Milford Sound: May 2007

In this issue, Ma Orihaka catches up with Ray as he leaves Kaikoura and heads for the west coast. Read about his visit to Monteith's Brewery in Greymouth, the famous 'Pancake' rocks at Punakaiki and an amazing one day hike on the Franz Josef Glacier. And don't miss our exclusive video coverage of the fufillment of one of Ray's life ambitions - the sensational 'Nevis' high wire bungy jump in Queenstown.

In case you missed our last issue, Ma followed Ray as he enjoyed some of the natural wonders of the south island, including walking the famous Abel Tasman Coastal Track and watching sperm whales offshore in Kaikoura.You can read it now at: Back to Nature.

The west coast of the south island is arguably the most popular destination for travellers in New Zealand, presenting a superb blend of geological wonders and many man made opportunities to get the adrenalin pumping! "When I left Kaikoura, I was still inspired by having seen my first ever sperm whales, and very excited about what was coming as I headed west to the other side of the island" Ray told me.

Above: Map of the south island, showing Ray's route from Kaikoura on the east coast, to Greymouth on the other side of the island

To reach Greymouth, Ray had to drive through Hamner Springs and the Victoria Forest Park regions. "There were plenty of things to stop and have a look at on the way" recalled Ray. "One of the most interesting was the swingbridge at Buller Gorge, near Murchison on Highway 6" he told me. "At 110 metres long and 17 metres high, it is New Zealand's longest swingbridge" he added.

Above: The Swingbridge at Buller Gorge is the longest in New Zealand

The roads meander through beautiful mountain passes and inspire most travellers to regularly stop and take in the views. "It probably sounds a bit clichéd, but my eyeballs were out on sockets in some places. No matter how much I travel round this country, I never get tired of the visual perfection of it all" said Ray.

Above and below: We selected two pictures from Ray's journey between Kaikoura and Westport, north of Greymouth to give you an idea of the sheer visual perfection presented to travellers driving through

Stopping overnight in Westport, about 80 kilometres north of Greymouth, Ray headed for a look at the stunning 'Pancake' rocks at Punakaiki - the gateway to the dramatic limestone country of the Paparoa National Park.The coastal highway going south between Westport and Greymouth is one of the most spectacular coastal highways in New Zealand. "I left Westport in the early hours while the coastal fog was still present, which was amazing to see" observed Ray.

Above: Punakaiki (marked in red) is just north of Greymouth

Below: The coastal fog added a touch of magic to this leg of Ray's journey

At Punakaiki, travellers can see the alluring limestone rocks, which began forming 30 million years ago as tiny fragments of dead marine creatures, such as bivalve shellfish and other molluscs, created an even layer of sediment on the seabed. "Earthquake action lifted the layers to the surface" said a well informed Ray. "The sea, wind and rain have since sculpted the unusual rock formations. As heavy swells thunder into caverns beneath the rocks, huge water spouts blast skywards through the blowholes. When high tides co-incide with strong westerly winds, 15 metre foaming geysers can be seen" he explained.

Above: The 'pancake' rocks at Punakaiki - so called because of their unusual layer formation

Above: The main Punakaiki blowhole

Below: Huge columns of sea water blow up geyser-like through the holes in the rocks

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Above and below: "Thousands of years of erosion have caused the rocks to form unusual shapes, many of which look like heads and faces" observed our solo traveller

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Arriving in Greymouth, Ray headed for the Monteith's Brewery Company. "Before coming to New Zealand, I must admit I had not heard of this particular brand, but discovered it is one of the most popular, not only in this country but in many around the world" Ray told me. "The company offer travellers a fantastic one and a half hour tour, in which we saw every part of the old fashioned beer making process they still use - the gently steaming coal-fired boilers and open fermenters that allow you to see and smell the beer as it slowly matures were fascinating" said Ray.

The tour ended with a private tasting session. "They invite you into their own bar on site after the tour to have a tasting of each of the seven different beers they brew" he said. "My favourite is their Radler beer, a lager based on a Bavarian brew, with a hint of lime added during the fermentation process. I have had a few bottles of the stuff since I left and it tastes great" he added.

Above: At the end of the brewery tour, the guide let Ray pour his own beer to taste - "For ten minutes or so, they said have as much as you like!" said Ray. "I was driving on from there, so I took it easy, but if I go back, I'll make sure I am staying overnight" added our newly converted Monteith's drinker

Below: Known for their brewing innovation, they have also done an interesting job with the toilets, fashioning the urinals from beer kegs!

