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.