Milford Sound or no Milford Sound?

I awoke at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday to check the Milford Road conditions. The Transit NZ website said it was closed from Hollyford because of slips (landslides) and that it was expected to reopen during the day. The next update was to be at 7:30 a.m. Our day hinged on one question: When? If later in the day, we’d give up and head to Queenstown. If during the morning, we’d go to Milford.

One of the great things about staying at Campbell’s on the Lake in Te Anau was that it offered free Zenbu wifi with no limit on data usage, something we had only had at the Monarch Motel in Invercargill. Otherwise, wifi could be expensive in NZ hotels: NZ$33.69 for 24 hours or 1GB of data, whichever comes first. Otherwise, Zenbu seemed to be the best wifi deal: NZ$10 per 100MB of data, with the ability to sign off and sign back on as needed. It also meant being careful about data usage—making uploaded pictures smaller, not streaming music or video, not having backups or updates running in the background, etc. During our stay on Stewart Island, we opened a Zenbu account, and used about 70MB of data, meaning we paid about NZ$7 for our internet access.

Since Saturday, I had been experiencing slight discomfort. I thought that perhaps I had strained something getting out of or into the plane to Stewart Island. During the past couple of days, the discomfort had become a nuisance pain, and I was taking an Advil/Motrin-like pain reliever for it. However, the only thing that would stand between us and Milford Sound was whether or not the road would reopen. A little after 7:00 a.m., I refreshed the Transit NZ website and saw that the Milford Road would reopen at Hollyford at 10:00 a.m. Our original plan was to leave early enough to beat the buses and take a cruise that left before 10:00 a.m. Obviously, that was no longer an option, so our new target was the 12:45 p.m. Southern Discoveries Encounter Cruise that offered the option of stopping at the Milford Deep Underwater Observatory.

Driving the Milford Road

The weather in Te Anau was still dreary, but at least the rain had stopped. Because the road was closed from Hollyford (about an hour from Te Anau) until 10:00 a.m., and that time was subject to change, we waited until 9:30 a.m. to begin the drive.

I had done the Milford Road by bus twice in the past, but I had never driven it myself. It was something I had wanted to do for years, but only if the conditions were right. If chains had been required, I would have left it to a bus driver, but this seemed like something I could handle.

Our only delay was just outside of Te Anau for some roadwork, but the rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. We did stop at Mirror Lakes, but the cloud cover made them not so mirror-y. We’d run into the occasional light rain shower, and from time to time we’d get behind a camper that was going pretty slow. Otherwise, we made pretty good time. We passed the turn off for Hollyford and made the 1.2 km downhill drive through Homer Tunnel. Driving through the tunnel was a lot easier than I had imagined. On the other side, the heavy clouds had been replaced by patchy blue sky above us, though it looked a little more cloudy in the direction of the Sound:



We had a bit more driving to do, but we reached Milford Sound and were pleased to find it sunny with puffy clouds. It was almost the exact opposite of what we had experienced the day before at Doubtful Sound.

Milford Sound and the Milford Deep Underwater Observatory

We had made it in time for the 11:45 a.m. “batch” of cruises, and it seemed as though none of the really big buses had made the trip to Milford Sound this day. We wanted to sail on a smaller boat, so we stuck with our revised plan and purchased tickets for the 12:45 p.m. cruise with a stop at the Underwater Observatory. In the meantime, we walked back up the hill past the car parks to the café and enjoyed a cup of tea. On the way back to the cruise terminal, we admired the views of iconic Mitre Peak:



We had about a ten-minute wait before boarding began, so we took a few pictures of our boat:



On board, we positioned ourselves upstairs on the left-hand side of the boat (above the life preserver on the right in the picture). I don’t think one could ever get tired of cruising Milford Sound. I imagine that no two days are ever exactly the same. Some people say they prefer rainy days, because the waterfalls are more spectacular. I think a mostly sunny day with clouds in the distance creates some fantastic photo opportunities, and the waterfalls are still pretty spectacular even after the rain ends if it’s been raining heavily for a few days:




The fur seals seem to have a pretty good life here:



and so do the penguins (although they might be a little tough to see):



Before we knew it, we had reached the end of the sound and were in the rough waters of the Tasman Sea. The view up the West Coast has always fascinated me:



It’s such a serene place, and I imagine that early mariners had the same view.

