Sound Advice

   Exactly one year since our departure from the US and immigration to New Zealand, we again found ourselves arriving by plane at the Auckland airport.  This time though, it was only a domestic flight on our return trip from Queenstown.  It has taken us a year to finally see a portion of the other island of this beautiful country.   A week long holiday that was only enough to wet our appetite for a return trip for a longer duration in the future.
     As I retrieved our car to load up for the drive back to Kerikeri, I had the chance to reflect on how much we have grown as a family and individually in this journey of life over the past year.  No longer are there fears of what life might be like if the rules suddenly were changed and we end up literally driving on the other side of the road.   Confidence has replaced anxiety for us as parents and professionals, while our children have flourished in making friends and adapting to a new culture. 
    We have found lots of answers for our family over the past year that have made us stronger.  Yet that does not imply that we have stopped seeking advice.  Nor doe it imply that we have all the answers.  After our travel to the South Island though, there is one piece of advice that I wish to pass on to anyone reading this:  Put a visit to Milford Sound on top of your list of things to do if you travel to New Zealand.  (O.K. I admit stealing this from AA Travel Services New Zealand)
    AA Travel puts out a list of "101 Must Do's for Kiwis" that is updated with routine voting online.  A visit to Milford Sound ranked number one on the original list, and has remained there ever since.  Our travels to the Sound completely affirm the reason Milford Sound remains at the top.

    Milford Sound is an approximate 4 hour drive from Queenstown, and the drive to the Sound is in itself beautiful for those who enjoy mountain vistas, farmland, and lakes (you can take the family out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the family!).   The first snowfall of the season, that had taken place the preceeding day, capped the Remarkables mountain range to add to the beauty. 

The first hour of the drive took us along the shoreline of Lake Wakatipu, the second largest lake in NZ (sort of like Flathead Lake without all the golf courses and McMansions).

         Arrival into Milford Sound is through the Homer Tunnel, formerly the longest unpaved tunnel in the world (they have paved it now, so it fell off the list) through the natural granite of the Main Divide of the Southern Alps.  Typical Kiwi industriousness, the tunnel started with 5 good keen men, armed with pick axes and shovels (maybe that's why construction lasted from 1935 to 1954, with some non work days from 1940-45 while the ANZAC boys were off fighting).  Since it was late in the day and now into the shoulder season without as many tourists around, we missed out having to stop and wait very long to proceed through the stop light controlled tunnel.  Subsequently we missed out on seeing any of the native Kea birds (giant parrots) who are said to be notorious car trashers around this area. 
   I will let the following photos taken during our boat ride on the Sound (it is actually a Fjord.  Sounds are formed by rivers giving them a geologically flat bottom, where Fjords are glacial carved and have a concave bottom, tour guide trivia. ), tell the story.  The dramatically changing light and cloud cover, coupled with the recent snow and rainfall building up the waterfalls and capping the peaks, was spectacular.  It left no doubt that despite being in a country filled with many amazing vistas, Milford Sound is definitely at the top. 
     Best to click on the photos to enlarge (my camera (poor) skills will leave you wanting to see it for yourself).

  

Sleeping dolphin pod

Lengthening shadow of Mitre Peak





Even more sleepy group of seals



  Sun setting on the end of a magnificent day.

Mom is on the run.

   It has been a bit since the last post and many things to catch up on, but I need to get this post up first. 
   On Monday, April 18 at 1040 am, Kim will be running the Boston Marathon.  Go to http://www.baa.org/. Click on "Race info and registration", then "Boston Marathon", then find "Event Information" and drop down bar to click "Spectator Information".  Scroll to AT+T Athlete Alert to register to receive updates from Kim's timing chip to your email.  Her race bib number is 18240.
    Joel, McKeely and I will be getting Kim out of bed via Skype (our 10pm Monday night is 6am Monday morning Boston time), then awakening to try to catch up to her time with our email alerts on Tuesday morning. 
    Cheering on my bride, who has been through a lot to get to the starting line in Boston.
    Run! Mommy, Run!

    And thanks to Grammy who will be Kim's support person in our absence.