The Sound of Silence

2023 is off to an extraordinary start. Today Garry and I enjoyed an absolutely breathtaking cruise through Milford Sound. The images posted here simply cannot capture the experience in all its glory.

Perhaps the smartest thing we did today was base ourselves overnight at Milford Sound Lodge. Most people visit late morning on day tours coming from Queenstown or Te Anau. As a result, most people experience the Sound late-morning as a cacophony of crowds and tour buses fill the area.

By staying overnight we could book an extended morning cruise and avoid the crowds. As a result, we enjoyed Milford Sound in relative peace, on a smaller vessel. As the only accommodation in the area, the lodge was also a wonderfully refreshing experience. We're thoroughly enjoying its well-appointed boutique accommodation nestled in picturesque bushland along the banks of the Cleddau River and one of its tributaries.

I began the day of the year with a coffee outside as the sun rose over the surrounding mountains. The air was still with barely a cloud in the sky. We couldn’t have picked a better day to go cruising. Sadly, my outdoor excursion was relatively brief as the biting sandflies here are ferocious!

After breakfast we made our way down to the waterfront in time to witness a classic postcard moment; that is Mitre Peak, the area’s iconic mountain, reflected on the glassy smooth water of Freshwater Basin. This is an immoral scene that I fondly recall appearing in countless calendars and advertisements throughout my childhood.

Our cruise spent three hours sailing up the southern shores of Milford Sound and out into the Tasman Sea, before returning down the Sound along the opposing shoreline. The boat’s itinerary also included a stop at the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory anchored in Harrison Cove. This incredible facility features a spiral staircase that descends into an underwater chamber where you can watch the Sound’s abundant aquatic life go about its business. 

Who knew that so much life was flourishing below Milford Sound’s murky waters?  This video gives you just a hint of what we saw.

As we cruised, the skipper of our boat stopped several times to let us watch the local seals frolic. He also teased us with a brief shower at the base of the spectacular Hanging Valley waterfall. We then finished our morning with a picnic lunch overlooking Mitre Peak while being entertained by a hungry native duck. Today was undoubtedly New Zealand at its best.

UPDATE

Just when we thought our time at Milford Sound couldn't get any better, we experienced this extraordinary helicopter tour the following day.

The world reopens

We've just witnessed the sun setting on the final day of 2022.  What a year it's been.  Tomorrow we venture out into Milford Sound before heading to Doubtful Sound and then on to Mount Cook. After three years of pandemic-induced isolation, it's wonderful to be back on the road exploring the wider world again. 

In the months ahead we have plenty of travel scheduled. In mid-January, we return to Europe for the first time since January 2020. We'll spend time in London and Germany reconnecting with key suppliers for our wholesale company. We're stopping in Singapore for a long weekend on the way over to help reset our body clocks.  

The stopover is much needed as we’ll literally go straight into our first business meeting after landing at 6:00am.  We kick off our time in the UK with a breakfast meeting near Heathrow Airport. We’re meeting a new strategic service provider. We'll then head into the city to attend the annual British Toy Fair. 

Once we've finished business in London, it's off to York for a quick weekend excursion before flying to Nuremberg. We'll be in Germany for a week filled with back-to-back meetings as we catch up with suppliers at Spielwarenmesse, the toy industry's largest international trade show.

March sees us flying the entire Artiwood team to Melbourne where we're exhibiting at the Australian Toy Fair.  It's been three years since this key industry event was staged.  A week later I'll then fly to Wellington for an extended weekend to attend a business networking event.  This will be my first time in New Zealand's capital city in more than four years.

A few weeks after that Garry and I head off to Tasmania for an extended Easter vacation. We're taking my brother and sister-in-law on a circuit around the Apple Isle. We're scheduled an itinerary filled with many of our favourite spots including Cradle Mountain.  However, Garry and I also get to enjoy a few new sights along the way.

It's nice to be back on the road again after being stuck at home for several years.

Lakeside R&R

Garry and I have just enjoyed five superb days in Queenstown. It’s been an awesome holiday. The weather also played its part with many fine conditions. We’ve based ourselves in a serviced apartment overlooking Lake Wakatipu. We’ve also enjoyed the company of my brother Matt, sister-in-law Shelley and their children. By sheer chance, we’d all booked a vacation in Queenstown for the same week.

While in town we’ve entertained ourselves with some of the region’s classic highlights including a ride up the Gondola to enjoy the stunning view on offer at the Skyline lounge. However, I couldn’t talk Garry into giving the luge run a try. The views from our apartment balcony proved equally spectacular. Twice a day we watched the SS Earnslaw steamer set sail. We were also entertained by an impromptu jazz concert on the foreshore one afternoon.

