Days 7 and 8
Milford Sound is one of the most photographed natural areas in the South Island. Milford Sound and its surrounding areas are part of Fiordland National Park. A road starting near Te Anau took us in the direction of Milford Sound, with lots of quick detours for hiking and sightseeing. We saw the Mirror Lakes, which are perfectly reflective on windless days. My personal favorite was the Chasm Walk, which was a series of walkways over waterfalls and gorges. We camped at one of four Department of Conservation campsites along the road. So far, we have mostly been camping at government campsites because they are cheaper and easier to find ahead of time than most privately-owned sites.
The drive to Milford Sound was just as beautiful as the destination. Before reaching Milford Sound, we passed through Homer Tunnel. We had to wait for about ten minutes to go through the one-way tunnel that goes straight through the Darran Mountain Range. The traffic light that we waited at is not operational year-round because avalanches in the winter and spring make it dangerous for cars to wait at either entrance of the tunnel.
After arriving in Milford Sound we went down a few short walking trails. There was one path adjacent to the sound, where we could see private plane tours going on above us. Ferry tours are also a popular way to see Milford Sound. We also saw the final resting place of prominent Milford Sound explorer, Donald Sutherland.
Days 9 and 10
Today we drove to Mount Cook National Park. Mount Cook is known for being the mountain that New Zealand native Edmund Hillary climbed to prepare for summiting Mount Everest. We camped in the shadow of the mountains. The sunset reflected off the snow, turning the mountains pink. Mount Cook National Park is known for its view of the stars. This was the first time that I had ever seen the Milky Way in the sky.
We returned to Christchurch the next day and I stayed in a pod hotel until my flight to Sydney the next morning.
Sydney
I spent two nights in Sydney, along with a few friends who also wanted to see Sydney on the way back from New Zealand. During my short stay, I was able to see Sydney's most famous landmarks and, as always, taste the local coffee and food.
We started with the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The area around the harbor was busy, with bars and restaurants lining the waterfront. The public ferry took us past the opera house and all the way to Manly Beach. We also went to the Queen Victoria Building to see the high-end stores. One of my favorite coffee places in Sydney was Skittles Lane, where we had to forgo chairs and tables for upturned buckets in true hipster fashion. I also had some great matcha gelato at Ciccone and Sons.
Laneways are less common in Sydney than in Melbourne, but we were still able to see a few. One laneway called Angel Place had 120 suspended birdcages and bird call recordings. I looked it up later and found out that the recordings were of extinct or threatened bird species of the central Sydney area.
Sydney was an extreme change of pace from the tranquility of New Zealand, but it was an amazing city to visit. I will be glad to get back to Adelaide though.