First things first, a
huge thank you to everyone who has sent messages and well wishes
lately! I'm doing pretty good and trying to keep as active as I can.
We're planning a trip to Arrowtown in the next week or two which
we're both really excited about, as well as walking the Lake Hayes
circuit. They both look so beautiful at this time of year and the
leaves are falling fast, so we need to get a wriggle on!
Kayaking in 50,000 year old water. As you do...
However, before I
waffle on about any new adventures I really need to bring you up to
date on the last couple of months as we've seen and done heaps. I
haven't even finished telling you about Liam's visit back in
February, shocking! I really need to do that because in just a few short days
we managed to experience some truly amazing things, which all of us
will remember forever. One of the highlights was definitely kayaking
at Milford Sound. Kayaking is one of my favourite things to do. I
would happily do it all day, every day and over the years Liam and I
have been lucky enough to do it everywhere from Rotorua and Taupo to
Kuaotunu and Tokaanui, as well as many an excursion down the estuary
and across the sea to Donut Island (official name Whenuakura) in our
old home town of Whangamata. They are all awesome in their own way,
but none have come close to Milford Sound. Without a doubt, this was
one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.
On a wet day there are so many waterfalls the mountains look as though they are covered in spider webs!
There's no such
thing as Milford Sound on a bad day (which is just as well, seeing as
it rains there 250 days of the year) but conditions couldn't have
been more perfect for our tour. Having rained on and off all morning,
the mountains streamed with dozens of waterfalls and combined with
the dark and brooding landscape it couldn't have looked or felt any
more ethereal.
Just the three of us, with our guide, Tiger
Our kayaking experience
began at Harrison Cove, which is only accessible by boat and is also
home to the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory. We were lucky
enough to have just three in our group; Gareth, myself and Liam, ably led by our tour guide, Tiger. We glided gently into the
water and set off at a leisurely pace around the fiord. Our first
stop was at an inlet, where Tiger encouraged us to taste the water.
'This is the best water you will ever get', he said. 'It's glacial
water. Until around 4 – 5 hours ago, this water had been frozen for
over 50,000 years'. He was right, it tasted better than any water
we'd ever had!
Where else in the world can you go kayaking in cold tea?!
One of the things which
makes Milford Sound so otherworldly is the colour of the water. It's
actually sort of tea coloured but looks black. This is caused by
something called deep water emergence. The water in the fiord is salt
water; however due to the result of the high annual rainfall in
Fiordland, there is a layer of fresh water overlaying it and the
light is not allowed to penetrate past that layer. This is just one
of the many things we learned from our friendly and informative
guide. We also learned all about tree avalanche scars and I learned more
about Maori legends and our nation's history than I had done in 26
years of living in New Zealand! I can't resist sharing a couple so please indulge me...
The poor wee lonely Piopio. Rather like a thrush, this native bird was sadly declared extinct in the early 1900's.
The Maori name for
Milford Sound is Piopiotahi, which means 'the lonely Piopio', and the
story behind the name goes a bit like this. One day, a chap called
Maui - a Polynesian demigod and one of the most famous identities in
Maori legends – set out on a quest to try and make humans immortal.
He was accompanied in his mission by a small bird known as a Piopio,
which sadly is now extinct. Unfortunately for Maui, he failed in his
quest and was killed. The poor wee Piopio was so heartbroken, he
flew to Milford Sound to mourn his friend's death and lived out the
rest of his days alone. As for the sandflies the area is also
notorious for? They were released by the goddess of the underworld,
Hine-nui-te-po, to prevent humans from lingering too long in such a
beautiful place. It certainly did the trick! Despite receiving more
than half a million visitors every year, the mystical place now more
commonly known as Milford Sound remains pure and unspoilt.
The tui is still my favourite bird, despite being a scaredy-cat!
My favourite story
however, as we sat there bobbing about in the silent water, was how
some of our native birds came to look the way they are. Tane Mahuta,
the god of the forest called all the birds together and asked if they
would please come down from the tree tops to help clean up the bugs
on the forest floor, as they were eating the trees and making them
sick. None of them offered, so Tane Mahuta asked each one in turn.
The tui refused, saying he was scared of the dark and was too afraid
to come down to the ground, away from the sun. The pukeko also
refused, claiming the forest floor was too cold and the earth was too
damp. As for the shining cuckoo, he was too busy building his nest
to come and help.
The pukeko is a common sight in swampy, boggy areas. Now you know why!
But the kiwi agreed,
even though it meant leaving his family. Tane Mahuta was overjoyed,
but warned the kiwi what lay ahead. 'My friend, you will have to
grow thick, strong legs so that you can rip apart logs on the ground.
And you will lose your beautiful coloured feathers and wings so that
you will never be able to return to the forest roof. You will never
see the light of day again'. Still the kiwi agreed. Just as he
promised, Tane Mahuta bestowed him with thick, strong legs to suit
his habitat. However life was also never the same for the birds who
refused to help. From that day on, the tui has worn two white
feathers at his throat, the mark of a coward. Pukeko has lived
forever in a swamp, with wet feet, and the shining cuckoo never got
to build another nest, instead she always lays her eggs in other
birds' nests. But because of the kiwi's great sacrifice, he went on
to become the most well-known and most loved bird of all.
Looking towards Harrison Cove, home of the Underwater Observatory
True or not, I've
always loved myths and legends and the fact we were out on the water,
being treated to the most incredible display from Mother Nature made
them even more magical. While we weren't lucky enough to see
penguins, they are frequently sighted by kayakers. I could have
happily stayed there out on the water; surrounded by the mountains
and waterfalls forever but Tiger promised there was still a heap more
to see at the Underwater Observatory. The kayak station is
conveniently located in the same building, so we glided gracefully
into the dock and climbed out. We then headed inside, where Tiger
led us 10 metres down into the viewing area. It was amazing to see
all the marine life which had been swimming right underneath us as we
had been kayaking. Who would ever have known that the sea bed was
covered in delicate looking black coral? Unlike most aquariums, you
are the ones in the tank
and the fish swim around freely outside. As a result, you never
know what you might see! Enormous starfish, marble fish, spotty's
and varieties types of wrasse are commonplace, along with John Dory
and kingfish, but it isn't unheard of for the odd shark to make an
appearance. I'm glad I learned that after we got out of the
kayaks!
There's no place in the world like Milford Sound!
Cruising Milford Sound
in a kayak was an experience that is hard to put into words but I
don't think I have ever felt luckier, or more awestruck by anything
in my life. A big thank you to Southern Discoveries
(www.southerndiscoveries.co.nz)
for giving us the opportunity. Not only is the tour excellent value
and reasonably priced, some things really are priceless. If it's not
already on your bucket list, be sure to add it!
