We found them. We found them all.
Media – Round 5
Chasing Waterfalls (3/12/23) – Photos
Chasing Waterfalls (3/12/23) – Video
3/12/23 @ 10:00pm – Wyndham Garden Queenstown, Queenstown, NZ
All trip photo albums
Trip video playlist
Mr. Seamon-Ingalls:
Early mornings can be a little tough, but we did manage to get everyone up and out of the hotel by 6:15am this morning. There was a glitch in the morning breakfast pickup, which meant we had to make a quick stop about 90 minutes into our ride to Milford Sound to pick up food. Back on the road we kept meandering through epic farmland surrounded by towering mountains and rolling hills. The kids slept for most of the first half half of the 4-hour journey and a good portion of the second. As we expected, there was a little rain along the way. The last stretch was through narrow valleys, snaking roadways, and last through a 2km tunnel!
Lucky for us, the light rain was completely done by the time we pulled in front of the boar station. Milford Sound is really just a port and boat terminal, at the end of the Sound. We had a few minutes to get collected and then we board our boat with about 80 other people. About 20 minutes later we pulled out into the Sound for a two hour journey that too us to the edge of the Tasman sea and back!
Along the way we were treated to an absolutely stunning and surreal landscape. The mountains were steep, covered in lush green, and absolutely webbed with epic waterfalls that has been built up by a couple days of rain. We could go onto the upper decks of the boat to get super clear views and enjoy the sparkling fresh air. One of the crew was telling us all about what we were seeing, which added to the depth of the experience. On the way back in the boat crept close enough to a large waterfall for us to be splashed by spray. By that time we were getting some direct sun and the cool breeze complimented the warm rays.
Back at the port we had about 20 minutes to explore and relax. I took the opportunity to walk everyone out to the end of the rock wave break and take a group photo before we bussed up for the return journey. We once again got great views and the weather held. We made one short stop on the way back and ended up going directly to dinner in Queenstown. We devoured our pizza and burgers, as well as sundaes. Of note, tonight is was Bob the bus driver’s birthday! Wow!
After dinner most of the kids walked back to the hotel and a few came with me and Mrs. Seamon-Ingalls (and Wilson!) to a local shopping center. Back at the hotel we had a group meeting at 9 where we journaled and went over the plan for our next day. Tomorrow we hike in the morning and fly back to Aukland!
One more day in NZ and then… we’re off to Fiji!