Sunday dawned bright and sunny and we had high hopes about our flight when we called Kylie shortly after 8am and yes we were told that conditions were perfect for the flight to Milford Sound. Off we set for Wanaka airport and the lovely lady wife was slightly disconcerted when she saw our plane, a 6 seater Cessna 416; very small and fragile looking. After a quick coffee and discovering that the only other passenger on our flight was Jordan who just happens to be Dave Dixon’s tenant, we took off for Milford Sound with Tom our pilot who looked as though he should still be at school! The lovely lady wife had previously said she was worried about what would happen if the pilot had a heart attack during the flight and I pointed out that having such a young pilot minimised this risk.
We flew close to Mount Aspiring which was truly awesome and as far as I could see very, very close to just about every other mountain in the region. Just a wonderful flight and remarkably turbulence free.
We arrived at Milford Sound in brilliant sunshine and as the bus was delayed we walked around the head of the sound to the landing stage. Deafening sound of cicadas and it was lovely to see the sub tropical vegetation again.
We were lucky to have a fairly small boat for the cruise and no more than 30 passengers so no crowding and a comfortable seat with a view throughout. Just fabulous and we could not have had a better day to see Milford. We have seen numerous photos and videos previously but nothing prepares you for the sheer magnitude of the mountains and the way that they rise vertically from the sea.
The flight back to Wanaka was equally memorable this time flying over Glenorchy and Queenstown before completing a very soft landing.
On the way back to our campsite we had a lovely swim in the lake before yet another barbeque and a celebratory glass or two of NZ bubbly rose. Now exhausted!
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