Leaving Greymouth and continuing southwards on Highway 6, our intrepid traveller made tracks for the spectacular Glacier site at Franz Josef. "This was something I had been looking forward to since my arrival on these shores" said a very excited Ray. "I have never seen, let alone climbed, on a glacier" added Ray. "I found an experienced guide and arranged a full day hike, joining a small group of other travellers" he told me.

Above: Franz Josef is definitely one of the highlights for visitors to the south island and an opportunity to connect with thousands of years of our planets history

Below: Ray found a hostel in the small township of Franz Josef, nestled at the foot of the Southern Alps - "I was so excited about the trek, I could hardly sleep the night before and was even more delighted when I awoke the next morning to discover that the visibility was absolutely perfect, although it was bloody cold!" he recalled

The days hike to the glacier starts with a full briefing in town. "Climbing glaciers can obviously be quite dangerous, so our guide had to make sure that we all had appropriate clothing and understood how to remain safe at all times" explained Ray. "We boarded a bus to travel to the start of the glacier, some four or five kilometres from town" recalled Ray. "As we got nearer, you could see that everyone (including me) had a growing sense of excitement as we all waited to catch our first glimpse of the glacier itself" he told me.

Above: The mighty Franz Josef Glacier. Of the 140 glaciers that flow from the Southern Alps, only the Franz Josef and nearby Fox Glacier penetrate down to the rainforests. Few sights equal the spectacle of these giant tongues of ice, grinding down through the landscape to just 250 metres above sea level (the only place outside Argentina where this occurs)

Below: The sign alerts travellers to the obvious dangers of climbing the glacier, which is continuously moving, causing collapses which can lead to very serious injuries or deaths

The early Maori knew Franz Josef as 'Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere' which means 'Tears of the Avalanche Girl'. "Legend tells of a girl losing her lover who fell from the local peaks and her flood of tears freezing into the glacier" Ray told me. The glacier was first explored by Europeans in 1865, with Austrian Julius Haast naming it after the Austrian Emperor.

Above: "Ready for action!" Our intrepid explorer stands at the foot of the Franz Josef Glacier - although it looks pretty close, it is actually over two kilometres away from Ray in this picture

Below: Expedition guide, Sam leads Ray and his group up the glacier

Like anything truly initimidating, a glacier always advances and never retreats. Each year, another layer of surplus snow is added. Time and its own weight soon transforms this residual snow into glacial ice, which then oozes its way down valley to melt away in the warmer temperatures of lower altitudes. The glacier finally terminates where the rate of melt equals the rate of flow. "Learning about the facts was just as interesting as the climb itself" said Ray.

Above:  Glaciers move both by 'plastic flow' and by sliding over the underlying bedrock on a film of water. The deeper the ice, the more plastic it becomes, with a relatively brittle top layer of about 20 metres thick, riding along rather like icing on treacle. The turbulent nature of the Franz Josef Glacier causes most of its surface to become a maze of seracs and crevasses

Normally, glaciers move slowly - typically only a few tens of metres a year. "The massive snowfalls at the head of the Franz Josef Glacier means that its rate of ice turnover is amongst the highest in the world, updwards of 2.5 metres per day, or ten times faster than the average" said Ray.

Above: Ray, pictured through one of the many tunnels that form in the glacier as it is constantly melting and moving

Below: The constant movement causes very deep, narrow crevasses to form - "We were just about able to squeeze through this particular one, but had to move facing the ice the whole way as the gap was so narrow" recalled Ray

Above: "Blue is the Colour" sings Ray - not because he is a Chelsea fan but because the ice has a blue tint, due to the Rayleigh effect, where tiny particles and minute air bubbles suspended in the ice scatter light in different directions. This scattering affects light of shorter wavelengths more than that of longer wavelengths, which is why short wavelength blue-violet light is refracted back first

Below: Tour guide Sam follows behind the group, collecting the guide ropes on the way. Each day, every day, new steps have to be cut and new fixings made for ropes due to melting and movement

Catching up with Ray on his return from the glacier, I asked him to tell me about his experiences from the day. "It was everything and more than I expected" he said. "I felt like a real explorer up there and the memory will remain with me for many years to come" he told me. "I cannot wait to give you my photographs so you can write about it in the Daily Explorer" said our excited ice trekker.

