injian

Love the pics and story thus far. The weather in Queenstown brings back memories of when I travelled there in 2017. Looking forward to the rest.

swingaling

Queenstown (Day 3)
21 January 2018

I'd been a bit nervous to this point. It snowed the day we arrived and the next day was cloudy and rainy. We only had one more day in Queenstown and I very much wanted to see Milford Sound before moving on. We had plans for the following day (Thursday), so Wednesday was really our only option for Milford Sound.

Luckily, the weather finally broke on Wednesday morning. We awoke to clear blue skies and I knew we had a really good shot at making it to Milford that day.

View from Villa Del Lago


View from Villa Del Lago


View from Villa Del Lago


View from Villa Del Lago



I called Milford Sound Flights around 8:45AM and they confirmed our flight would depart at 10AM. So we went to reception around 9AM to await the airport transfer. I could have driven us in our rental, but the transfer was included in the price so we took that instead.

Reception Waiting for Pickup

swingaling

Milford Sound Flights
Charter Flight
Flight and Cruise Bundled Fare
ZQN-MFN (Queenstown to Milford Sound)
21 November 2018
Cessna 208B (One Class Configuration)
ZK-MSF
Co-Pilot Seat
Departure: 10:00AM
Arrival: 10:45AM

This flight was one of the activities I was most looking forward to, so I was very relieved when we received the go ahead. Once we showed up at the airport, we went inside to get weighed and to pay for our tickets. In return, we were handed a pamphlet of our flight route along with a boarding pass corresponding to the tail number of our plane. We hung around for a few minutes waiting for everyone to arrive and then our pilot Aaron showed up and corralled us all to the plane.

Tarmac View from Boarding Area/Holding Pen


Super Official Boarding Pass



Do Not Touch Propellers
One would think this is just common sense. Apparently not.


ZK-MSF


ZK-MSF



He then instructed folks where to sit, presumably for weight balance. When he got to me he asked if I wouldn't mind sitting up front. Obviously, I eagerly agreed. Zero hesitation. I left my pack with my other half and she was seated several rows back.

I must add that the IFE was really lacking. I don't know if mine was broken, but I just couldn't figure out how to watch Spongebob Squarepants on this thing. Also, where's the FA and CSD? No PDBs or snack service. No recognition of status. No amuse bouche. Just terrible.


My Seat
Legroom wasn't too tight, though better than what the folks in the cheap seats had to work with. Just had to watch out the yoke didn't whack me in the, um, well you get the point.


IFE
The IFE system was clearly busted.


IFE Controls
The pilot finally got the IFE working, but he was watching the most boring movie I've ever seen. I didn't get any headphones either.


Taxiing


Taking Off


Airborne on the first try!


Double Cone
Remarkables Ski Area beyond that peak


Kawaru River


Kawaru River


Lake Hayes


Hill near Lake Hayes


Our Pilot Aaron


Coronet Peak Ski Area


Coronet Peak


Coronet Peak


Shotover River


Shotover River


Mount Aurum


Mount Aurum


Mount Aurum


Avalanche


Ski-able


Mount Aspiring National Park


Mount Aspiring National Park


Mount Aspiring National Park


Rees River


Rees River


Rees River


Mount Earnslaw


Lake Mckerrow


Lake Mckerrow


Skippers Range


Skippers Range Passing Over Mount Madeline


Mount Tutoko


Kaipo River


Tasman Sea


Llawrenny Peaks


Llawrenny Peaks


Llawrenny Peaks


Fjord


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


MFN Airport


Final Approach


Final Approach


Final Approach


Landed


Taxiing


Taxiing
Wonder what this button does...


MFN
Lots of charter flights that day



Overall, this was a great flight. Apart from saving a huge amount of time versus driving, seeing things from above was a totally different experience from seeing them on the ground.

swingaling

Milford Sound
Mitre Peak Cruises

After getting off the plane, we headed to the meeting area by the ATC tower. There's no terminal building at MFN. The shuttle bus showed up a few minutes later and it was a two minute ride to the ferry terminal.