The penultimate day of the year proved particularly eventful. I started the day with an exhilarating jet boat ride along the Shotover River – something I’ve always wanted to do. I then got distracted buying new hiking boots in the post-Christmas sales (my last pair fell apart during our hike to Kim’s Lookout on Lord Howe Island in October). Garry and I then joined Matt and Shelley for a fun afternoon sampling wines and boutique beers on a small group wine tour.

We finished our day with dinner followed by sunset drinks at Perky’s Floating Bar. This quirky bar is located on a permanently moored boat docked on the town foreshore. However, the day also turned to tragedy when we realized I’d left my wine tour purchases at the restaurant after dinner. Fortunately, the staff spotted my errant goods and put them safely behind the bar.

On the final day of the year, we made our way to Milford Sound where we’ll base ourselves for the first two days of 2023. Once again, the weather played its part. We stopped several times to soak up the view as we drove along the shores of Lake Wakatipu before making a series of scenic stops along the road to Milford Sound. Today’s National Park highlights included a boardwalk at Mirror Lake, stunning views of the Eglinton Valley, the spectacular entrance to the Homer Tunnel, and Pop’s View Lookout.

We’ve now based at The Milford Sound Lodge. It’s a genuinely impressive facility in the heart of Milford Sound. Our room looks out over a tributary of the picturesque Cleddau River. While Garry relaxed, this evening I took a quick drive down to the foreshore to soak in my first view of the Mitre Peak. I’ve finally seen Milford Sound in picture-perfect weather. Without a doubt, it was worth the wait. This evening we'll see in the new year with a dinner featuring local produce at the Lodge's Pio Pio restaurant.

Skippers Road

In 1861 alluvial gold was discovered along the Shotover River valley in heart of New Zealand’s Otago province. Within months the remote hinterland’s population grew from 12,000 to 27,000 as men flocked to the goldfields in the desperate hope of finding their fortune. Throughout the region temporary canvas towns (tent cities), hair-raising roads, and ramshackle wooden buildings sprang up across the landscape. None was more famous than Skippers and its deep, narrow canyon with vertigo-inducing rock walls.

One and half centuries later all that remains of this pioneering era is a rugged gravel road and a handful of lovingly restored buildings. While staying in Queenstown, Garry and I booked a half-day 4WD tour of Skippers Canyon. We spent four hours in dazzling sunshine, winding our way along this infamous New Zealand road soaking in its dramatic scenery. I’ve always wanted to drive the Skippers Road, so yesterday’s excursion was another bucket list moment.

Our group consisted of five people. We were also on our own rather than part of a larger convoy. As a result, we made good time, arriving at Skippers restored stone schoolhouse before the afternoon crowd. We ultimately had the entire location to ourselves for almost 45 minutes. As we drive away, a dust cloud clad convey of at least ten 4WD SUVs came roaring into view. Our guide later told us that our private experience was almost unheard of at this time of year i.e. peak Summer tourist season.

Our small group also meant we had time to squeeze in a few extra activities. Highlights included a solo walk along the length of the famous Skipper’s Canyon suspension bridge and a brief river-bashing drive along the nearby Arrow River (which marks the start of the even more remote and rugged Macetown road).

South for Summer

Garry and I have flown across the Tasman for this year’s annual Summer vacation. We kicked off our time away with five days in Mount Maunganui. Here we enjoyed some quality time (and quality wines) with my brothers and their families after spending last weekend with Garry’s family in Sydney.

Sadly Mum was unable to enjoy us for our family Christmas lunch. Her rest home is in the midst of a COVID outbreak and has been locked down for several weeks. Mum tested positive the day before we flew out which automatically reset the lockdown clock for a further ten days.

On Boxing Day we flew to Queenstown via Auckland where we’ll spend the next 14 days exploring some of the South Island’s scenic highlights. Our itinerary includes two nights at Milford Sound and two nights at Mount Cook. However, our first stop involves five days of doing “bugger all” at a lakeside apartment in Queenstown. Click on the stunning panorama below for a taste of our spectacular location.

 

Our trip south was a rather stressful start to our southern adventure. We had a tight connection in Auckland that subsequently grew even tighter when our Connecting flight to Auckland departed 20 minutes late. We had less than 15 minutes to make the transfer. Fortunately, there were nine passengers on our flight from Tauranga making the same change so Air New Zealand held the flight for us.

While we made the connection our bags did not. However, they arrived 90 minutes later on the next flight. Garry and I spent the intervening time at the supermarket stocking our apartment larder for days of wining and dining on the balcony. The rental car company has also upgraded us to a full-size SUV. We’ll be traveling in style with room enough for a family of seven.