Wednesday, March 13
We decided the best thing we could do for ourselves today, would be to treat us to a plane ride into Milford Sound. To drive to Queenstown for a bus tour would take 13 hours plus the trip to and from Queenstown, plus the expense of a special ride from Wanaka. So after contacting Southern Alps Air, we opted for the Fly By Mount Aspiring, Land at Milford Sound, and Take a Cruise on the Sound (which is actually a FJORD but has been misnamed by people who didn't know the difference!).
Our 6-seater, Cessna U 206 F aircraft was the type fitted with fixed wings above the cockpit which gave us full viewing down below. Our young pilot, barely out of high school, said this was his first flight. I asked for another pilot but they were out. We stuffed ourselves into the tiny cabin, strapped on the seat belts, put on the headsets, crossed our fingers and listened to the 300 brake horsepower engine spin the Prop with enough force to take us into the wild blue yonder with ease.
The girls were apprehensive at first. With only one propeller between themselves and impending death; and with a little kid at the wheel straining to see over the dash, thoughts of what could be flushed through their brains like a toilet. I sat in the back seat on the first leg of our trip snapping pictures left and right like we were having a contest of who could take the most in the least amount of time!
Our continuous climb gave us awesome views of Wanaka Lake and the city below and offered perspective to our lay-out. It also opened up a whole new world of vistas, as mountains after mountains began to come into view. Hundreds of glaciers clung to mountainsides. Snowfields and lakes dotted the landscape with splashes of color. Spires and Pinnacles projected to the heavens enticing would-be climbers to just TRY to "sit on top of me"! The view from our vantage point was awesome! Hundreds of snow capped peaks touched the sky as far as the eye could see.
As we neared Milford Sound, our pilot descended into the Sound from the Tasman Sea side and flew between the glacier carved mountains towards the upper end to the boat dock and landing strip. He set her down gently on the asphalt runway and taxied towards the parking area where a bus met us and took us on in to the terminal.
We had cruise tickets given to us as part of the tour package and we boarded the Mitre Peak for a 2 hour cruise. The small ship headed towards the Tasman Sea; the wind was making white caps on the water but no one seemed to mind as we snapped a few hundreds more photos and stared at the jaw-dropping scenery. The sheer cliffs offered views of Copper, Quartz and Gold veins imbedded in the black rock face and Fur Seals sunning themselves upon warm rocks.
We turned around where Sea meets Sound and headed back in. The wind subsided as we turned the other direction and provided some relief. We cruised along the north face of the towering cliffs, passing by another herd of Seals. The Captain piloted the ship close to a 60 meter high waterfall, nearly drowning those of us in the Bow (although we did disregard his advice to move indoors). But it felt good. There were two more waterfalls but we didn't park below them! The Falls near the Docks provided fresh drinking water and hydro power for the facility. About 60 people live here; employees of the facility and those who work on the boats. Otherwise it's a long drive in and out every day.
I sat in the Co-Pilot's chair on the return trip. Fortunately the pilot did not fall asleep, or have a heart attack, or something that would necessitate me taking over the controls. Flying in NZ would be more difficult to do as one would have to concentrate to fly on the left side of the sky! We returned along a different route and was able to see more glaciers and terrain. I spotted a very cool backpacking trail down below as it wound its way up the mountain, skirting a gorgeous blue lake before plunging down into a canyon and beyond to Milford Sound. The glaciers were awesome, as typical. The mountain peaks had cool names like Rob Roy, Aspiring and many more I can't remember!
Our landing was smooth. The Tour was just as good as they said it would be. The Cessna, held together with Duct Tape, performed very well. Our kid pilot knew his stuff and actually pulled it off. It was a great experience; one that we are glad we took!
And the girls will be fine after a few hours of medication.
No comments:
Post a Comment