We certainly manage to cram a lot into a short amount of time! Since our last post we have gone from Westport, all the way down to Milford Sound, and then up to Queenstown (is you aren’t looking at a map, just know it’s far… real far). It’s been a lot of driving (per usual) but we have had some amazing experiences.

Punakaiki (Pancake rocks and blowholes): Yeah, they both sound super weird, but they were very impressive, especially the pancake rocks; they made it feel like you were on a different planet!Scientific explanation: the pancake rocks are 30 million years old and made up of tiny dead sea creatures and plants that solidified under intense water pressure over time. Taylor’s explanation: aliens.

The walk in:

Pancake rocks:

Blowhole:

Oh and an example of how hilarious our little van is next to every other camper van on the road:

Franz Josef: We decided to spend the night in Franz Josef, which is a small town with a large natural wonder: the Franz Josef glacier. The day started with on and off torrential downpours and we weren’t sure we wanted to go for the 1.5 hour round trip walk, but we are so glad we did! The rain held off and we were able to see the glacier. Along the walk, we learned about how rapidly the glacier has melted because of global warming. It was definitely a reality check to see how small it is now compared to how it was 100 years ago (we acknowledge the irony of us driving around a van and using tons of fossils fuel on this trip) but we kindly asked the glacier for forgiveness, said we would try harder, then off we went.

Taylor posing in front of a waterfall on the path but unintentionally looking like she’s doing the YMCA:

The walk in to see the glacier:

That tiny area in the middle is what is left of the glacier:

Te Anau: This is a lovely little town on a lake and is the last major stop along the way if you are traveling to the Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park. For the first time since we got to New Zealand, we finally spent two nights in one place! We went for a super long walk/run/jog around the river and actually had an afternoon to just chill; it was much needed. Then we got up to catch a 6:45am bus to Milford Sound where we spent the day kayaking. Words and pictures cannot do justice to Fiordland. Being on the water surrounded by mountains that are 4,000-6,000 feet tall, cascading down into the water on all sides of you is a very humbling feeling. We’re happy we decided to kayak so we could view everything from the water.

Plus, our rental included transportation to and from Te Anau (about a 2 hour drive each way) with tons of photo ops, and our lovely guide, Ollie (shout out to Rosco’s Milford Kayaks!). It was well worth the money and we even made some friends including a lovely woman named Patricia who was from Quebec! We concluded the night with Irish food and some beers at a local pub. Then it was finally time to head north for a change!

Views from the kayak:

Taylor looking dashing in yellow:

Tandem kayaking is a great test in patience, we found out:

The drive to/from Milford Sound:

Oh and the company gives you base layers so you can stay warm, which were oddly reminiscent of the exact outfits Taylor wore when she was 8:

Who doesn’t love a good striped jumpsuit?

Now we are in Queenstown for the night and have a little something exciting planned in 2 hours (wink wink).

Love and hugs from New Zealand!

-T&T