruce up the coastline down south. He started at the south end and worked his way up creating 14 "sounds" (not quite right geologically, but this is a legend anyhow). The first few were poorly carved, so Dad came along and showed him how to make a sound. After that, the quality improoved all the way up to Milford, where he created his masterpiece in just a few steep strokes (hence the few bends in the sound, steep sides). He broke his axe on the last swing, and the rare greenstone in it is now found at the end of the sound!
All the gods came along to bless this great creation and brought lots of gifts, but one thought that it was too perfect, she didn't want the Maori people to get lazy here in the beauty, so she went off a bit and placed a little curse on the area so that people could come for enjoyment but never stay. To this day, the sandflies are bad enough to have a point named after them, and there are almost no permnent residents.
Then there's some crazy people who call themselves glaciologists...

 

And that was the end of fall break! We went back via Dunedin, got a speeding ticket (I wasn't driving!) on the way, $120 but nothing on the insurance. We took a Cadbury chocolate factory tour in town and I got my fill of birthday sugar.
Break was quite the experience. I took three separate week long vacations in as many weeks.. and each would have been a wonder in itself. Back to back it was enough to make me feel like a professional traveler. I didn't really miss school too much, and the daily price was sure a lot lower.. I hope I'm able to bring a little of that excitement for adventure, the desire to experience everywhere at every chance I get back to home. Everywhere I've lived for a few years, and had time to get settled in, I loose the glasses of amazement that fall on every time I leave the house. But there's new things everywhere!  I just need to act a little like a study abroad student when I'm back at home!

I'm working on it. See you on the trail, rock wall, lake, mountain, or secret little city park.

Queenstown, Kepler Track part 1, Luxmore Hut

The fist installment of the Kepler Track! More after I get back from Mt. Cook this weekend. Slowly getting back up to speed after the arduous break... 

Sunset on the way past Mt Cook. Rohan is always beautiful (and thats where I'm going this weekend too!)

Lake Pukaki sunset, Mt. Cook in the background

Made it to Queenstown late that night, running on fumes! We stayed at Lake Gunn, a few km away and came back for the next day in town. Somehow, Pacman decided to run around, followed by 3 ghosts. Gorgeous city.

Off to Te Anu

Easily 60-65lbs.. SO much food including 2 coconuts

Shallow bay campsite, just off the official Kepler track after our first day of Great Walk-ing

Toasted coconut! Delicous

The next day wasn't too spectacular, except for the "big slip" - a huge landslide that covered a km wide valley bottom.. but the following day was phenomenal! After climbing ~2000 ft (here) out of the valley, we spent 6 hours running along the top of the most gorgeous ridges. Lunch was a spectacular circumstance and we met some interesting people along the way. Good sights and pictures all around!

Up on top!! Down can see the big slip to the left of the ridge

 

Lake Te Anau South Fiord (little disagreement about how to spell that as we learned in Milford sound)

Running Track [redefined]
#iesredefined
(on the way down to Luxmore hut)

:) !

 

As you descend from Mt Luxmore you can't see the hut at all, then you come over the last rise, thinking you have  ~3km to go, and here it is! GORGEOUS hut. It's really one of the gems of New Zealand... especially if you get to see the sun rise over the clouds! Lake Te Anau in the background again.

We ran over to the Luxmore caves right before sunset.. didn't make much difference inside of course. There is a much less used cave before the main one, the formations were so ubiquitous and clean!