Driving

With much sadness, we left Wanaka to continue on around the South Island. Monday was a Public Holiday (Labour Day) so the roads were busy but it was nice to see so many natives. We drove straight onto Queenstown and while driving, the rain started. Having had three beautiful sunny days, Alex tempted trouble by putting our raincoats in the boot, instead of on constant standby on the car seats as they have been since we left in Newt. Of course, the perpetual downpour we then endured yesterday shall be attributed to Alex. Grr.
Anyways, we arrived in Queenstown which appeared through the rain to be as lovely as Wanaka, if a bit more bustling and people-filled. Once we had located parking spots, we took a stroll along the waterfront and then gave up on trying to be scenically interested due to freezing conditions and aforementioned downpour. We ventured instead into the Mall in a hunter-gather mission of sustenance. Alex had some nasty McDonalds meal for comparisons sake between NZ and the UK. The verdict was that the burger actually resembled the picture, and felt cleaner to eat. No comment. I, on the other hand, opted for a curry from the food court which was very yummy. After eating, we wandered around the shops looking at the range of clothes available and prices, as we will both probably need to purchase some at some point! Alex got a brilliant green hoodie with NZ slang on it for the summer.
After moshing about Queenstown for a few hours in the rain, we realised that all the things we wanted to do there pretty much demanded good weather. In a snap descision, we decided to move on and attempt the mega drive to Milford Sound and hope for good weather the day after (today) in which to see it. Milford Sound is not that far away from Queenstown, geographically. However, there happens to be a rather large mountain range running between the two, making the drive 291km more than would be necessary if you had the bonus of wings.
With the aid of an energy drink (luminous green and fruity) we miraculously managed the entire drive and outran the rain! We camped overnight in a DOC site in the woods and then this morning drove the last little bit to the Sound. The environments we are driving through are crazy. We have passed well over a million sheep and their progeny. Most of the drive was in a basin-like valley surrounded by huge mountains called The Remarkables, all snow and jutting peaks. We passed a few kilometres of gentle rolling hills covered in golden-red grass tussocks (imaginatively named 'Red Grass Tussock Conservation Area') and also scrubland and lakes. Once in Fiordland, we marvelled at the views and bought passage on one of the Milford Sound cruises.
This was well worth it. One of the best boat trips I have ever taken, we were steered around the tranquil waters of the inner Sound to the edge of the Tasman as it smashed against the rocks. We saw the vertiginous peaks of the mountains surrounding the blue-green waters. Waterfalls cascading down from hundreds of metres up in the air and misting down across the water. Fur seals basking on the rocks in the sunshine and tiny little crested Fiordland penguins hopping over the rocks and swooping through the water. There were many pictures taken and when we have a better internet connection we'll get right on uploading some photos.
Once we had disembarked, we started the drive back to Queenstown. We are now parked up for the night about 30km outside of Queenstown and having lucked out on the weather today for our trip, we're hoping for similar again tomorrow for our second go at Queenstown.