Milford Sound: All Hands on Deck

Friday, February 25, 2000:  Milford Sound:  All Hands on Deck

We crossed the street to The Stable for another big breakfast.  Same faire.  Same portions.  Again, Gordon sat down to speak with Doug and again I kept eating (Isabel must have some secret ingredient), but this time, Isabel came out to talk with me.  I think Gordon wanted Isabel to see the food vanish by me.  When it looked like I was slowing down, Gordon picked up the bowl of sautéed mushrooms.  I gave out a sound that I was not finished.  Gordon put down the bowl and watched, wide eyed, as I scooped the contents onto my plate.  Doug was amused.

The place is called The Stable because Gordon and Isabel used to own horses.  Isabel showed me her scar from knee surgery and I think Gordon threw out his back.  They showed us photos and awards of pre-retirement days with their horses.  Isabel really liked my hiking boots.  She offered to buy them from me, because she couldn’t find a similar pair anywhere around.  I had these boots for years and they had sentimental value and besides, I was going to do more hiking before the end of the trip.

Gordon gave us a ride to the wharf to catch the Milford Sound Cruise.  When we arrived, we saw a man struggling to load supplies onto the ferry.  The man we helped happened to be Walter, the owner of the ferry.  After shaking our hands and introductions, Walter wiped off his glasses then commented that they needed repair.  I happened to have an eyeglass repair kit in my purse, so I fixed his glasses (just needed a screw tightened).

We boarded the ferry to Walter Peak’s farm.  As a little cultural entertainment, we were treated to a sheep’s wool shearing competition.  We watched two sheep being sheared.  We were also shown the products from start to finish (sheared fleece to wool blanket).

From the farm, we boarded a bus to Te Anu where we would launch.  Along the way, our bus ran over something that resulted in a flat tire.  Our bus turned back for repair.

After a quick tire replacement, we continued our journey through a tunnel and passing beautiful falls; a scenic route with many photo stops.  During one such photo stop, one of the women boarded the bus and let out a scream.  Thinking maybe a wild creature boarded the bus, our bus driver went to check the reason for the scream.  A bee had entered the bus.  Our bus driver ran out and announced there was a bee in the bus.  I rolled my eyes, went into the bus, found the bee hitting against a window trying to get out.  I cupped my hands over the bee and then gently carried it out of the bus, releasing it into the air.  We boarded the bus and were on our way to Milford Sound.

Boarding the bus, we saw a large bird near the side of the road.  Our bus driver pointed it out as a kea.  Keas have been known to tear rubber off of cars and ruin lawn furniture.

Our driver also stopped the bus to point out a rare clear view of Mount Aspiring from the road.

From Milford Sound, we launched aboard The Wanderer, after a brief stop for photographs (which can be purchased at the end of the trip)

We shared our cabin with a married couple, Perry and Sharon.  They seemed a little older than us, from Oregon.  Perry said they raised kangaroos.  We weren’t sure if he was serious.  Anyhow, our cabin had four bunk beds and a porthole between our beds.  We women claimed the lower bunks.  As we headed away from the dock, we gathered in the galley for a meeting with our captain.  Our captain highly recommended that we leave our portholes closed due to water spraying the sides of the boat.  Not long after the meeting, Doug went to our cabin to get a book.  He came back up to inform us that somehow our porthole was open and our cabin was flooded.

The crew immediately went to work to clear the water on the floor and set up fans to dry our beds and our belongings, which were on our beds.

Tomato basil soup break:  With our steaming hot mugs of soup in hand, we sat on deck watching dolphins and seals swim along the sides of the boat.  We cruised towards the Tasman Sea.

We cruised back toward Harrison Cove to kayak and fish.  Doug kayaked and fished.  I watched him enjoy the water sports.

Dinner:  Braised beef; a vegetable medley of onions, peas, broccoli and carrots; potatoes and Tiramisu for dessert accompanied with a bottle of Montana Chardonnay.  We received word that our cabin was nearly dry.

We sang at the piano in the galley with Aaron.  Doug found a guitar and continued the singing on deck.

From the deck, I saw a penguin on a distant beach.  I thought it was another yellow-eyed penguin, but it was actually a snare penguin.

We talked with Aaron in the galley for a while, until he excused himself for bed around 11 pm.  Before he left, he showed us how the seat cushions of the galley came off for flotation devices.

Perry and Sharon were already sleeping in our cabin when we arrived.  My bed was still a little damp.  Doug’s was actually dry, as it was above the porthole.  I had just settled into bed, when I heard Doug tossing and turning, then he jumped down from his bunk and started stripping the blankets off.  I whispered, “What are you doing?”

“I can’t sleep with his snoring!  I’m going to sleep on deck.” He replied.

“I’ll go with you.” I responded, actually surprising myself.  I took the blankets and pillow off my bunk, slipped into my day clothes and jacket, and then followed Doug out of our cabin to the galley.  I thought that we would sleep in the galley.  No.  Doug lifted two large cushions from the galley seats then took them out to the deck and placed them side by side.  I said, “I thought we were going to sleep in the galley.  We can’t sleep out here.”

Doug looked up at me and asked, “Look at the stars.  It’s a warm night.  Why not here?”

I got nothing.  So I put my blanket on top of a cushion, laid back to watch the stars and let the rocking of the boat lull me to sleep.