We crossed the southern end of New Zealand today, going from Dunedin on the east coast to Milford Sound on the west coast. It was a lot of hours on the bus, with few interesting stops. We stopped at a small popolace with bathrooms and we were encouraged to get a coffee at the shop there. I ended up getting a lemon crumble to wash down with the coffee, but of which were really good. The sweets were made daily by the woman who owned the shop. We think the shop was in Gore, where we left Hwy 1 and turned onto Hwy 94 which took us to Te Anau.
I had slept very badly and so I reclined my seat and napped. I felt like I was always aware of the bus noise, but apparently was more 'out' than I thought. We often have to pre-order our meals from a set menu for lunch or dinner and when the list got to Sandy, she was unable to rouse me so she ordered for me. Just like Jim would have done, she ordered a meal she thought I would like and a different meal for herself that she thought I would also like so that I would have a choice if she had guessed wrong.
We have talked about the similarities in our married relationships and come to the conclusion that our pairings were similar: Both she and Jim are very 'Other' oriented (most interested in meeting and relating to other people) while Herbert and I were more 'Task' oriented (focused on getting things done, though I am somewhat more outgoing than Herbert was). All 4 of us are/were introverts (we get energy from time alone vs extroverts who get energy from interacting with others) while still having social skills. Jim used to make people laugh when he claimed to be a shy introvert, but it was really true, he just covered it up well.
We drove past lots of sheep and cows and occasional herds of farmed deer, which are raised for the meat, which is sold both internally and for export. At lunch, we reached Te Anau, along the second largest lake on the South Island. After lunch, we had a bit of time to explore and I just walked around because I was so done with sitting.
Back on the bus, we had a couple more stops on the way to Milford Sound. The first was at Mirror Lakes, so named because it is often dead calm and the lakes reflect the mountains around them. They were not that calm today, but lovely none the less. We did see sleeping ducks and had a pleasant walk along the waterfront boardwalk. We also got a good look at the mountains that Milford Sound is on the other side of.
Our next stop was at Monkey Creek, not because of monkeys but because how the Keas sometimes seen there act. Rod said they never saw them the five times he visited but we saw them today. They are a kind of parrot. The first one was quite bold and took a bite out of the rubber mat on the bus steps. They have wings, but made no effort to fly away.
Twenty four years ago, when we went to Doubtful Sound (quite a way south of here), we took a big bus and drove over the mountains. I called it an E-Ticket ride for how Disney used to class their scary rides. Here at Milford Sound, they dug a tunnel under the mountain, mostly by hand because of issues with explosives. It is just big enough for a bus and there was almost a 5 minute wait before we could proceed.
But then we were there at Milford Sound and shown to our ship. It has 3 masts but apparently they are all for show. We had a safety briefing, set sail, and got into our small cabin just before dinner. After dinner, we had a choice to take a motor boat trip or kayak. We opted for the motor boat. We went to a waterfall that threw enough mist to create a little rainbow, and we found a fairy penguin. They are really small.We saw one come ashore and watched as he groomed himself and decided what to do next.
After the boat ride, they asked if anyone wanted to go swimming. Sandy signed up and got into the water for a very brief swim. My guess is that it would be better much later in the summer. We adjourned to our cabin and learned to spend a night without internet access, which is how I fell so far behind on my blog.
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