15. South Island (Part 2) Milford Sound Trip and Accidental Encounters

Early the next morning, I packed my bags and set off for the city bus station to travel far to another city on the South Island, a place called Te Anu. Why this city, you ask? Because it's close to a place I've wanted to go since I was in Thailand: Milford Sound. I learned about this place from a magazine in the school library. Back then, I didn't even have a visa for New Zealand yet, but that's how my desire to go started.

 

After buying a tour from the hotel staff, I went for a walk around town as usual. But what was even stranger than usual was unexpectedly meeting a German friend named Joe. We had stayed at the same backpackers in Auckland. I ran into her while I was walking on the sidewalk to buy something, and she was walking in the opposite direction with a friend. She was just as shocked as I was. After that, we went to sit and chat, catching up on each other's news since we parted ways in Auckland. She had been working in a bakery in this city for a while and seemed to be doing well. We didn't talk for long before parting ways because I would only be in this city for a few more days, and I had already booked a tour to Milford Sound for the next day. But the impressive encounter and the unlikely chance meeting will always be an incredible memory. She told me that people often say that it's easy and common to meet people you already know in New Zealand. Maybe it's because travelers like us tend to move cities regularly.

 

Milford Sound has a similar atmosphere to mountains and small islands, some large and some small, that extend from the mainland before gradually decreasing in number and opening out into the vast sea or ocean. Because the area is a combination of forests, mountains, waterfalls, and seawater, mixed with sunlight hitting the cliffs, a boat trip along the water between the cliffs is a truly awe-inspiring experience. Additionally, near waterfalls, you can find groups of seals resting on the rocks.

 

I bought this tour from the hotel receptionist. The price, converted to Thai currency, was no more than 3,000 baht. The van journey from Te Anu to the destination took about two hours. Along the way, the driver stopped at various interesting points. I must say, the scenery along the way was absolutely stunning. I felt like the van was moving through a heavenly land with the harbor as its destination.

 

There are many different boat companies here to serve customers, with varying prices and service scopes. However, the service I purchased already included a boat ride, and they even gave out tacos on the boat for lunch. To be honest, I'd say the view during the boat cruise was beautiful, but the view on the way to the harbor was even more so. However, paying nearly a hundred dollars for this service was very worthwhile. If I have the opportunity to come here again next time, I'll probably choose to rent a car and drive myself, or even buy an old one for myself, one that I can sleep in. Because sometimes when I travel, I like to park, find something to eat, or just sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery around me, and walk along the forest tracks that are very common in New Zealand. That alone is enough to make me excited and have fun. So, I'll end my Milford Sound trip here.

 

After returning to the hotel and planning to stay another night, I found I had a new roommate. She was Italian but had moved to Ireland over ten years ago. She happened to mention she wanted to do laundry, which I also wanted to do, so we agreed to split the cost of the washing machine. After that, we made dinner together. The dish I often eat during this kind of cold weather was instant noodles, but please don't misunderstand me, I was not lacking anything. The ingredients I put in were full of meat and vegetables. What can I do? There aren't as many noodle shops around here as there are back home, and this kind of packaged noodles was easy to carry and tastes good. However, I didn't rely on it every day. I just wanted to say that this is a good item for traveling.

 

Exhausted from the journey, I went to bed early. When I woke up, it was already morning, and I didn't have any fixed plans for the day. Just then, my roommate was packing her bags, so I asked her where she was going. She said she was going to Queenstown and would be traveling alone in her rental car. I asked if I could hitch a ride with her, offering to contribute to the gas. She agreed without any hesitation. So, we ended up traveling to Queenstown together, with her driving.

 

On the way, we stopped at a honey shop. I bought a jar for myself and another for her as a thank you. We didn't have any specific places to visit; we just drove along the road and stopped to take pictures if we saw any interesting views. Along the way, I told her about myself, and we chatted happily. Just then, we saw a sign for a lake with a name I couldn't quite remember by the side of the road, so I asked her to drive in. What we found was a clear blue lake covering white pebbles, which at first glance looked like a beach. This, combined with the sky lightly covered with clouds moving with the wind at a moderate speed, created a breathtakingly beautiful and vast sight. This was the first time in my life I had been in front of a large lake in a foreign country that looked like the lake images I often see on postcards.

 

I asked her if she wanted to try going into the water. She seemed hesitant. For her, the scenery in a cold region like this might be something she was already familiar with in Europe, but for me, it was very exciting. I stood up, took off my jacket and shirt, leaving only my shorts, and eagerly stepped into the water, turning around to invite her to join me. She seemed unprepared but went along with the situation. She said she needed to change into a swimsuit first. In the end, we were in the lake together, and I just realized and felt that the water was really cold. If I were to compare it, it would be like jumping into a canal in the northern part of the country in winter. I remember I didn't stay in the water for more than 15 minutes. Luckily, the sun at nine in the morning was quite strong and helped me feel a little warm. I laughed to myself and had fun the whole time, even though I was shivering from the cold.

 

In the end, she could handle the cold better than I could. She even posed for me to take pictures of her in the water. I was happy that we were both enjoying what we had just decided to do, even though the people in the neighborhood who were walking their dogs that morning might have thought this was crazy. To jump into the water in that kind of cold weather... But I thought it was a great decision because it was an idea that came from the moment, and it didn't bother anyone or pose any real danger. This is what I call unplanned travel, enjoying creativity and what's happening right in front of us.