Where's Schultz
  • Home
  • Photos
  • 2017 Trip
    • Travel Blog >
      • Argentina
      • Chile
      • Vietnam
      • Cambodia
      • Thailand
      • New Zealand
      • Australia
    • Map & Itinerary
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Photos
  • 2017 Trip
    • Travel Blog >
      • Argentina
      • Chile
      • Vietnam
      • Cambodia
      • Thailand
      • New Zealand
      • Australia
    • Map & Itinerary
  • About Us
  • Contact

TRAVEL BLOG

Te Anau & Milford Sound, NZ

5/7/2017

0 Comments

 
​After a month at home we were excited to be on the road again! And we saved the best part of our adventure for last: New Zealand and Australia.
​
We landed in Queenstown, New Zealand on Thursday morning and grabbed a rental car to start exploring the South Island. Our first stop was Te Anau, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from the airport, and the gateway to Fiordlands National Park. It did not take long for the landscape to blow us away, as we drove along mountain lined Lake Wakatipu and the beautiful farm land of the sometimes remote southern island. Sheep, cows, and deer farms dot the green rolling hills. Within an hour I could confirm Taylor's claim: New Zealand is the most beautiful country in the world.
Te Anau was a fairly quiet vacation town with plenty of vacancies in the low season. We had a nice private room with a kitchen. ​Once in town we went straight for a hike so we could fight off some of our jet lag. Nearby Kepler Track is a multi-day loop, but we hiked just the first few hours into a beautiful beech tree forest along Lake Te Anau, the second largest lake in the country. The forests look like something straight from Jurassic Park.
Picture
South Island Landscape
Picture
Overlooking Te Anau
Picture
Kepler Track
Picture
Lake Te Anau
In the morning we took off for our first big excursion, a kayak trip to the Milford Sound. Taylor had done a boat tour during her last stay in New Zealand, so we thought sea kayaks would be a fresh way to experience the landscape. The kayak company transported us two hours to the sound along the Milford Highway. The drive here has to be one of the most spectacular in the world. It winds through wide valleys surrounded by snow capped mountains, lush forests, and even Homer Tunnel which cuts through a mountain. We stopped for photos both in and out of Milford. There are hikes and camping spots all around this area that could demand an entire trip in itself. I asked Taylor if she might have made a mistake by showing me the most beautiful part of the country on our first stop! (Spoiler alert: No, the entire country is this amazing!)
Picture
Eglinton Valley
Picture
Mirror Lakes
Picture
Kea Alpine Parrot
Picture
Monkey Creek & Mount Talbot
​Once at the Milford Sound, which is not a sound but actually a fiord cut by glaciers, we started suiting up for our kayaking trip. It was a cold morning but luckily they provided plenty of fleece and dry gear. We shared a sea kayak and set out into the calm fiord with our Kiwi guide, Ollie. He's been working as a guide for eight years so he was very knowledgeable about the landscape and New Zealand as a whole.
​
The Milford Sound is amazing, with huge peaks that jut up from sea level. Moss and trees somehow cling to the granite cliffs. Rainwater usually falls into the fiord from every direction, forming a dark fresh water layer above clearer seawater. We caught the fiord on a crystal clear day which is quite rare on the west side of the island. We could see all of the peaks and distant waterfalls as we kayaked for around three hours.
Picture
Kayaking Milford Sound
Picture
Perfect day at Milford
Picture
Sunbathing Fur Seal
Picture
Kayaking Milford Sound
​​Back in town we stopped for a pint of beer and got acclimated to the prices here. Things are very expensive being on a remote island! Meals start around $25 and a beer can be $10-15. The strong US Dollar helps us a bit, but it's clear we aren't in Southeast Asia anymore! We stayed awake as long as possible, but soon we were feeling our jet lag so we went back to our room to rest up for our drive back to Queenstown the next morning.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Chris & Taylor

    Read our travel blog as we visit three continents in 2017.

    Tweets by wheresschultz

    Categories

    All
    Angkor
    Argentina
    Auckland
    Australia
    Bangkok
    Bellingen
    Brisbane
    Buenos Aires
    Byron Bay
    Cairns
    Cambodia
    Cathedral Cove
    Caving
    Chiang Mai
    Chile
    Christchurch
    Coffs Harbour
    Coromandel
    El Calafate
    El Chaltén
    Elephants
    Frutillar
    Glowworms
    Great Barrier Reef
    Ha Long Bay
    Hanoi
    Hoi An
    Horseback Riding
    Hot Springs
    Hot Water Beach
    Hunter Valley
    Iguazu Falls
    Kayak
    Khao Lak
    Los Angeles
    Mendoza
    Milford Sound
    Mount Cook
    Neslon Bay
    New Zealand
    Otres Beach
    Pai
    Palmerston North
    Paragliding
    Penguins
    Phnom Penh
    Planning
    Puerto Natales
    Puerto Varas
    Punta Arenas
    Queenstown
    Rafting
    Saigon
    Santiago
    Scuba Diving
    Siem Reap
    Sihanoukville
    Similan Islands
    South America
    Southeast Asia
    Surfers Paradise
    Surfing
    Sydney
    Te Anau
    Thailand
    Tongariro National Park
    Torres Del Paine
    Trekking
    United States
    Valparaiso
    Vietnam
    Waitomo
    Wanaka
    Wellington
    Wine Tasting

    Archives

    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016

​connect with us
Copyright © 2017 Where's Schultz