Milford Sound


We went through the terminal and found our ship (not pictured).

Milford Sound


Our ship departed a few minutes later. Overall, the process was pretty efficient.

Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Bowen Falls


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound
Veins of copper and gold visible


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound
A seal on a rock


Milford Sound
Same seal, same rock


Milford Sound
Mr. Seal posing for the camera


Milford Sound
Getting ready to dive into the water


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound
A non-permanent waterfall


Milford Sound
Take note of the ferry for scale. The fjords are immense.


Milford Sound


Milford Sound
Penguins, look closely


Milford Sound
Mrs. Penguin going to look for food while Mr. Penguin stands watch over their egg


Milford Sound
Closeup of penguin


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound
Seals on a rock


Milford Sound
Seals catching some sun


Milford Sound
Same seals


Milford Sound
Seals closeup. They look a little derpy, I must say.


Milford Sound
This is a big waterfall


Milford Sound


Milford Sound
Got a little wet


Milford Sound
For scale


Milford Sound
That's not a small ship. The scales are immense.


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound
Milford Discovery Center


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound


Milford Sound



Overall, it was a very nice cruise. Lasted about 2 hours. We finished up as the clouds began rolling in, so we got very luck with a short window of spectacular weather.

swingaling

Milford Sound Flights
Charter Flight
Flight and Cruise Bundled Fare
MFN-ZQN (Milford Sound to Queenstown)
21 November 2018
Cessna 208B (One Class Configuration)
ZK-MSF
Seat 3B
Departure: 1:30PM
Arrival: 2:15PM

Unfortunately, I didn't get the front seat this time around. But the flight was great in the reverse too. We got back to ZQN just as the clouds were rolling in, so really great timing overall.

Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Sutherland Falls
In the distance


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown


Milford Sound to Queenstown



After the flight, we went to the apartment to get the car. Then we did a bit of grocery shopping in Frankton and then headed into town to grab an early dinner. We grabbed tacos from the super friendly guys at Taco Medic, who happened to all be Americans. Then we went back to the apartment to pack for an early morning departure the following day.

CPMaverick

Glad you had a great trip! Glad I could help your plan.

Wow, what lucky weather for Milford Sound.

snabbu

Spectacular shots of the whole Milford Sound experience, what a brilliant day it turned out to be.
After dozens of trips over the years to ZQN I still can't believe I haven't made time for a day trip like this.

Elli

Driving from Queenstown to Milford Sound instead of flying is a great experience as well.

swingaling

Queenstown to Mount Cook / Aoraki
22 November 2018

The plan for the day was to drive up to Mount Cook, hike the Hooker Valley Track and overnight near Twizel. Since the drive to Mount Cook / Aoraki would take around 3 hours (without stops), we decided to leave first thing. After a quick breakfast, we completed the check-out formalities, which consisted of handing the room key to reception, and were on the road before 9AM. It was a dreary, overcast day in Queenstown and weather forecasts for Mount Cook Village were predicting rain. Perhaps not the best weather, but it would do.

For those who haven't been to New Zealand, the roads in much of the country are typically not limited access dual carriageways (i.e. freeways). Rather, the roads were very similar to state highways in rural parts of the US. Very similar to state roads in Maine, for example. As a result, driving times are longer than one might expect.

We made a few stops along the way for photos and gas, but otherwise took the most direct route to the mountain.

First stop was a lookout at Roaring Meg on Kawarau Gorge Rd less than an hour outside of Queenstown. A few quick pics and back on the road. To this point, we'd passed through numerous vineyard and wineries. Now the roads were winding through canyons and the scenery changed quite markedly.

