Sunday 5th Mar Queenstown (20 degrees)

It was an epic day in more ways than one. We were up early as we were boarding an extra long coach at 7am which was to take us to Milford Sound. The drive to Milford Sound was over 300kms, so with the numerous stops made on the way, we didn’t arrive until 1pm. Our coach driver was very impressive, not only in his driving expertise but also with his commentary. He had provided us with so much information about this area, including geology, geography, history, environment, farming, ornithology, etc etc. Most of our stops on the way were to view more spectacular scenery. Towering, jagged mountains, with small glaciers and snow, huge waterways, large glacial valleys, dense forest etc. Our coach was equipped with huge windows and also most of the roof was glass so this made it easy to view the beautiful scenes. Once we arrived at Milford Sound we boarded one of the many cruises docked at the wharf to do a cruise of the sound. It was another relaxing and beautiful experience, enjoying the stunning sheer sides of the mountains, rising up from the sea, in what was once a glacial valley. Waterfalls falling straight into the sea were numerous as were dolphins in the water. All too soon our trip was over and we reboarded our coach for the long trip back to Queenstown. This time there was only one stop on the way home but we still didn’t arrive back in Queenstown until just before 8pm.  Again we continue to be very lucky with the weather as the weather at Milford Sound was just perfect. Also we think that NZ tourism has definitely bounced back from Covid. There are many, many overseas tourists here, as there has been in many of the places we have visited.

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