Day 7, Accomplished: Te Anau to Queenstown (via Milford Sound)

4:45pm

Left Te Anau around 10:15. I’ve spent about four hours on the road and I’ve just arrived in… Te Anau.

The road to Milford sound starts and ends at Te Anau, basically.

Had yet another coffee and a vege stir fry with udon at a local cafe.

9pm

I’m in Queenstown!

Oh, heck no. My day was waaay longer than that. Give me some time.

Re-e-wind, when crowd say ‘bo’, selecta!

(Thank you, Mr Craig David).

Here’s my morning video in three parts:

Droned out

New Zealand’s most gorgeous locations are not particularly drone friendly. After my experience last night, I can’t really blame people for distrusting inconsiderate and potentially dangerous pilots, either.

I’m guessing the ban around these sightseeing locations (especially in the mountains) is due to the possibility that a rescue helicopter or the like may have to be flown in anywhere at any time… but still.

How about paid temporary passes from the Civil Aviation Authority of NZ as a solution? A kind of drone licence that can be purchased with the passing of an online multiple choice exam?

Glacial valley – on the way to Milford Sound

Aside from some cropping to remove a crowd of people, the following images have not been altered.

Eventually, it was like I was back in the highlands.

Then I finally arrived at Milford Sound. It was… okay. The ride and the sights leading up to the place made my day. The destination was just a pretty bonus.

I also happened to meet Greg, a Canuck (from British Columbia eh?) who’s on a similar journey with Maisie, one of the other bikes from South Pacific Motorcycle Tours! 😍

As per the original post for today, after Milford Sound, I got back to Te Anau, had something to eat and then moved one towards Queenstown.

No, that wasn’t it either. More to come!

Have another Roadside Rant™️.

In this particular edition, what I’m desperately trying to say is that this trip has reignited my adventurous spirit.

I have familial ties to Tasmania (my paternal grandmother was born there), so I owe it to myself to see whether the answer to why my innards delight in the crisp air and amongst mountain ranges lies down there.

Have an outtake.

Fatigue is a surreptitious little enemy. I’m in the habit of taking breaks, but sometimes I’m a little far gone.

Thankfully, the ensuing video clips can be quite entertaining
👌😉

Queenstown

Not long after that effort, I rolled into my destination and eventually located my accommodation at the Reaver’s Lodge (any Firefly fans?!) at the top of a very steep road.

The view from the balcony was quite nice.

I wandered around a bit and was surprised at how very Surfers Paradise the centre of town is.

People dress up in Queenstown. People wear perfume and cologne by the litre. Though, after a week of rain, road and nature, it could be that my nose had become a little more sensitive.

It’s a very good looking place with that strong tourism vibe.

Fergburger

At 10pm, I remembered that I was supposed to try something. Something (allegedly) amazing.

I donned my thermals, grabbed a jacket and sauntered back into town.

There was still a bit of a queue at 10:15pm for this Fergburger joint.

Another 15 minutes later, with burger and onion rings in hand, I made my way to the wharf where I was instructed to sit on a bench seat to enjoy the view.

The burger was great as were the onion rings.

My view was of a floating pub with a bunch of drunk tourist on board, singing 90s pop music… and not a star in the sky 😑

Back at Reaver’s Lodge, I climbed the treacherously steep and tiny stairs up to the loft, settled in to the comfortable double b- wait, this is two singles pushed together! Oh whatever. G’night.