Roaring Meg


Roaring Meg


Roaring Meg


The second stop was about 75 minutes later at the Lindis Pass Viewpoint, close to the Otago/Canterbury border. The cloud cover was very low and it had been snowing/raining that morning. The foggy clouds and snowy fields made for a very bright conditions. We considered going a few hundred meters along the trail to get a better view, but the snow melt had turned the trail into a creek and neither of us wanted to get our feet wet before our hike later.

Lindis Pass
Very low clouds. Mountain peaks completely obscured.


Lindis Pass
Lonely Jucy van


Lindis Pass
Tourist selfies and snow ball fight


Lindis Pass
What it really looked like. It was a busy tourist stopping point.


Longslip Mountain
From Lindis Pass Road


We started to descend from the ~1,000m elevations in the Lindis Pass and the scenery changed once again. Green returned and we began passing by numerous sheep farms in the foothills.

Lindis Pass
A few km before hitting the Ahuriri River


The scenery changed again, as we transitioned to a large flat valley between the various mountains. This section was dominated by rivers and large plots of farm/grazing land. We began to see larger sheep farms and many more dairy farms (i.e. Holsteins).

Outside Omarama
Still several km from Omarama


Outside Omarama


Mount St. Cuthbert


Clay Cliffs
Seen from Omarama Lindis Pass Road


We quickly stopped for gas in Omarama and continued onward. Before long we passed into the Mackenzie Region and the weather started to clear up a bit.

Ben Ohau Range
The Pyramid and other nearby peaks


Before long, we reached Lake Pukaki. The photos don't really do justice to the true color of the water, which is a bright turquoise due to dissolved minerals in the water picked up while flowing down the mountain. The lake is fed by the Hooker and Tasman Glaciers on Mount Cook / Aoraki. At nearly 20 miles long, it's the largest lake in the region, though only the 5th largest on the South Island overall.

Not pictured are the 100 or so tourists milling about taking selfies.

Lake Pukaki


Lake Pukaki


Mount Brown
And ridge line leading to Mauka Atua


Mt Cook Road
Sebastopol on the left, Mount Sefton in center (snow covered) and Mount Wakefield on the right.


Mt Cook Road
Sebastopol on the left and Mount Sefton in center (snow covered).


Mt Cook Road
Mount Sefton in center (snow covered) and Mount Wakefield on the right.


Soon enough, we arrived at Mount Cook Village. We were hungry by then, so we stopped at The Old Mountaineer's Cafe for a quick lunch. The food was good and we were in and out pretty quickly.

The Old Mountaineer's Cafe
Mount Sefton in background


The Old Mountaineer's Cafe


Mount Wakefield
Seen from our table at lunch


Mount Sefton
From The Old Mountaineer's Cafe parking lot.


Mount Ollivier Foothills (left)
From The Old Mountaineer's Cafe parking lot with snowy, glaciated Mount Sefton on the right.


After a quick lunch, it was time to make the short drive to the Hooker Valley Track trail head so we could begin the hike. The views were amazing.

Mount Wakefield (R) and Mount Sefton (L/C)


Mount Sefton

swingaling

Thank you!

For sure. I spoke to other people who'd been to Milford several times and it rained each time. Luck was on our side that day.

Thank you! It's well worth the effort and saves a huge amount of time compared to going by tour bus (or self-driving).

I don't doubt it. We elected to fly primarily because neither of us was overly fond of the notion of a 13hr day going there by tour bus (or self-driving). Given the 4-5 hours of driving I had to do the following day, a drive to Milford was out of the question. If we'd had a longer stay in Queenstown, we definitely would have considered driving.

swingaling

Mount Cook / Aoraki
Hooker Valley Track
22 November 2018

After putting on some sunscreen and packing a small day pack, we set off on the short(ish) walk to Hooker Lake.

The weather was comfortable for a short hike, but unfortunately the cloud cover was quite low. As a result, much of Mount Cook / Aoraki was obscured behind clouds for the entire walk to Hooker Lake. The views were still great, though.