The rough water didn’t do much for my state of wellbeing. We were chilled, and I thought that I might have a slight case of motion sickness, so we went back inside and below to get the lunches that came with our tickets for the Underwater Observatory. The tomato soup was excellent, but I wasn’t really hungry for the sandwich. While we were downstairs, some dolphins swam alongside the boat. We could see them from inside, and Mr. FB went outside to take some pictures. I just wanted to stay put where it was warm and have a cup of tea.

Our stop at the Underwater Observatory was informative and fascinating. I had always wanted to see what Milford Sound looked like beneath the surface. I gave up scuba diving in the mid-1990s, and the idea of putting on a dry suit and getting into water colder than 10 degrees C wasn’t too appealing anyway. Therefore, this was the best opportunity to take a look at Milford Sound from about 30 feet below:



There was just one problem. By the time we walked back up the stairs to sea level, I felt completely drained of energy and achy all over. This was something worse than motion sickness. We took the boat back to the cruise terminal, and we reached our car around 4:00 p.m.

Driving to Queenstown

Mr. FB would not let me drive, so he got to drive the Milford Road on his first trip to Milford Sound. Somehow, that didn’t seem fair, but I was really in no shape to drive these roads. I now had a slight fever, so I nursed a bottle of water while we passed some of the world’s most incredible scenery. Mr. FB made good time on the Milford Road, and we were in Te Anau by 5:30 p.m. or so. I needed a pit stop, and he wanted to pick up a snack to eat on the way to Queenstown. I had no appetite at all. He made me promise that we would stop at an emergency room when we arrived in Queenstown, and I was in no position to argue. However, I didn’t want to wait around in Te Anau, so I told him I would drive while he ate.

I had no trouble making the nearly 60 km drive to Mossburn, but I realized that was the end of my time behind the wheel for the day, which had now become night. I gave Mr. FB the wheel again and relaxed in the passenger’s seat. When we reached Kingston, I called our hotel in Queenstown, the Crowne Plaza, to let them know we were on our way and to ask where we could find an emergency room or after-hours clinic. Thankfully, Lakes District Hospital was in Frankton, on the way into Queenstown, and we made it there a little after 7:30 p.m.

At the Hospital

I wasn’t quite sure we were in the right place, so when I walked in the “Main Entrance,” I asked the lady behind the window where the emergency room was. She said that I was in the right place, and she asked me if I was living in NZ or on holiday. I told her that I was on holiday from the US. She explained that, unless my condition was serious, I might be better off waiting until the next day and making an appointment to see a GP. Seeing a GP would cost me around NZ$80, while visiting the emergency room had a flat fee of NZ$707 for visitors from most countries. I chose the ER anyway. I was not sure I wanted to spend the night feeling this way, and besides, I have health insurance for a reason.

I hate going to the doctor, and I hate hospitals even more. I had gone over 3 years without a check-up—I know, not smart for a 50-year old man—until seeing my doctor a few weeks before leaving the US. I was given a clean bill of health, so I wasn’t terribly concerned. Still, I knew something was wrong with me.

I had to wait about 20 minutes, because a sick baby arrived after I did and someone with a serious injury was already in there. Twenty minutes is quick by US emergency room standards, at least in my limited experience with them. (My last ER visit was in 2003.) While I was waiting, I called my insurance company to find out how I would file a claim. I reached someone who was not in the US, but I finally got the information I needed.

A nurse came to get me and took my temperature and blood pressure, and printed one of those hospital bracelets for me. Then she took me to an examination area where I lay down on a gurney and waited for a doctor. Lying down felt good. It felt so good that I dozed off a couple of times. In less than 30 minutes, a doctor came in and asked me what kind of pain I had. I did have a slight fever (99.5 F), and after poking and prodding, she told me that I had an infection and she wanted to put me on IV antibiotics overnight.

As someone who takes no medication and had not spent a night in a hospital since 1977, I should have been upset. But I wasn’t. I wanted to feel better. I asked her if someone could get Mr. FB, and she said one of the nurses would.

A few minutes later, a nurse came back with Mr. FB, a couple of panadol, and some codeine. I was happy to have all of them! I told Mr. FB I was being admitted to the hospital. I called the hotel to explain what was going on, and the front desk said it would not be a problem for Mr. FB to check in later that evening and wished me well.

During the next couple of hours, a nurse took blood, started two IVs, and my temperature fell to about 98.8 F. Still, the doctor wanted to keep me overnight so that they could do more bloodwork the next morning and make sure I was responding to treatment. Frankly, a lot of what happened from then on was a blur, thanks to the codeine. I love codeine. I do remember another nurse giving me a menu so I could request Wednesday’s meals, then he wheeled me to my room a little after that and explained that this was not a real hospital so it did not have that many rooms. I didn’t mind having to walk down the hall to the toilet, because I had my own room. I think it was after 11:00 p.m. when I got there, and Mr. FB left for the hotel. Another nurse introduced herself a few minutes later. After that, I fell asleep and stayed there off and on until about 7:00 a.m.

