Australia 2016, Day 9 - A Birthday Fiord

August 15, 2016

First item of the day - after the standard routine was breakfast - Oh wait - that is part of the standard routine.  Scratch that.  We had breakfast at a coffee shop in Te Anau - typical ham and cheese croissant for Jen & Mark while Kayleigh went all out with pancakes with maple syrup and a flat white.  Then we were on the road headed toward Fiordland National Park - specifically Milford Sound.  The quick 90 minute drive there was breathtakingly beautiful.

We arrived at Milford Sound just in time for the 12:45 boat ride through the fiord.  The weather was chilly but skies were blue so there was compromise.  Our happy little boat had approximately 100 people on it - it was a little more crowded than a tour of its size should be.  Upon enbarking on the boat we made our way to the bow for optimal viewing pleasures.  The 1 hour 45 minute tour took us through picturesque scenery past many waterfalls and through one incredibly frigid but beautiful waterfall.  The end result of the frigid waterfall were three cold and damp travellers (insert unamused face here).  After the boat ride the sky promptly clouded over and started to drip on us.  The drip then turned into rain and we were quite glad that we did not opt for the less crowded but later 2:45pm tour.

After a quick lunch and ice cream stop we were on our way back towards Te Anau with the intention of hiking a bit on the way.  The first jaunt we found was to the Chasm.  Awesome bridges carried over a rushing waterfall that had made its way through many layers of rocks.  The next stop was a hike to Lake Merian.  We crossed a very bouncy suspension bridge and made our way up a hill to a waterfall. From there we climbed up the trail until we reached a clearing with snow. The trail was very technical, having stream crossings, navigating step parts, and climbing between and under downed trees. We paused at the clearing to admire the countryside, then turned around because it was starting to get dark.

Our Toyota Highlander took us back to Te Anau, but not before we paused to play snowball catch with Kayleigh. It's entirely plausible this may be the only time we see snow on August 15th! While playing snowball catch there were Stan, Steve and Jimmy, the Kea birds that hung out at the lookout. Kea birds like cars, and they like chewing on any plastic or rubber they can get their beaks around. They tried to make a meal out of the Highlander, but once they were pelted with snowballs they looked for easier targets. A Subaru pulled up and Stan and Jimmy flew from our Highlander over to the Subaru hood and roof rack. The startled people looked in awe for a minute, then in horror as the birds started nibbling at their car. They started to drive away with Stan and Jimmy firmly planted, enjoying the ride. Once the car hit 30mph, the birds dismounted onto a nearby bridge, sad that their dinner was disappearing.

Once back in Te Anau, we found dinner at a place called Baileyz. Mark & Jen had salads, while Kayleigh had a Steak dinner in honor of turning 24! We finished the evening with Tiramisou, Chocolate Trouffon, and Apple Strudel while enjoying hot cocoa and watching the olympics. Everything was amazing.