Hooker Valley Track


Hooker Valley Track
Mount Wakefield


Lake Mueller


First Suspension Bridge
Over Hooker River


Mount Sefton


First Suspension Bridge
Over Hooker River


Hooker River and Mueller Lake


Second Suspension Bridge
Over Hooker River


Second Suspension Bridge
Over Hooker River


Mueller Lake


Hooker Valley Track


Mount Cook (C)
Now partially visible, but mostly hidden in clouds.


Mount Cook (R)
Now partially visible, but mostly hidden in clouds.


Hooker Valley Track


Mount Sefton
Good view of glaciers


Mount Cook
Hidden by clouds and a small hill


Third Suspension Bridge
Over Hooker River


Third Suspension Bridge
Over Hooker River


Mount Sefton


After roughly 75 minutes, we arrived at the end of the track. Or at least as far as we'd be taking it. Unfortunately, much of Mount Cook was still hidden by clouds. Overall, it was a fairly easy walk and plenty of other people around doing the walk with us.

Hooker Lake and Hooker Glacier


Hooker Lake and Hooker Glacier


Hooker Lake and Hooker Glacier


Hooker Valley Track


Hooker Valley Track



After sitting down for a bit to admire the scenery, we began the walk back. On the way back, we heard several avalanches on Mount Sefton. Not surprising given it was late spring.

Hooker Valley Track


Hooker Valley Track


Hooker Valley Track


Hooker Valley Track



As luck would have it, the summit of Mount Cook began to peek out from behind the clouds a few minutes after we began the journey back.

Mount Cook Summit Peeking Out


Hooker Valley Track


Glaciers


Mount Cook


Mount Cook
Finally! What I'd been hoping for.


Mount Cook


Mount Cook


Mount Cook


Mount Cook


Mount Cook


Hooker Valley Track



The return trip took about 75 minutes or so. We quickly piled into the rental car and got on the road. Next stop was Twizel, where we'd be spending the night.

swingaling

Mount Cook to Twizel
22 November 2018

The drive to Twizel was quick, 25min tops. Once we arrived, we went to Poppie's Cafe for some dinner then went to check in at our lodging for the night.

Mount Cook to Twizel


Mount Cook to Twizel


Mount Cook to Twizel


Mount Cook to Twizel


Mount Cook to Twizel


Mount Cook to Twizel


Mount Cook to Twizel


Mount Cook to Twizel


Mount Cook to Twizel


Poppie's Cafe


Poppie's Cafe


Poppie's Cafe

swingaling

SkyScape
Twizel
22 November 2018

During the planning stages of the trip, I was having trouble finding accommodations near Mount Cook. The Hermitage was fully booked 8 months in advance, despite the mediocre reviews. We wanted to stay somewhere nicer than a motel, so our options were pretty limited. I happened upon SkyScape, which was a relatively new property. It's a single guest room located on a 6,000 acre sheep and cattle farm in Twizel. Located at the base of the Ben Ohau Range, it overlooks the entire valley, with views for miles. The area is also a dark sky reserve, boasting excellent views of the night sky (weather and moon phase permitting).

Its location was also fairly convenient, as we had to be back in Queenstown the following day to commence our journey back home. I also wanted to stay somewhere that would be special and romantic, as I planned to propose to my better half here. I'm won't go into detail, but it went well.

From Twizel, SkyScape was pretty easy to find. Owned and run by a young couple, the check-in process happens at their home. Since we'd prepaid, there were no formalities, so they led the way to the room. Located 3km from their home (though still on the same parcel of land), we drove behind them to the room. They showed us how everything worked and answered our questions then left us to our own devices.

SkyScape


SkyScape


SkyScape


SkyScape


SkyScape is a pretty unique property and it was clearly designed to fit the surroundings. The property is completely off the grid. It runs entirely on solar power (with battery backup) and propane (for hot water, stove and heat). There is wifi and cell service was great.