So you cam imagine Ray's surprise when he went off to find a high speed internet connection back in town, and discovered that it was located in a bus across the road from his hostel. "It is probably the most unusual Internet Cafe I have found in New Zealand, or anywhere for that matter" said Ray.

Above and below: The owners of the Internet Cafe across the road from Ray's hostel have been very innovative, converting this old bus into a cosy, modern, high tech cavern for travellers needing high speed online access

Having updated me with all of his recent pictures and travel notes across the Internet, Ray made tracks for the increasingly popular lakeside town of Wanaka. Passing Lake Matheson on the way, he stopped for a hike on the track that runs around the huge stretch of water. "I was hoping that the fine weather I had been blessed with on the glacier would hold out but it wasn't to be" said Ray. "Having said that, it was still extremely invigorating to hike around the lake and pretty beautiful anyway, despite the gloomy skies above" he added.

Above: Lake Matheson is six kilometres from Franz Josef and in fine weather, gives travellers impossibly photogenic views of Mt. Cook reflected in the lake - "No spectacular views for me" said Ray, "but the hike around the lake was fabulous and even though the weather was not so brilliant, it is still awesome" he said

Below: On the approach to the town of Wanaka - Highway 6 runs alongside the vast Lake Wanaka for several miles

Above: Map showing Ray's route from Franz Josef to Wanaka. From there, he was due to visit Queenstown, also known as the 'adrenalin capital' of New Zealand

"Many travellers whom I'd met told me the Wanaka area was very beautiful, so I did have quite high expectations" said Ray. "They were absolutely right too - the colours were autumnal and it gave the whole place a very tranquil feel" added Ray. "The town is growing rapidly, but is still small enough to have a wonderful village atmosphere" observed our traveller.

Above: The centre of Wanaka - a delightful town with a distinctly 'village' feel

Below: The town, viewed from the top of nearby Mt. Iron. Property prices are surging due to the town's growing popularity as a holiday destination for visitors and Kiwi's alike

Above: The autumn colours are fading as winter approaches but the landscape around Diamond Lake in Wanaka still retains its essential beauty

Below: Diamond Lake is about a forty minute hike from the nearest road access and well worth the effort of getting there - "As it was the anniversary of my late Father's birthday, I sat there for a while and said a prayer for him - I couldn't have been in a more perfect place" Ray told me

If Wanaka is the 'new kid on the block', then nearby Queenstown (see map above) is the 'real deal' when it comes to action, adventure, extreme sports and thrills. "Queenstown is busy all year round, with a huge amount of choice for travellers to reduce their bank balances" Ray told me. "However, I knew from the outset what I most wanted to do, and had been waiting many years to do it - the A.J. Hackett bungy jump" said Ray, as he beamed with a huge grin from ear to ear!

The journey into Queenstown itself from Wanaka is a visual treat. "I took the road through Cardrona, which is more direct, but much longer because the road bends and twists via the Crown Range moutain pass, with spectacular views" explained Ray. "Two Europeans first crossed the pass on foot in 1860 as they searched for sheep pasture land" he added, "and the first horse drawn tourist coaches made the journey over the pass in 1877. The entire road finally became sealed in 2000, and at 1,076 metres above sea level, is New Zealand's highest sealed road" said our well informed traveller.

Above: Although it is best known for action and adventure, Queenstown is blessed with incredibly beautiful scenery too. This picture was taken by Ray as he made his way there via the Crown Range mountain pass, New Zealand's highest sealed road. In the distance are the peaks of 'The Remarkables' mountain range

Below: The Remarkables mountain range comes into clearer view as Ray crosses the pass

A pleasant little diversion on the way into Queenstown is provided by it's tiny neighbour, Arrowtown. "Like many similar towns in New Zealand, its population swelled during the gold rush years, but now it is nothing more than a quaint tourist attraction" said Ray as he left. "It still has about sixty of its original wooden and stone buildings, so it is a bit unusual, but not that memorable" he added.

Above: Arrowtown is now a 'quaint' and rather contrived tourist attraction, although the main street retains quite a few old buildings that give it some character and show off its 'gold rush' heritage

Below: Ray spots another 'orphaned' Routemaster bus from London - "Just what you need in an old gold rush town - a double decker bus for tours" said Ray as he tried to cover up his contempt about the decision to purchase the out of place vehicle

Arriving in Queenstown itself, Ray quickly sorted out some accommodation and made plans for his big jump. "Although I was gagging to do my bungy jump, I wanted to get to know the place a bit first, so I headed for the skyline gondola which rises up over the nearby hills to give visitors an aerial view of the whole place" said Ray.

