Fiordland

Haircut #3
So it turns out that Ahmed, the cross dressing Chilean, non-English speaking hair stylist, was more in tune with Martin's tonsorial needs than the Kiwi hair stylist he found. The conversation went something like this:

Stylist: So, what look are you going for?
Martin: Low maintenance.
Stylist: Ok, but what style?
Martin: Short.

20 minutes later.

Stylist: Is that short enough?
Martin: No.

A little later.

Stylist: So what are you doing in New Zealand?
Martin: I'm off to visit Fjordland next, it's supposed to be beautiful.
Stylist: Oh I wouldn't go there, there's nothing there, no shops.
Martin: (slightly perturbed after looking in the mirror) Are you trying to give me a hoxton fin?*

*aka David Beckham style.

Sometimes a common language is just not enough to communicate. Where's Ahmed when you need him?


Fiordland
(Spelt wrong bcause that is how the person who named it spelt it)

Apparently Douglas Adams, he of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fame, said of Fiordland, "It's the kind of landscape that makes you want to clap yours hands and go, "well done, good job, well done." "

He's right. We've spent 4 great nights in DOC campsites, with either a lake or river next to us, hills and mountains rising up beside us, and just splendiforous scenery everywhere.

Hightlights:
- beautiful scenery. Obviously. And that's just on the road to the fjiord (Milford Sound - incorrectly named a Sound by a Welshman from Milford Haven. Sometimes we seem to just be following intrepid Welsh folk around. We're putting money on getting to Japan and finding a Welsh tea-shop at Mount Fuji).

- more cheap DOC campsites than you can shake a stick at, with stunning views

- walking up Key Summit, a local mountain, to gaze out on a sunny day across the Hollyford Valley. STUNNING! And we got to see Lake Marian from there, which is a lake at about 650m, formed in the bowl of a glacial thingy (we need Kit or Ros here to help but it's where the glacier has carved out a path between the mountains and this one is high up so the lake is high up).

- Walking up to Lake Marian. This "path" is basically arrows leading you over rocks, roots, etc uphill for about an hour, scrambling around. Then you get to the lake, sweaty and red. And jump in it. WIth mountain walls soaring up all around you, forming a natural sun trap. We're running out of adjectives here. Amazing views and lovely warm water to swim in. Best. Swimming pool. Ever.

- Milford Sound itself. Only really appreciated from the water so we did a two hour cruise (complimentary tea and coffee!!!) out through the fjiord to the Tasman Sea. It's just granite rock face rising up out of the sea, with really deep water (about 300m) almost instantly. We saw seals, great waterfalls (when they say you'll get wet, they are right. D'oh!), and best of all, a pod of bottle nosed dolphins.

- The dolphins. Without wanting to go all hippy dippy, they are cute. They were about 2metres long and swimming right by our boat!! They swam underneath our prow, besides us, and we got to see them for ages. And there were two babies with them.

- Kara saw an eel in Lake Gunn. Just before we dived in and went swimming in it.

- Waking up every morning to beautiful views.

- Martin did further investigation into the art of jungle running. If you aren't bleeding when you get back, it wasn't a proper run.

Lowlights
- %&*@*$# (swear words are now edited after requests from Kara's mum) sandflies. After 4 days of the little *&%$%s our skin has loads of bites on it and is red from us itching and the application of DEET insect repellant. They don't tell you about this in the tourist brochures.

- lack of hot showers. Fortunately we've had nice weather so have been swimming in lakes and creeks and using the solar shower. Kara's even managed to wash her hair twice.

-lack of anywhere to refreeze freezer blocks. Mmmm. Warm cheese.

- we're carrying 5 days of rubbish in our van. Mmmm. Rubbish in hot weather in an enclosed space. Mmm.

That's about it. It's really quite lovely here.

To sum up. We love it here. Lack of supplies (we need more drinking water and milk) is forcing us to leave, but you could easily chill out here for a week or two.