The structure is all concrete and glass, so it warms up easily. There are no window coverings, but there's no other buildings or people within eyesight (or within 2km for that matter), so it's extremely private. There are around 3,500 sheep on the property, so it's pretty common to see flocks of sheep grazing very close by.

SkyScape


SkyScape


SkyScape


SkyScape
We really liked the huge outdoor bathtub


SkyScape


SkyScape
Excuse the unmade bed. I forgot to get this angle the evening we arrived.

Kitchen
Nice kitchenette. The gas burners worked well for tea and basic cooking.
Above the cabinet are 4 types of tea. Inside the top cabinet is a French press, ground coffee, sugar and bone china dishes.

Kitchen
Breakfast was provided in the room rate. Muesli, Weetabix, bananas and amazingly good local honey.

Fridge
Breakfast (cont.): bread for toast, yogurt, local jam, butter, sliced pear, mango nectar and milk.


The bathroom is pretty nice. Nothing fancy, but clean and modern with quality fixtures. Great fit and finish. The flooring is polished concrete kept cool with circulating cold water.

Bathroom
With photo of Marcus the bull on the wall.


Shower
Great water pressure and fast hot water.


Bathroom
Heated towel rack


Entryway


Bedroom


Bedroom
Super comfy king bed.

View from the bed
Great sky views


My only regret was we were visiting during a (nearly) full moon. The moon was incredibly bright and the skies were partly cloudy. As a result, we weren't able to see any stars whatsoever.


Sheep Included


Sheep
She's watching us...

More Sheep


Marcus the Bull
Spotted in his pen while my better half was out running.

Breakfast for Two
We brought some eggs with us so I cooked us scrambled eggs. Great breakfast.

Bretteee

Very interesting that the C fare from Stockholm was $2,000. A great deal for such a long trip. We also had the same chocolate cake on Qatar from Doha to New York. The food / bread was not so great. Interesting that BA are now serving leaves as a starter like the US airlines. I hate that. They used to have decent starters. Beautiful pictures. Thanks.

swingaling

Air New Zealand
Economy Class (Y)
Discounted Economy Class Fare
NZ622: ZQN-AKL (Queenstown to Auckland)
23 November 2018
Airbus A320 (One Class Configuration)
ZK-OXF
Seat 9D
Departure: 02:30PM
Arrival: 04:20PM

We set out back to Queenstown at 9AM. With a 2.5hr drive ahead of us and a 12PM rental return deadline, I wanted to give us a little buffer time in case of traffic. We followed the same route in the reverse, so we didn't bother making any stops along the route.

The weather on the return drive was markedly different from the previous day, however. As you can see below.

Lindis Pass


Lindis Pass


Lindis Pass


Lindis Pass


We returned the rental and arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, so we headed to Airpresso to grab a quick lunch. The food was good enough, though not noteworthy.

Lunch at Airpresso


Eventually, security opened and we went through to our boarding gate. After a few minutes, an American man about my age came out of the bathrooms and complained to the gate agent about a problem in the bathroom (and a bad smell). I couldn't make out the conversation, but a member of security came along shortly and went into the bathroom the investigate. Apparently, a 20-30yr old Chinese man had been smoking cigarettes in the mens bathroom, which happens to be illegal just about everywhere I've ever flown. Security escorted him back to the security checkpoint and then let him go sit down in the gate area with his travel companion.

A few minutes later, Queenstown police officers came into the secure area and led him away. I then observed the aforementioned gate agent unloading him from our flight. Presumably, the police were either arresting him or issuing a citation/fine. Not exactly sure. But it was the first time I'd witnessed something like that in an airport. Not that I'm complaining. I was glad they did something about it.

After an eventful wait at the gate, our plane was finally called for boarding.

Boarding ZK-OXF


The flight was not full, so we had a row to ourselves. This time, there were no issues and the flight departed normally and arrived on time at AKL.