Above: Queenstown is situated beside Lake Wakatipu and sits at the foot of the 'Remarkables' mountain range

Below: Ray takes in the very impressive views from the observation deck at the top of the skyline gondola ride. To see a short video clip of the gondola ride, watch Queenstown Skyline Gondola

With research complete and arrangements made, our intrepid traveller headed out of town to complete his lifetime ambition of doing the 'Nevis' bungy jump. "As Queenstown is the home of the bungy, I decided many years ago that this was the place where I would try it" said Ray as he made his way to the jump site.

For those readers that are interested, a bit of history about bungy jumping. Vanuatu in the Pacific is where it all started. People have been throwing themselves from huge towers for centuries with nothing more than a few vines tied to their feet. In the 1970's, these ancient rituals inspired the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club to try a few experimental jumps.

Above: The 'Nevis' bungy jump, one of several on offer in Queenstown, is situated about 20 kilometres out of town and jumpers are transported across steep, rugged terrain to reach the jump platform, suspended across a gorge

In the mid 1980's, a Kiwi entrepreneur called A J Hackett saw a video and his imagination took over, teaming up with fellow skier Henry van Asch, they developed bungy into the modern technology it is today. After extensive stress testing on latex rubber cords, a series of extreme jumps were made, first at Pont de la Caille - a 147 metre jump near Annecy, France. In 1987, A J jumped from the Eiffel Tower and into the International spotlight - the bungy legend was born. "I saw a video of the original jump in Paris and knew I just had to try it" said Ray.

Above: The gorge above the Nevis River which houses the bungy was constructed in 1999, using a special patented design. At 134 metres (440 feet), it is the second highest commercial jump in the world (the highest is in Macau), with 8.5 seconds of freefall time. Jumpers are required to put harnesses on before they are transported by a tiny cable car across the gorge to the jump station in the centre

As the moment of truth for Ray drew nearer, I could see he was a little nervous. "Its actually excitement, Ma" he told me. "Having done the Sky Tower jump in Auckland, which is nearly 200 metres from the ground, this does not seem so bad, although this is an elastic cord so I am not sure how the bouncing around will feel" said Ray.

Above: One of the assistants makes sure that Ray's ankle shackles are on tightly. Safety is paramount at the A J Hackett operation, much to our traveller's relief

Below: Nearly time to go - Ray gives the 'thumbs up' as he prepares to make the leap of a lifetime from the small diving platform to his left

With only moments to go, Ray braced himself and relaxed into it. "I watched someone go before me and saw the way they dived, and tried my best to copy their style" said Ray. "I remember thinking that I wanted to really enjoy it, flying totally unassisted for 8.5 seconds is something I may not do for quite a while and I wanted to experience it fully" he recalled.

The Jump... in Pictures

Above: "OK Ray - I am going to give you a 3-2-1 countdown - then just let yourself fall forward and enjoy the ride" says the jump master as Ray's heart pumps rapidly

Below: He's off! Ray takes one giant leap for mankind toward the floor of the valley over 400 feet below!

Above: These two pictures were taken by the remote camera's that A J Hackett have installed at different locations in the gorge. We have also managed to obtain exclusive video footage of Ray's jump. If you would like to see it, watch Nevis Bungy Jump

Above: "Made it!" shouts Ray as he hauled feet first back up to the platform - "I tried to pull the release chord as instructed so that I could get myself the right way for the ride back up, but just couldn't make it work" said Ray

Safely back on solid ground, I asked Ray what it was like. "Exhilirating" was his immediate reply. "It was worth the years of waiting and worth every penny it cost - I feel as if I have done something I didn't believe I could do and it feels fantastic, having experienced eight and a half seconds of 'flying' through the air. I will never forget this experience and it is things like this that make travelling so worthwhile" said our very happy jumper.

Last but by no means least, our intrepid explorer left Queenstown to make the long journey to Milford Sound - one of the most beautiful fiordland areas in the world and the jewel in the crown of the south island's natural wonders.

Above: Map showing the route that Ray took from Queenstown to Milford Sound. The whole of the south-west corner is known as the Fiordlands, which can only be accessed by boat.....

Below: ..... like the one shown in this picture

Ray soon discovered that the nearest accommodation for travellers to Milford Sound is in a small town called Te Anau (see map above), which is about 120 kilometres south of the port where the boats depart.

