Monthly Archive for December, 2008

On Walkabout On: Highway 94 to Milford Sound

Published on December 31, 2008 in New Zealand. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The next day after finishing our tour around Lake Te Anau, my wife and I woke up early, loaded up our campervan, and headed up to the legendary Milford Sound.  The sound is located 121 kilometers North of Te Anau:

This Google Earth image gives a pretty good indication of how steep and rugged the terrain between Te Anau and Milford Sound is that New Zealand State Highway 94 has to pass through:

If traveling from Queenstown it is a long 279 kilometers away, but that still doesn’t stop most of the tourists visiting the sound from doing so from Queenstown.  In fact 80% of the tourists visiting the sound are day trippers from Queenstown.

Some of the people we talked to at our caravan park told us to leave first thing in the morning to go to Milford Sound because if we arrived in the afternoon the odds are that the sound will be obscured with clouds.  They told us the morning is the best time to go to get unobscured views of Milford Sound.  They told us however to never drive the road to Milford Sound in the darkness because it is an extremely dangerous road.  Who are we to argue with the locals?

Thus my wife and I took off from Te Anau in the early morning twilight and made sure to make a stop to watch the sun rise over Lake Te Anau before entering into the mountainous pass to Milford Sound:

As we drove up Highway 94 to Milford Sound from Lake Te Anau the road entered a long and wide valley:

Here is how this valley looks on Google Earth:

The early morning fog made some spectacular photographs on the valley’s floor:

It was easy to picture in my mind the large glacier that must have flown down from these rocky slopes to have carved this wide flat valley, similar to Franz Josef and Fox Glacier valleys my wife and I had seen before:

As we continued down Highway 94 the road eventually passed one the lakes left by the melting waters of the glacier that once passed through here, Lake Gunn:

Here is a Google Earth image of the highway as it passes along the side of Lake Gunn:

Just North of Lake Gunn Highway 94 makes a sharp turn to the West as seen in this Google Earth image:

A short ways down the highway the road passes through what is known as the Homer Tunnel:

The road through the tunnel was primitive and mostly dirt, not very wide, and extremely dark.  In fact traffic through the tunnel is one way only and cars have to wait on each side for the light to turn green before proceeding.  The tunnel is named after William H. Homer who discovered this route to Milford Sound with another gentleman by the name of George Barber in 1889, one year after Quintin MacKinnon forged the Milford Track in 1888.

Construction of the tunnel began in 1935 and wasn’t completed until nearly 20 years later in 1954.  The tunnel is 1270 meters long and actually runs at a slope of 1:10 gradient through the mountain.  This was easily the scariest tunnel my wife and I have ever driven through.  Here is a Google Earth image of where Highway 94 enters into the mountain where Homer Tunnel is located:

Once we passed through the tunnel we entered a world of steep cliffs, heavy fog, and rain:

Even though we couldn’t see it, this how the terrain looks from above once outside the Homer Tunnel:

We actually could not see a thing until we pulled into Milford Sound.  At Milford Sound most of the mountains had a cloak of clouds hiding them:

If you are wondering, yes that is our campervan pictured above. Anyway since there wasn’t much to see my wife and I went and checked out the visitor center and got ourselves a cup coffee at the cafe there:

The village of Milford Sound is very small and consists of little more then a hotel, visitor center, a small petrol station with extremely expensive petrol, and the port.  After seeing the sky high petrol prices there, we were glad we filled up the campervan prior to leaving Te Anau:

After we came back out of the cafe it was about 8:00 AM and the skies began to clear up a bit exposing the tops of some of the peaks:

We walked down to the water edge and were in awe and the landscape before us:

Rudyard Kipling when he visited Milford Sound called it the Eighth Wonder of the World because he was so impressed by its beauty. For comparisons sake, here is a picture of what the sound looks like on a clear winter’s day:

I don’t know if it is the Eighth Wonder of the World or not, but it sure was impressive and worthy of getting a picture in front of:

Here is something I was quite surprised about and you will not read about in a New Zealand travel brochure.  Milford Sound is infested with sand flies.  It was hard to stand still for this picture because of the sand flies that were swarming around me.  Definitely bring some bug repellant to combat these things with because it was something we did not bring and could have really used.  We would later find out during our boat tour that the reason the Maori did not permanently inhabit Milford Sound was because of these sand flies.  So that gives you an indication of how bad they are.