A Hospital Room with a “Remarkable” View

I awoke and turned on the TV. NZTV’s “Breakfast” show was on. I think being in a hospital room affected my view of the world. I suddenly realized how truly obnoxious Paul Henry is, and I started disliking Pippa Wetzell because she puts up with him. My outlook improved when a cheery lady came in with another pitcher of water and asked me if I would like coffee or tea. We had a brief conversation while she served the tea, and she asked me if I had looked out the window. She opened the curtain, and I saw The Remarkables. She said that rooms on the other side of the hospital had a view of Lake Wakatipu. Certainly no hospital in the world offers its patients better views than Lakes District Hospital! As she left, she said breakfast would be along shortly.

I realized a few things: I had an appetite again, I was feeling much better, and that I should let Mr. FB sleep before calling him at the hotel. Another nurse came to check on me, and a few minutes later she brought me breakfast.

I received visits off and on from different nurses and the cheery lady. Someone else came to take another blood sample. After that, I brushed by teeth and took a shower. Mr. FB arrived a little after I returned to the room, and I told him I was feeling much better. A nurse had told me that I would get another IV around mid-day, so I would be there at least a few more hours. Someone from reception came by to ask about billing. Because I was still considered an outpatient by my insurance company, I would need to pay upfront and file a claim when I returned to the US. She told me that they would be willing to work out a direct bill arrangement with my insurance company. I called my insurance company again. They opened a case, assigned me a case manager, and had a nurse in the US consult with me about my quality of care (which was superb). The insurance company had worked with the hospital before, and the person I spoke with said they would take care of the direct bill if my stay exceeded 24 hours. I hoped it would not.

The same person from reception came back with some release of information forms that my insurance company had faxed. I completed those, and a doctor came to see me. He told me that the bloodwork showed I had responded well to the antibiotics, and that after another round of IV antibiotics, I would be discharged with a two-week prescription for oral antibiotics. He said that I needed to take it easy for awhile—bed rest the remainder of Wednesday and nothing too strenuous for the next few days. This infection could have been something I picked up before I left the USA, during the trip, or after arrival. Whatever it was, they obviously did not want to play around with it!

A nurse came soon after that and started the IV. Around noon, my lunch came: veal and lamb pie with carrots and broccoli and a tangerine. The nurse came back and apologized for the lousy food, but it tasted great to me. My appetite was definitely back! She also brought the discharge papers, copies of my medical record for me and my physician in the US, and a prescription for the antibiotics.

As we left, I said goodbye to the staff and then settled the bill with reception. It came to NZ$3,222.90, or about US$2,400, for the ER visit and the overnight stay in the hospital. These were flat fees. To put that into perspective, my last visit to an ER in the US in 2003 for a cut that required seven stitches would have cost me over US$2,600 if I had had to pay for it myself. That didn’t even involve being admitted to a hospital. I paid the bill, but I got no miles or hotel points out of it. I put in on the MasterCard connected to my HRA, and I was slightly amazed that an outside-the-US transaction was approved. (For those impressed that I had enough in my HRA to cover the bill, remember that I had gone over three years without a visit to my doctor. I had only used the HRA for visits to the dentist and having vision tests.)

Freedom!

On the way to the Crowne Plaza, we stopped at a pharmacy to get the prescription filled. It took 15 minutes—they apologized because I had to wait!—and cost NZ$20.50 (about US$14.50). I put that on my HRA card as well, but won’t bother filing an insurance claim. My insurance co-pay for the same prescription in the US would have been more. We made another stop to grab a takeaway lunch for Mr. FB, and made it to the hotel around 2:00 p.m. Mr. FB had told me that our room had a view of the lake and mountains but that the roof the the restaurant got in the way. It was an upgrade from what I had booked, so I had no complaints!

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and watching TV. I told Mr. FB that I was well enough to go out to eat, but he would have none of that. He left around 6:00 p.m. and came back a little later with a couple of burgers from Fergburger. I had read that these were the best burgers in NZ, and if they aren’t, I hope to find the ones that are.

By 8:00 p.m., I was asleep again, happy that I was feeling much better than 24 hours earlier, and not too disappointed that I would be forced to have a more relaxing stay in Queenstown than I had planned.