Smeared Type

It took us nearly two hours driving from Queenstown to Te Anau, a small town located between the well-known Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. We checked into Cats Whisker B&B and took a 3-hour hike in a nearby park, with the easier hiking trail so far.

Waterfall at Milford Sound

The following day, as Mary took a cruise tour to Doubtful Sound, Francis and I drove an hour and a half to Milford Sound, the best attraction in New Zealand. The Sound is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rice above 3,900 ft or more and can receive 250 mm rainfalls in 24 hours. We took a cruise to view the sights and witnessed numerous waterfalls cascating down the cliffs, some stretching a thousand meters in length. The captain brought our attention to rock faces of the mountains: “They are 200 million years old,” he said. “There is little soil remaining on the cliffs,” he continued, pointing to a section where there were only small bushes. “It was created by a tree avalanch 20 years ago. It will take 120 years for the vegetation to fully grow back.” We were awed by the beauty and resilience of nature.

The cloud was high when we departed the harbor, but half way through our tour, it came down and covered the cliffs on both sides. We could hear the rapid waterfalls around the boat but couldn’t see from where they came from, as if they fell down from the sky. I used one hand to shield my camera lens and tried to capture the amazing scene until the lens cover got wet and stuck. The rain added another mysterious layer to the beauty of the Sound, and before we knew it, the low cloud swiftly moved away and soon the rocky mountain ranges revealed themselves again, with pine trees and other vegetation spreading from the surfaces. It was breathtaking.

Me at Key Summit

On our way back, we went to Key Summit, the other end of the Routeburn Track. The plants on this side of the trail were different from the ones we saw a couple days before on the other end. It took us nearly two hours to reach the Summit. Surprisingly, we saw a large flat area covered with Alpine plants, in rich red or yellow color. And thick layers of moss coat the tree trunks and branches, making them appear ancient. Another magnificent sight, coupled with snow-covered mountains that looked close by.

By the time we returned to Cats Whiskers, Mary was already back. We would compare and share pictures, we promised. We went to the Redcliff Restaurant that our hostess recommended as the “best in town” and enjoyed a wonderful dinner of fresh fish, steak, and venison. While Mary and Francis seeped their wine, I had a bowl of my favorite pumpkin soup. This was our last dinner together before parting our ways—Mary would take a 5-day guided hiking tour to Milford while Francis and I would drive back to Queenstown and take a flight to Auckland and then to Chicago via Los Angeles. We toasted to our unforgettable time in New Zealand. On our walk back to Cats Whiskers, we saw a “Scoop It” sign in front of a BP Gas Station and each got a large scoop of ice cream. We laughed and licked on our ice cream back on the street, finishing the last leg of our journey with a perfect sweet touch.       

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. www.mulberrychild.com, www.moraquest.com.

We arrived at Queenstown and checked into Trelawn B&B on the order of town on Christmas Eve. Trelawn Lodge is located above a steep cliff, overlooking a river and mountain ranges. Later that evening, after a wonderful dinner at Broadwalk Restaurant at the harbor downtown, I indulged myself in the outdoor hot tub at Trelawn and enjoyed the fantastic view.   

Christmas Breakfast at Trelawn

Michael and Nery of Trelawn hosted a nice Christmas breakfast for their guests—a family of three from England, a family of four Americans who were living in Singapore and us three. We finished two bottles of “bubbles” by the time breakfast was over. Earlier that morning, I went out for a jog all the way to town and was relieved to see one biker on the road—at least, I was not the only one out at 6 A.M. on Christmas Day.

We took a cruise the following day and visited a sheep farm. Our farm guide Marvin demonstrated how the “working dogs” herded the sheep—they took their job darn serious and the sheep ran crazy at their barking and chasing! Then Marvin went on a stage, grabbed a large sheep and sheared its thick fur in less than 10 minutes while explaining the process. He said a worker can shear more than 300 sheep a day! Quite an eye-opening experience for me.

A View from the Routeburn Hiking Trail

The most exciting event at Queenstown, however, is the long hike at Routeburn, another national park. Different from Abel Tasman, Routeburn felt like a tropical forest, nourished with plenty of waterfalls and creeks. Every step of the way was accompanied with the melodious sound of water running or falling and birds singing. Moss and ferns covered the ground of the dense forest. We walked for four hours and were intoxicated with the unbelievable beauty of nature.

Our friends in the U.S. have raved about the magnificence of Milford Sound, our last stop. I wondered how it could beat the views of Routeburn Track!     

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. www.mulberrychild.com, www.moraquest.com.