Anyway from the visitor center area of Milford Sound we walked over to the port to book a boat tour that morning.  The port is a short walk from the actual village of Milford Sound and from the port we able to get a good view of how small the village actually is:

What you see in the above picture is all there is to the Milford Sound village.  We then entered the port facility which looked really new to book a boat tour that morning.  Fortunately we had beat the day tripping tour bus crowd to the sound thus leaving the port virtually deserted except for a few people. There is actually is a variety of tours to sign up for from small boats to extremely huge boats that are all docked at the pier:

We decided to take one of the smaller boats and even on the smaller boat it was no where near capacity and only had about 20 people max on it. It was quite cold out on the water but my wife and I sat outside right on the very front of the boat because the Milford Sound experience was one that we have saved for last on our New Zealand itinerary and we just want to just suck in the experience of traveling through these beautiful natural wonder.

Next Posting: Milford Sound – Part 1

Prior Posting:  Around Lake Te Anau

Two Youths Missing in Victoria’s Otway Ranges

Published on December 31, 2008 in Australia in the News and Victoria. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Victoria never has a shortage of people who get lost in the wilderness here with two more people being lost outside of Lorne:

A POLICE air search has been launched to find two youths missing in bushland for two nights.

The youths are missing in cool conditions in bushland at Erskine Falls, near the resort town of Lorne on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

Police believe the same pair used a mobile phone to contact them about 10am (AEDT) on Tuesday.

Text messages were exchanged but they stopped about 2.30pm, leading police to suspect the phone had been switched off or the battery had gone flat.

Attempts to find the youths using the phone’s signal have failed.

The search resumed this morning with a police helicopter and about 40 officers, State Emergency Service volunteers and Parks Victoria staff.

“At this stage, we’ve got members of police search and rescue, we’ve got the police air wing on scene, we’ve got the police dog squad down here, members of the local SES, members of the local DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment) parks service and we just called out some members from our bush search rescue … volunteers and they’re on their way,” Greg Bliss from the Victoria Police Search and Rescue Squad said on ABC Radio.  [AAP]

Lorne is on Victoria’s world famous Great Ocean Road and is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state.  The beautiful Erskine Falls is located just outside of town.  Most people visit the falls by driving to them and then completing a short but extremely steep hike to the falls.  However, I suspect these two youths probably took the longer trail that runs from Lorne to the falls and some how got off the trail and lost.

Erskine Falls outside of Lorne, Victoria

The Great Otway Ranges along the Great Ocean Road is heavily forested and if you do not follow the trails it is very easy to get lost because you cannot see over the tree tops anywhere to reorient yourself.  Here is a perfect example of how thick the forests of the Otway Ranges can be:

Thick bush surrounds a trail in the Otway Ranges.

Hopefully these two lost youths can be found, but this should serve as another precautionary tale to always stay on trails and be prepared when exploring the bush here in Australia.

On Walkabout Video: Lake Te Anau, New Zealand

Published on December 29, 2008 in New Zealand. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Here are a couple of videos from my boat trip across Lake Te Anau, New Zealand:

Video 1:

Video 2:

Global Warming Christmas Propaganda

Published on December 28, 2008 in Environment. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The global warming eco-loons will stop at nothing to spread their message to include using propaganda to scare kids at Christmas time:

Despite Greenpeace’s claims the Arctic continues to be packed in ice and Canada is going through one of its coldest winters in decades as the globe continues to cool.

I agree with Anthony Watts, that Greenpeace has now hit an all-time low in the creditability department.

Australia to Accept Gitmo Detainees?

Published on December 28, 2008 in Australia in the News. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

If you live in Australia may have some new neighbors coming to town in the near future:

KEVIN Rudd has left open the possibility of Australia taking former inmates from the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.

But he warned that any US request for an inmate to come would be subject to legal criteria and assessed on a case-by-case basis, The Australian reports.

As the Greens warned the Prime Minister he faced a political backlash if he accepted detainees held in the US military jail at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a spokesman for Mr Rudd confirmed US authorities had approached Australia and other countries about resettling the detainees.

“Australia, along with a number of other countries, has been approached to consider resettling detainees from Guantanamo Bay,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

“Any determination for an individual to come to Australia would be made on a case-by-case basis.  [The Australian]

There are 60 detainees currently at Gitmo that have been cleared for release but do not want to go back to their home countries because of expected retribution to them from their own government. Thus Washington is trying to send to third countries.  As much as everyone wants Gitmo shut down, accepting detainees is definitely one of those, not in my backyard issues which is why I would be surprised if Australia accepted any of them.

Hottest Hip Hop Fashion from Rocawear

Published on December 28, 2008 in Quick Links. 0 Comments Tags: .

