After hearing of the bus crash just out of Milford and 1 or 2 people dying from it, we were very keen on our light aircraft flights from Queenstown to Milford Sound.
After the discomfort of having to disclose our weight to all and sundry (not to mention the shock of now realising just how small the plane is likely to be), we get escorted out onto the tarmac to the waiting of a number of sessnas.
We pile into 2 separate planes, get the run down on the its operation, put our headsets on and buckle up. Next up – can the 300hp single engine get us off the ground?
We got off the ground with ease. Kinda weird being in such a small aircraft and being so exposed but it felt so real. As the pilot dipped us left and right, you prayed the doors with their single latches would hold.
The plane quickly became an after thought as we rose up higher an higher and we started to get above the low-lying cloud. The white mountain tops, sheer cliff faces and deep valleys meant that anyone with a camera suddenly became ansell adams. I kept snapping away, every time thinking that was the best shot I’d ever taken only to see a better opportunity next time I changed my glance.
Some of deb’s that she took on our pocket-sized canon look incredible. As she says, taking photos takes your mind off the sudden drops in the plane or the minor turbulence.
After about 20-30 mins of possibly the most amazing journey we’ve taken, we then reach Milford Sound. Quite possibly the most beautiful and untouched place anywhere. We fly out to sea just to get a better look then come back through the monstrous glacial avenue.
After touching down, we board a good sized boat and head off to see it all from sea level. It’s hard to measure or to get perspective from up in the air so to see it up close was just incredible. The whole cliff faces are granite, there’s no soil, yet plants and trees flourish. The seeds bed in the cracks in the rock, germinate and spring into life. They only stay up by grappling onto each other. It’s an amazing eco system.
For the next 2 hours, it’s literally wall-to-wall scenic bliss. Enourmous waterfalls, white caps on the mountains, blue as blue water and just nature being nature – except for the odd other boat or aircraft, you’d swear other life didn’t exist.
We finish the cruise and back on the plane we go. By the time we get back, we seriously think we’ve overdosed on scenery.
Back in town and we hire our ski gear for tomorrow, have an enormous Ferg burger and check out the town a bit.
Sorry for the long post, if you’ve gotten this far you’ve done well. It was seriously one of the best days I’ve had and beats any of the thrill stuff we’ve done.
There’s photos in the post below if you haven’t seen already seen them. I haven’t filtered any, that is the full list, so apologies for the rubbish ones or the multiples where I tried different things. Deb’s are to come shortly.