The Purple Penguin

Hope everyone has had a marvy Christmas and are all looking forward to the new year.

We had a wonderful time in Fiordland. Got to Te Anau in good time and enjoyed walking around the small town. Did all our shopping for Christmas the first day and got food for Christmas. We were in another flat which was quite nice even if we had fairly noisy neighbours.

Diving in Milford Sound with Tawaki Dive is wonderful. Just wonderful. The diving is only a part of it – it’s a whole day out with two dives included. So we were picked up bright and early (5 to 6 actually) and driven to Milford Sound. Had a good chat with one of the other divers who was riding with us and got information about what we were seeing during the drive. The tunnel is pretty spectacular and the view once out the other side – really lovely. It was a bit of a rainy start to the day though. So we get kitted up and off out on the boat. Stopped to look at a couple of points on the way to the first dive site – the scenery cannot be described. The really great thing about Milford Sound and probably the entire area is the fact that your sense of scale just goes away. Looking at waterfall it takes a few minutes to realise it’s three times the height of Niagara Falls. You lean back and look up a cliff face and it just takes your breath away but hard to realise it’s 700 metres high!

The diving is wonderful. But then on our first dive we saw TWO spiney sea dragons. Real deep water creatures but they came up to see us. Not only that but one had eggs. Really nifty. We also got to see a octopus – our guide got a close view of the octopus as it headed for him then gave up and sat on a rock when the octopus saw our guide had mates with him. Just sat out there and watched us so we got a good view. We also had a professional photographer diving with us and I swear the octopus posed. And that was just the first dive.

The second was on a wall and the life was spectacular. Along with huge black corals – these must have been hundreds of years old they were so tall. If you’re a diver go to Milford Sound and dive with this group!

Between dives we got taken to the mouth of the fiord (called a sound cause the Brits named it but it’s actually a fiord – yep we got a geology lesson as well, though not how to spell it). So we got to see the sea and an old stone building – I think it’s suppose to be the oldest stone building in New Zealand. And greenstone. Then after the second dive we boated around the fiord seeing the waterfalls, getting information about the area, and just being given an excellent look around. We then went to the Lodge, had lunch, got shown photos of what we’d seen underwater with details of what it was (very helpful) and also got to look at the photos Paddy and Joe had taken.

On the drive back we stopped at several points and got out to walk. Saw Chasm which is a wonderful waterfall, Deer Flats, and a stoat trap (the people who run the dive company are involved in several conservation efforts). Just a really nice leisurely trip back.

Then to bed as we were up early again (well, we did go out for another of those wonderful meals – the food, wine and beer (as Joe assures me) is all wonderful) for kayaking. Picked up after 6 this time so a bit of a lie in. And again got told information as we drove along and had a tea break stop at a wonderful view point. Then off to learn how to kayak. Joe made me steer then complained. You are suppose to tack into the wind, aren’t you? [Joe comment: not in a kayak you aren’t.] But we had fun even if it was hard work. Saw much less of the fiord as we had to paddle every where instead of ride, but we did get to sail back to our lunch beach! Now that was nifty. And it was nice to see everything from the level of the water. And on the way back we stopped at different sites and saw even more nifty stuff.

And over the two days we saw: fur seals, dusky dolphins (jumping out of the water), spiney sea dragons, octopus, black coral, loads of fish including deep water species, tube worms, loads of birds, but not a single penguin. They all buggered off on 10 December – must have heard Joe was coming to see them. However, Joe still managed to take nearly 300 photos in two days.

So Christmas day was spent in the room slumped in front of the telly. We did manage to find the energy to take a walk along the lake and go the wildlife place to see birds. But most of the day was movies, including playing ‘spot the location’ during LOTR: Return of the King (or as one guide called it ‘Lord of the bloody rings’).

Today we are in Stewart Island and hopefully tomorrow night is Kiwi spotting! And blue penguin spotting. Or Joe will really sulk.

Have a wonderful new year!