Rafael Lam Studio

Queenstown

Day 4. 25.07.07: I was heading south to Queenstown so I had to go to the domestic airport out at Maunkau to catch my flight. I caught the ferry again to the pier in downtown Auckland and I caught a taxi to Auckland airport. I boarded the Air New Zealand flight and was amazed at the security measures the locals took for a domestic flight. A bit over the top for me! The flight would take one hour and forty minutes and I had a half hour stopover in Christchurch. Auckland was sunny when I left but the further south I travelled the darker the skies got. When I crossed Cook Strait the weather cleared and I had brilliant views of Marlborough and the North and Central Canterbury Plains. The weather was beautiful and sunny with the cold feel of winter definitely in the air. I departed Christchurch International Airport flying past the Southern Alps cloaked in snow and as I travelled further south, the weather became gloomier and I arrived to a rather dull Queenstown. The weather here was colder and rain looked imminent. I took a taxi to the hotel, settled in and then explored the centre of town.  

Day 5. 26.07.07: On the previous day I booked a tour to Milford Sound. The journey would take a day there and back and it included a ferry trip in and around the fiord. The bus departed early that morning and it wound its way from Queenstown to Wanaka first and then to Homer tunnel. As the morning grew on and it became lighter I was rewarded with breathtaking views of the landscape and the scenery was just magnificent. We stopped off along the way in Fiordland National park and I was able to take photos of the beautiful landscape. The bus stopped at the entrance of the Homer Tunnel and I was able to take some shots of the awesome landscape and two very friendly native Keas. The tour continued its journey and we stopped off at a walking track to view the untainted bush in all its natural glory and a river gushing over rocks creating beautiful waterfalls. We left here for Milford Sound and when we arrived it was busy with tourists keen to board their ferries to view Milford Sound. By this time it was raining and the weather was becoming colder. The wind had picked up and everyone took to the cabins. As we neared Mitre Peak we braved the cold wind and rain to take photos and then we sought the warmth again of the cabin. Despite the gloomy weather and the rather harsh cold you couldn’t help but feel the ‘uniqueness’ of the area. It was nature at its best, untouched, real and beautiful. I caught the bus back to Queenstown and slept the whole way. I arrived back in Queenstown at 7.30pm.

Day 6. 27.07.07: I booked a tour on an old English Double Decker bus that would take me around Queenstown, Lake Hayes, the AJ Hackett Bungee Bridge, Gibbston Valley Wines, historic Arrowtown and to the Edith Cavell Bridge. It was a cheap and easy option to see some famous local sights. I bought some local cheeses that were just divine!