New Zealand - March 2005

As a side trip from my week long visit to Sydney, Australia, I traveled to Queenstown, New Zealand with the quest to visit Milford Sound, supposedly one of the seven wonders of the world. My first attempt to reach this destination was back in February 1998 after a two-week Backroads biking trip that starting at the north end of the South Island, continued along the west coast, and ended in Queenstown. From there, it is a quick flight south to Milford Sound, but only if the weather cooperates, which it did not.

This time around, I figured I would plan enough time to be able to rent a car and drive to it, thereby eliminating the weather worries. At the last minute, a colleague recommended hiking the Milford Track, a 33.5 mile trail that leads to Milford Sound. This approach sounded intriguing so I investigated further and was able to sign up with Ultimate Hikes to join their guided trek only a week before I departed for Sydney (www.ultimatehikes.co.nz). Clearly the stars were aligned to make this happen!



The experience was fabulous. Our group of 36 people (50 is the maximum per day) hiked the 33.5 miles over the course of just over 3 days, staying in lodging purposefully there for us along the way. While much of our trek was overcast and/or rainy, when we reached Milford Sound, the clouds parted and the views were stunning, surpassing my high expectations.

In Queenstown, I stayed at two different bed and breakfasts which I would recommend to anyone embarking on a similar adventure: Dairy Guest House (www.thedairy.co.nz) and Brown's Boutique Hotel (www.brownshotel.co.nz), both of which are conveniently located in the center of Queenstown but on side streets that are less noisy.