Are you a hip hop fan that is looking for a website with a large variety of the hottest hip hop gear available? Rocawear may just be the website you are looking for. Rocawear staked its claim in hip-hop history by becoming the destination brand for street savvy consumers. Rocawear maintains a focus of providing clever innovation in fabrication, application and design to its customer. It has been the brand’s attention to detail that has pushed Rocawear’s appeal beyond its core urban customer. Ten years have passed since the genesis of The ROC…and a dynasty now reigns. Today, Rocawear is a dominant lifestyle apparel brand for a wide range of customers, with annual retail sales over $700 million. Inspired by an urban aesthetic rooted in young men’s sportswear, Rocawear has expanded is brand through licensing pacts to develop lines for children (Kids Headquarters), junior’s (Signature), socks (Gina Group), handbags and belts (M. London), big & tall (Endurance), headwear (Nas Industries), jewelry (K & M Associates ), ladies intimates and men’s loungewear/underwear (Age Group), ladies shoes (Topline), watches (The Vestal Group) and sunglasses (Colors in Optics); as well as co-branded athletic footwear with PRO-Keds. Roca Wear Coats are available as well.  The selection of Rocawear is quite large and any fan of hip hop fashion should be able to find exactly what they looking for.


Adelaide Wife Kills Husband By Setting Fire to His Genitals

Published on December 28, 2008 in Australia in the News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I don’t know what it is, but strange murders seem to happen in Adelaide:

A MAN whose wife allegedly set fire to his genitals while he slept has died.

Satish Narayan, 47, an engineer, lost his battle to survive at the Royal Adelaide Hospital yesterday, 20 days after sustaining burns to most of his body.

The incident has now been declared a major crime by police and it is likely his wife, Rajini, will face a charge of manslaughter or murder.

Police have alleged Mr Narayan’s wife doused his genitals with methylated spirit and then set him on fire about 5.30am on December 7.

Mrs Narayan had been charged with causing serious harm to her husband, arson and endangering her children.  [Sunday Mail]

For those that don’t know many infamous murder cases have happened in Adelaide which have earned the city the distinction of being dubbed “Australia’s City of Corpses“.

The Best in Tactical Gear from Tactical Gear USA

Published on December 28, 2008 in Quick Links. 1 Comment Tags: .

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Anti-Semitism Reaches Record High in Australia

Published on December 28, 2008 in Australia in the News. 0 Comments Tags: , .

I am surprised by this news because you don’t hear much about violence against Jews in the Australian media:

Anti-Semitic incidents in Australia have reached record levels, according to a new report.

Jeremy Jones, a former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told the annual general meeting of the umbrella organization on Monday that 652 reports of anti-Jewish violence, vandalism, harassment and intimidation were recorded by Australian Jewish organizations between Oct. 1, 2007 and Sept. 30, 2008.

The unprecedented results were a 2 percent increase over the 638 incidents recorded between 2006 and 2007.

“The latest 12-month period saw the highest-ever tally, at a rate close to twice the average of the previous 18 years,” said Jones, who has produced an annual report on anti-Semitism in Australia since 1989, in a statement.

Among the most severe instances of anti-Semitism cited in the new report were 58 incidents of physical assault, including Jewish youths who were attacked in Melbourne in October 2007; a Jewish teenager who was punched and vilified in Sydney in November 2007; an Orthodox man who was abused and punched in the face in Sydney in January 2008; and four Orthodox Jews in Perth who were physically assaulted in May 2008.  [JTA]

On Walkabout Around: Lake Te Anau, New Zealand

Published on December 27, 2008 in New Zealand. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The next morning my wife and I got up early after arriving the evening before in the scenic New Zealand village of Te Anau, to go back to the lake shore and see the sunrise on the lake:

The rays of the sun reflecting off Lake Te Anau’s surrounding mountains was quite spectacular:

After watching the early morning sunrise, my wife and I walked back across the street to our caravan park and made breakfast before setting out to explore Te Anau. There really isn’t a whole lot to the city of Te Anau other then the basics that holidayers like us need such as restaurants, grocery stores, petrol stations, caravan park, etc. This was something we actually liked because it kept the city from becoming overflowing with tourists like its Queenstown counterpart:

Here is tip for everyone; in downtown Te Anau there is a pizza parlor that I recommend checking out if you like home made pizza like I do:

Overall I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the restaurants in New Zealand but my wife and I liked this place.