"I decided to stay overnight in Te Anau so that I could get on one of the first boats out the next morning" Ray told me. "To drive to Milford Sound takes about 2 - 2.5 hours, and you have to pass through the 1.2 kilometre Homer Tunnel" Ray explained. "The tunnel is straight, and was originally single-lane and gravel-surfaced, whilst the tunnel walls remain unlined granite" he said. "They have basically cut through nearly a mile of solid mountain rock in order to enable vehicles to get Milford Sound" he added. "It is a spectacle in iteslf" thought Ray.

"The tunnel emerges into rain-forest carpeted canyons that descend to the sound. The mountain road is very winding, and while of high standards, very prone to avalanches and closures during the winter half of the year" explained our knowledgable traveller.

Above: The very winding mountain roads at the west end of the Homer Tunnel are prone to avalanches during winter

Below: The western tunnel portal (left). The other (east portal) end (right) is at 945 metres elevation; the tunnel runs 1,270 metres at approximately a 1:10 gradient down to the western portal. Until it was sealed and enlarged, it was the longest gravel-surfaced tunnel in the world. It runs between the valley of the Eglinton and Hollyford Rivers to the east and that of the Cleddau to the west

Above: Ray is reminded just how far south he is, as he approaches Milford Sound

Although called Milford Sound, it is more accurately classified as a fiord. Milford Sound, the most famous tourist site of New Zealand, is situated within the Fiordland National Park which is in turn part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.

Milford Sound runs 15 kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres or more on either side. Lush rain forests cling precariously to these cliffs, while seals, penguins, and dolphins frequent the waters.

Above: Milford Sound, on a clear day. It is named after Milford Haven in Wales, and the Cleddau River which flows into it is similarly named after its Welsh namesake.TheMaori name for the sound, Piopiotahi, means first native thrush

Below: Mitre Peak, one of the highlights of Milford Sound

On the day of his visit, the weather was not being too kind to Ray. "With a mean annual rainfall of nearly 7 metres, on 182 days a year, Milford Sound is known as the wettest place in New Zealand, and one of the wettest in the world, so I knew there was a very good chance that we would run into bad weather" he said. "The rainfall here can reach 250 mm in a 24 hour period" added Ray.

The heavy rainfall creates dozens of temporary waterfalls (as well as a number of major, more permanent ones) cascading down the cliff faces, some reaching a thousand meters in length. Smaller falls from such heights may never reach the bottom of the sound, drifting away in the wind. Accumulated rainwater can at times cause portions of the rain forest to lose their grip on the sheer cliff faces, resulting in tree avalanches into the Sound.

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Above: "Come on Sun, out you come!" - Ray arrives early to board his boat at the tiny port of Milford Sound, keeping his fingers crossed that the early morning clouds will lift

Below: One of the many permanent waterfalls in the Sound

Above: This was Ray's view of Mitre Peak on the day of his visit - "Although it was cloudy, I was still impressed by the rugged beauty of the place and the still, quiet atmosphere was unreal

Below: The skipper of Ray's boat took them as close as possible to some of the waterfalls. To see a short video clip, watch Milford Sound Waterfall

Above: See if you notice the colour of the water changing from that you see in the distance, to the water near the boat. This happens because fresh water essentially floats on top of the sea water underneath, so inside the fiord where there is much more fresh water, it is darker in colour and the further out to sea you go, the lighter it gets

Below: Our traveller takes it all in, as his tour of the west coast comes to an end - "It has been spectacular in every sense" he told me

Editors Note: Thanks Ma for another wonderful article - it is great having you on the Daily Explorer team. In our next issue, due online in a couple of weeks, Ray will be paying homage to 'The World's Fastest Indian' in Invercargill and touring through the Catlins as he heads around the east coast, towards Dunedin and Christchurch. We will keep you posted!

Its All in the Name

This is one of the features that readers of our sister publication, The Daily Lama, have enjoyed. So by popular demand, we have decided to continue with it here. From time to time, we will publish photographs of different places or things that Ray comes across on his travels. If the name of the place or thing in the photograph matches with your name, you are invited to send us an email telling us, and we will include your name in a prize draw to be made at the end of the year, in our final issue of 2007! Here are the pictures for this issue:

Above: This hotel was spotted just outside Greymouth....

Above: ..... while this bar was found in the centre of Queenstown.....

Above: ..... and this street was spotted on the way from Wanaka to Arrowtown

MOZZIE BYTE

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