|
  | |  |
Skydive attempt and to Milford
Entry 44 of 47 | show all | print this entry |
Waking before my alarm, I found myself much more nervous about the prospect of the skydive than I'd ever been about an exam - my body trying to convince me of the stupidity of throwing it out of a plane by making my heart race and my mouth dry.
Nevertheless, trying to put thoughts of impending doom out of our minds, we rose and checked out of the campsite to park up nearby and walk into town. Unfortunately, after stepping into the skydive office all ready to go, we were told that the trip had been put back due to the weather, which was dry and cloudy but apparently too changeable to be safe.
Told to check back in an hour then, we left deflated and were forced to wander the town and explore. Queenstown was by far the biggest town we'd seen since Nelson or even Wellington but even so it wasn't easy to drag out our stroll to fill an hour, especially since many shops weren't yet open so early on a Saturday morning. The weather didn't show much sign of change either and so, upon returning to the skydive office, we were slightly taken aback to be told that the trip was set to go.
Already mentally prepared for a Starbucks rather than freefall then, we hurriedly filled in forms, listened to a briefing and watched a video then piled into the back of a mini-van to be driven to the airstrip about twenty minutes out of town.
Sadly, by the time we arrived, the trip had already pretty much been cancelled due to strong wind and so we returned after only a few minutes there; the only notable part of the whole experience being an encounter with an English girl who was sat next to us on the bus. During small-talk about travelling experiences, she explained she'd spend last Christmas away and, when asked where, revealed that she'd been in the middle of rowing across the Atlantic! It turned out she also planned to tackle the Indian Ocean and thereby become part of the first female crew to do so. Most amazing to me though, was that, with such exploits under her belt, one expected to see a tall, strongly-built girl in excellent shape. Instead, we were presented with a fairly short, dumpy girl who looked more like she'd sink a rowing boat than cross an ocean in one! Whether she'd gone on a Rikki Hatton-style Guinness-and-pie binge since the crossing or not though, if anything her appearance made her exploits even more impressive.
Back in Queenstown, we ate lunch in town and, once we'd checked back to find the trips cancelled for the whole day, decided to move on and see Milford Sound instead of hanging around. We therefore rebooked the skydive for Monday morning, booked ourselves onto a cruise the next morning and set off for Milford.
The drive was supposed to take around 5 hours but, somehow, we managed it in a surprisingly rapid 3 1/2, despite taking the last 30 or so kilometres very slowly due to our being caught in one of Fjordland's trademark rainstorms.With heavy rain and low cloud most of the way, we couldn't see much except the amazing spectacle (at the cliff-face next to the Homer Tunnel) of a massive wall of rock stretching up into the clouds and absolutely covered in cascading water.
On the far side of the tunnel the rain was lighter and allowed us a glimpse of the Sound itself - peaks partially shrouded in strange clouds which draped around and over the rock monolith of Mitre Peak. By the time we reached Milford itself it was around 6:30 and so, ignorning the 'No Camping' signs, we parked up in the main DOC carpark and ate dinner. As we did so, we attracted the attention on several Keas - strange, large, alpine parrots which hopped around and even onto the van; the scratching and wobbling feeling like a scene from Jurassic Park. Once we'd finished though, they lost interest and scuttled off, leaving only swarms of midges - most of which mercifully remained outside the van.
Where I stayed:
Milford Sound Carpark
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries from South Island, New Zealand or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
Send a message
9 votes 