We next decided to take a walk along the lake to the local wildlife park which is only a couple of kilometers outside of town. The walk was quite pleasant with the beautiful weather and large quantities of ducks to keep us company along the trail:

Along the way we saw this statue of a man by the name of Quintin MacKinnon who was the first person to reach the legendary Milford Sound overland from Te Anau in 1888:

The route MacKinnon forged to Milford Sound which is now one of New Zealand’s most recognized icons, is called the Milford Track:

This track is considered by many to be one the “Finest Walks in the World“.  The track is 53.5 kilometers land and It takes four days to hike the Milford Track.  Reservations must be made in advance which is done to limit the number of hikers on the trail.  Additionally hikers may only hike in one direction, from Te Anau to Milford Sound and have to say in lodges at designated rest points along the way.  I try to make a reservation as an independent walker on the track nearly a year in advance and all the slots were bought up already during the timeframe I was going to be in New Zealand.

There was plenty of guided tours slots open though which are extremely expensive to book.  It costs anywhere from roughly $1,700 – $4,000 for a guided walk on the track depending on what time of the year and level of accomodation is purchased.  That kind of money would pay for the entire cost of my campervan and then some. So I passed on the hike this time, but I am going to go back to New Zealand one day to do this walk.

From the statue we continued on around the lake taking the incredibly scenic views:

After a few more minutes of walking we eventually reached the Te Anau Wildlife Centre:

This wildlife park is filled with the various birds that call this area of New Zealand home.  The most famous bird in this area is not the kiwi which is obviously the most famous bird in New Zealand but the Kea:

The Kea is New Zealand’s mountain parrot and are known for being extremely intelligent.  The Kea is known as being one of the most intelligent if not the most intelligent bird in the world.  This intelligence is what gets these birds in trouble because they are highly social and inquisitive.  They are known for getting into trash cans, letting the air out of tires, destroying windshield wipers, taking shoes and supplies from campers, etc.

These birds are a little bigger then an Australian cockatoo and are only found in this remote corner of New Zealand.  There numbers used to be much larger but are now a protected species because only 1,000 – 5,000 of the birds are estimated to survive in the wild today.  There numbers decreased due to the killing of the birds by European immigrants who were annoyed by their behavior as well as their tendency to hunt in groups to kill sheep.  Yes that is right these birds will work together to kill something as large as a sheep.

Another popular bird at the Wildlife Centre is the Takahe:

The Takahe is a flightless bird that was thought to be extinct until 1948 when it was rediscovered in some remote grasslands in the mountains Fiordland area of Southwest New Zealand.  Loss of habitat and introduced predators are what have decimated and continue to threaten the remaining Takahe population in New Zealand.

Besides checking out the native animals located at the wildlife park, I kept finding myself looking back to take in the incredible view over the lake from the park:

Lake Te Anau really is quite a beautiful lake and the second largest in New Zealand behind only Lake Taupo.  Besides a great view of the lake there was also a lot of local flowers that could be seen at the wildlife park as well:

After finishing checking out the Te Anau Wildlife Centre my wife and I walked back to town in order to board a boat tour we had booked earlier in the day.  The boat we took out on the lake was actually quite large and probably had well over one hundred people on it as it set out across the lake:

The further the boat proceeded down the lake the more spectacular the scenery becomes:

It was no easy feat trying to take these pictures on a swaying boat, but I was actually able to get some pretty nice shots of the surrounding mountains:

Part of the boat tour on Lake Te Anau is an excursion to a glow worm cave.  The boat pulls up to a pier where everybody gets off and walks to a visitor center that sits adjacent to a cave:

At the visitor center everyone sees a film about the cave and its glow worms.  From there the people on the boat are divided into groups of about ten people a piece and then are led into the cave by guides.  Unfortunately no pictures are allowed in the cave because the glow worms are very sensitive to light.  The entrance to the cave is actually quite small and I had to bend over quite a bit just to get in, but once inside the cave it is actually quite large.

The guide led our group along a walkway that took us deep into the cave.  Eventually the walkway ended and we boarded a boat that took our group even further into the cave, which is where we got to get a glimpse of the glow worms.  These worms glow in order to attract bugs towards them that get caught in these glue like strings that hand from the roof of the cave.  Floating around on a boat deep inside a cave in total darkness looking at these oddities of nature was a pretty cool experience.

Some people traveled from Queenstown on a day trip just to see these glow worms and arrived for the night time boat tour and were disappointed by the experience.  Taking a day trip from Queenstown just to see glow worms especially traveling at night on the lake with no opportunity to take in the incredible scenery would not make this trip worth it.  However, for anyone staying in Te Anau definitely take a day time boat tour of the lake and stop and see the glow worms because it is one of the many great things to see in the Te Anau area.

Next Posting: The Road to Milford Sound

Prior Posting: The Road to Te Anau