My mom has been visiting for the past two weeks and it has been sooo wonderful! We have been able to do a lot of traveling and sightseeing. The day after she arrived we packed up the car and started on our first adventure...
We left on our four hour drive to Te Anau at about 10:30 am. We have been borrowing a Suburu station wagon while we have been here which has been great but there wasn't enough room for an adult to sit in the back with the kids. The laws here concerning carseats are such that if all other seats are taken up then you could put a carseat in the front passenger seat. So that is what we did and it worked out wonderfuly. Isabella loved being up in the front seat with an obstructed view of the goings on and now she was closer to the music. Charlie loved being in the backseat next to my mom and I without Bella to bug him!
The drive went well but was way too long, if you know what I mean! We were happy to be in Te Anau, although it was much colder than we were used to, which took a little getting used to. Te Anau is almost straight west from Dunedin, only on the other side of the country. Dunedin is on the east coast of the south island, on the Otago Peninsula. Te Anau is on the west side of the south island and the hub of Fiordland National Park. Milford Sound is the most famous and accessible of the fiords. That was our destination and our main reason for going to Te Anau, the closest town to the sound. We had reservations in a Holiday Park, which has lodges, trailers and tents. We were in a family lodge apartment with 2 bedrooms, tiny kitchen and living area. Charlie slept in a pack n play with Bill and I and my mom and Bella slept in the other room in bunk beds.The kids entertained themselves climbing up and down the bunk ladder which finally had to be made off limits. The holiday park was fairly quiet because I think it is used more in the hotter months but it worked well for us.
We had an 11am boat to catch in Milford Sound so we had a quick breakfast and were on the road by 8:15 a.m. The sun wasn't even up yet so it was brisk outside. The road to Milford Sound is world famous. Every time we rounded a curve in the road, there was another "ah" "ohh" view and a photo opportunity. The clouds were hanging in the valleys between dramatic snow covered mountain peaks, next to lakes and rivers. We had a time crunch, so we got good at pulling over to the side of the road, jumping out, taking some quick pictures and jumping back in again. It is cute how the kids enjoy the scenery with us, saying "Wow" and "Pull over Daddy, there is a good picture". We were the only ones on the road for most of the 2 hour drive. The highlight for the kids was driving through the Homer Tunnel and then stopping at a rest stop where they were able to touch the snow. It was pretty crusty and slippery but it was a new experience for them, so it was exciting nonetheless. We got to the boat launching place in time to buy our ticket, make a restroom/diaper change stop and get ourselves bundled up for the boat ride. As we boarded the boat, Bella marched up to the mate at the end of the plank and said "G-day". She wasn't being silly, just speaking the language as she hears it. On the Red Boat Cruise, we found a great table on the second level of the boat where the kids could see everything outside and that became our spot to come and go from for the rest of the cruise. The hot buffet was all set up when we boarded so we used our complimentory tickets and filled our plates with meats, potatoes, kiwi fruit, etc. No-one ate much because as soon as we were underway, the scenery was more exciting than the food. Our boat cruise wound through the fiords where sheer cliffs met deep blue water, waterfalls cascaded down the rocks, and the snowy peaks created a dramatic backdrop that was almost too beautiful to take in. We had a small outside viewing area near our table and went in and out as new scenery came into view. Sometimes it was very cold and windy out there so we wouldn't stay long. That was also our favorite lookout place because the railings were childsafe, unlike some of the other decks where we had to keep a good grip on little hands. The highlight for Charlie was when the groups of dolphins would swim near the boat. Charlie called them sharks but he enjoyed watching them. Bella's favorite part was when the boat went up close to a waterfall and she and I were out on our deck and got sprayed by the mist from the gushing water. We were both laughing so hard and Bella kept yelling"my hair is so wet!!" We cruised out until the fiord opened up into the ocean sea, and we turned around and sailed back. It was just long enough and we all had a great time. We started the drive back to Te Anau but this time stopped for longer times to take pictures and enjoy the sights. We stopped near a bridge and got out to walk the footbridge across the river. The waters edge was dense with forest and ferns. We soon realized there were biting knats too so got on our way as fast as we could. Charlie was soon asleep but we stopped at a rest stop so Bella could play in the snow. This time it was sunny and the snow was perfect for packing. Bill helped her roll some big balls and make a snowman. This was all a new experience for Bella and she loved every minute of being in the snow. Bella is one of those kids that doesn't seem to feel the cold so she was running and falling and rolling and tasting (oh yes, that was one of the first things she did). Bill and I had fun playing with her and enjoying her excitement. It was sad that Charlie slep through all of the snow fun. We almost woke him up when a man came out into the clearing where they were playing in the snow and said they may want to move as a helicopter was going to land. Sure enough, minutes later, a helicopter landed right in front of us, two men got out with some supplies and the other man, who spoke to us, got in and it took off again. Charlie is crazy about helicopters and he missed the whole thing. Later that day when we were back in town, a helicopter was parked at the side of the lake. We stopped the car so Charlie and I could walk over for a closer look. Charlie was so excited and felt very special when Bella had to stay in the car with Bill and my mom. He said, "Just Charlie" as he climbed out of the car to go with me.
It was a wonder fully busy day full of fun and excitement! We went back to our holiday park, got to bed fairly early so we could continue our adventure the next day......
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