New Zealand Continues to Amaze

I don't think it is a stretch to say that I have seen more amazing scenery during the past 5 days in New Zealand than the past 5 months of my trip. This is a really special country.

Today I went to Milford Sound which is commonly referred to as one of the most beautiful places in the world. I decided to drive there from Te Anua (about two hours) and the drive through fiordland (as the area here is called) was amazing. Snow capped mountains, lush green forests and huge lakes and valleys were on either side of me during the entire drive. When I reached Milford Sound, I took a boat cruise through the sound (or more technically, the fiord) which runs through some giant peaks. Somehow, a lush green forest is growing right on top of the granite rocks which make up the peaks. Actually, our guide said this is because the roots of all of the trees are interconnected.

After the cruise, I went underneath Milford Sound to an observatory which is set up underwater. There I was able to observe all of the fish in their natural habitat. Due to the makeup of the lake (the glacial water on top of the fresh water lake), there are a variety of fish in shallow water which would normally be found in much deeper waters.

On the drive back, I stopped at Mirror Lakes, a lake which reflects the images of some of these peaks in the water. I also stopped at exactly 45 degrees latitude (exactly half way between the equator and the south pole) which made for a perfect picture given the name of my blog. I was very lucky though, the weather was great today. It rains 200 days a year in Milford Sound!

Anyway, word don't do any of these descriptions justice so picture will follow soon.