New Zealand Day 9

After leaving the car wreck, we drove into the Milford Sound national park area. Rain clouds were looming above our destination and the temperature was dropping. But it was beautiful. It's hard to describe the drive in to Milford Sound, especially at dusk prior to a rainstorm. We passed through large fields of tall grass and flowers, then into a medium-density forest, then hit the mountains. An admittedly sketchy one-way tunnel crossed us into the park, and we were met by craggy peaks, slick from the rain.

Milford Lodge is the only accommodation in the park, aside from apartments where employees live. It's a very modest lodge, but we were lucky to spend the night in the park, since the next closest accommodate is Te Anau, two hours away. We were in a room with 12 bunk beds, and I slept horribly. The guy below me seemed to have a toggle witch between "snore" and "fart."

We woke up at 6am (after arriving around 10pm the night before) and gathered our things for a half-day kayak on pristine early-morning waters. Unfortunately they canceled our kayak because of the rain and wind (this happens about once every couple weeks). After conferring, Shweth snd I decided to book the next available kayak, the "afternoon delight," for the next day. We then headed out to a hike to make the most of the day. Funny how these things turn out, but the hike turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.

Lake Marian is about a 2-hour hike. Once we reached it (see the photo), we were in awe. Nobody else came for an hour, and we stayed about two. For the second hour, rain became more and more powerful, which added to the ambience. To be frank, the spiritual feeling I didn't get a few days prior at the church in Nelson... I got it at Lake Marian. When the rain came, I felt so small. Looking at the lake and mountains, I was in awe of whatever this is - God's creation or a geological happenstance. It didn't matter. It was sublime.

On our hike back, the rain continued to come down. But I didn't mind, given the amazing thing I had just been a part of.

For the rest of the afternoon, we sadly had to book a bunch of activities and accommodations for the rest of the trip. The lodge's wifi was painfully slow, and expensive. After we finished, we had dinner and beer at the Blue Duck Cafe, the only place to eat aside from the lodge. Our waiter was from Tennessee and we talked college football for a while. A good end to a great day.

Photos are:
- Lake Marian
- Me and Shweth
- My Reynaud's disease hands. This happens whenever they get cold and wet... I lose all circulation and it takes a while to get it back.
- Waterfalls from the rainstorm, viewed on our way back from Lake Marian
- View from the Blue Duck Cafe toward Mitre Peak (at the base of the fjord). At 10pm - still light.