South Island Ports

It’s been a few days since we posted an update and that’s because we’ve been busy at sea and ashore. But let us tell you about South Island.

It took us two days to reach New Zealand. The captain had warned us that it would be rocky and it was, so much so that I was actually quite seasick. Not enough to stop eating but enough to not feel like doing anything but lie down with my eyes shut!

But what joys awaited us when we woke up in Milford Sound. I peaked out the window around 7am and looked out into a murky misty world that reminded one of the Hobbit world. A little boat came alongside to pick up passengers who were going on an overland excursion and we enjoyed our view of Lady Elizabeth Bowen Falls, the tallest waterfall in Milford Sound at 162 metres in height.

We then set sail out of the Sound toward Doubtful Sound, the deepest fiord but not before we had spectacular views of Stirling Falls, which is 151m tall, making it taller than Niagara Falls. We also got to see the Four Sisters who only appear when it’s been raining. Everywhere you looked were waterfalls cascading down the sides of the mountains. Every so often the sun would peak through and light up the hillside.

As we were coming into Doubtful Sound I saw what reminded me of the Durdle Door in Dorset. Again it was dense foliage, waterfalls and a few caves. Often the scenery looked surreal like a painting.

Dusky Sound was similarly beautiful and all too soon we were on our way toward Port Chalmers where we hoped to see some albatross.

And oh boy, were we rewarded. The colony was nesting near the Lighthouse on Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula. This is the world’s only mainland breeding colony and this year they have about 39 fertile eggs hatching. We got to see the adult birds with their chicks and dozens soaring around as we sailed past. These are Royal Albatross and it was an absolute privilege to watch.

We transformed into true Yorkshire folk when we docked in Port Chalmers. This stop had been billed as Dunedin but we discovered that they wanted to charge $20 per person to shuttle us the 13.4 kilometres. Considering that the port of Eden shuttled us for free we weren’t impressed and stayed opted for a stroll round Port Chalmers instead. As it happened the Maritime Museum was a delight and free (donation welcomed and willingly given) and we spent a good hour or more learning about the shipping and history of the area.

Our third port of call was Akaroa, mistakenly identified by Len as Krakatoa! This was a tender port and we eventually got off the ship by 10 am ( Holland America does not cover itself with glory when it comes to organising transport), when we met our tour guides for the day, Lynne and Garry Miln. Lynne is Heather’s sister, (you met Heather in Perth), and she and Len lived on the same road in Yeadon growing up.

Garry and Lynne took us on a tour of Akaroa which was extraordinary, such beautiful landscape. We went up to the top of the mountain and down through the valleys. We marvelled at the remnants of the ancient forests which lay in the fields looking like wildlife. The colours were unbelievably beautiful and looking out to sea you couldn’t tell where the sea ended and the sky began. We ended our visit with Fish and Chips, and very nice they were too!