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Queenstown was a busy town, with a nice water setting, and lots to see and do, though the majority of it was extreme activities. So that we didn't feel left out we did the Shotover Jet, a jet boat experience down the Shotover River and its canyons, which does 360 degree spins, and goes really close to the edge. Jeff got very wet, which is quite normal, it was great fun!
We spent the next day looking around the markets by the lake, which were mainly selling jewellery, art work and general household things. In the evening we went to the Minus 5 Ice Bar, where you get to spend some time in a bar made entirely of ice, surrounded by ice sculptures, and drink a vodka cocktail out of a glass made of... ice! Though we only got to spend 30 minutes in there, because of how cold it was (despite the warm jackets they gave us) it was an interesting way to have a drink, and reminded us of what it must be like at home at the moment.
We moved on to Te Anau the next day to stay the night there before our trip to Milford Sound the following day. The drive to Milford Sound was great, very picturesque, and as we left early to do the trip to Milford (to avoid the crowds) we stopped off at a few scenic lookouts on the way, and we were pretty much alone during the drive down. There are so many places to stop for scenic lookouts on the way to Milford, they recommend more time than you need when driving there to allow for the stops. We stopped at mirror lakes, a spot with a name which sums up what it is, namely a lake with mirror views of the surrounding mountains.
We got to Milford mid morning and got on our cruise through the sound. The sound is actually a fjord, with mountains on either side of the water. The mountains were very high, about twice the height of the Empire State Building according to the captain of the boat, though surprisingly it was really hard to imagine that, and get some perspective, when they're right in front of you. We did see the Empire State Building in New York, and we were trying to imagine two of them against the mountain! There were waterfalls cascading down the mountains, some of which were 400 metres high! We saw seals and penguins perched on the rocks too. Milford Sound really is a beautiful place to visit, so peaceful. The weather was good for us, though even when it rains in Milford Sound it is still meant to be beautiful, as the waterfalls get faster and it adds to the experience.
Our next stop was Arrowtown, another small old gold mining town, outside Queenstown. We had a pleasant night here, and as we were wandering around we found the old gold rush architecture quite charming. We had a look through some of its quirky shops, and did a river walk. On the itinerary for the next day was Mount Cook, which we were really looking forward to.
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