Milford sound and around

Last few weeks in New Zealand, time to check off some tourist destinations I have been avoiding my whole time here. The top of my list was Milford Sound - a must see destination in NZ. So, not being able to find people who could come with me (ok, I did decide to go the day before...) I set of on my own. 

Only having weekends for travel due to my internship being prolonged I couldn't travel for too long which meant I would be spending most of the 3 days I dedicated to this trip on a bus. No worries though, long journeys mean lots of chances to meet new people and everyone likes that, right?

Upon reaching the first bus stop I was not regretting setting off on this incredibly long ride. We had our lunch brake at Lake Tekapo, which was the nicest I have seen it yet. With the mountains lightly dusted with snow and the pastel yellow and red trees surrounding it, it was simply postcard pretty.

After admiring the views from the bus window and engaging in some light conversation with a new bus buddy for the rest of the ride I arrived in Queenstown when it was already getting dark. Was very glad with the hostel I booked for my stay. Since I chose to stay in an all girls dorm I had the luxury of having a bathroom in the room and all shower toiletries provided. This pink walled girly room even had a large vanity mirror and a hair straightener! However, I was disappointed to not find anyone there when I arrived. No worries, went to get a bite to eat at the famous Fergburger where I met 2 travelling girls one of which is now staying with me in Chch (What are the chances right?) , gotta love bonding over food and travel :)

The next day was my Milford Sound trip. We made several scenic stops in Fiordland National Park where I fell in love with it all over again. Had many great photo opportunities which is good because as soon as I reached Milford Sound my camera ran out of battery... Not exactly what you want, when you've travelled so far, but what can you do. Luckily I had made another acquaintance on the ride down who offered to email me some photos (really hoping she will). Not that it was the best weather for them as it was a bit cloudy and rainy as we ventured through the clouds with the boat. However, the benefit of that was that due to the rain, many temporary waterfalls were forming on the mountains which was stunning to see. And a couple large waterfalls made this experience unforgettable. Maybe some day I will return to see it in the sunshine as well :)

That evening I met up with a couple girls I met on this trip and we went out to a few bars including an Ice bar which I had booked in advance as I caught a cheap deal (score!). In the bar it was -8 degrees so they provided you with winter coats and gloves with improved grip as you had to drink your cocktail from an ice glass (which you got to smash once you were done with your drink!). It was a small place, but filled with awesome ice sculptures including an ice air hockey table you could play on.

In the morning, I set back to Christchurch meeting another awesome traveller on the bus :) With loads more travel ahead of me as I spend my last days here and then set off to the US, UK and Lithuania for the summer. Was a great warm up for the days ahead.