Majestic Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a fjord. Uhm, not really helpful, right? Okay, a fjord is a long and narrow inlet with tall cliffs. And that's what you'll see when you visit Milford Sound in the south of New Zealand.

You can drive down to Milford Sound from Queenstown, if you want to, But my family and I decided to go with JUCY Tours. We chose the Coach-Cruise-Coach package (They also offer Fly-Cruise-Coach, but its crazy expensive). The regular rate is NZ$119/adult and NZ$75/Child (I know we got a discount on BookMe, but I forgot how much). Anyway, we were picked up by the JUCY bus at our place in Queenstown at 8 in the morning and then we proceeded to Fiordland National Park. 

The trip was long. 4 hours, I think, with lots of stops. This is me with my daughter posing next to a big statue of a Takahe bird at Lake Te Anau. The Takahe is a blue-colored flightless bird native to New Zealand. I saw a real Takahe at Zealandia Bird Sanctuary in Wellington a few months back.

This is another stop at Monkey Creek where the tour guide told us that the spring water was clean to drink. So, I filled up my water bottle. I made sure no one was peeing or washing clothes upstream.

We went in November, which is Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, so most of the snow has melted. But the mountain peaks were still covered in white, and they were still nice to look at.

This is the Milford Visitors Centre and Boat Terminal. From the bus, we got on the Jucy Ferry. There are other boat options like Mitre Peak Cruises and Southern Discoveries. 

Bowen Falls is one of two permanent waterfalls in the fiord, and is 160 meters tall.

There are several decks in the ferry. Of course, we wanted to stay outside and enjoy the views. Never mind the strong winds and freezing air.

Mount Kimberley on the left.

And those are the cliffs I was telling you about, which makes Milford Sound a fjord. I'm sorry, but these photos do not give them justice. The mountains are massive and very, very tall. Just look at how they make that ferry on the lower left look so tiny.

Stirling Falls

You get to see giant waterfalls as well. Since it was already spring, we just saw a few. The tour guide told us during winter there are literally dozens of waterfalls along the fjord.

Harrison's Cove

We sailed up to Dale Point, where the inlet meets the Tasman Sea. And then the ferry turned around and we went back to the harbour. Back on land, we transferred to our bus and headed home. Another 4 hour ride.

Map of Milford Sound. From the Jucy website.

It's a pretty tiring trip, especially if you travel with kids. The coach-cruise-coach package is jam-packed and will take the entire day. If you want to take it easy, you can opt to drive there in the afternoon. Spend the night at one of the inns, and then take the morning cruise the next day. When you get back at noon, you can then drive home.

The views at Milford Sound are majestic. If you like nature, like I do, then this is a must-do, especially if you're already in the area. But if you seek action and adrenaline-pumping adventure, then this might not be an ideal activity for you, because it's purely sightseeing.

TIP: Food is expensive at Milford, so better to pack drinks, sandwiches, chips and sweets for the trip.

5 Things To Do in Queenstown

Queenstown is beautiful. I visited the city in the south island with my family last November--in between spring and summer 2013. The peaks of the Remarkables mountain range still had snow on them and they looked majestic, I wondered how much more in winter.

Queenstown Mall

Queenstown is a quaint city. Small and compact. But don't let its size fool you. There are tons of stuff to do. The city was practically built for tourists. On every corner there are tourist signs to do this or that kind of adventure activity: from white water rafting, mountain biking, tramping (hiking), bungy jumping, sky diving, paragliding, zip-lining, sightseeing, you name it! They say it's the outdoor adventure capital of the world. We stayed in Queenstown for almost a week and it wasn't enough time to do half of the things offered by this city.

Next to the William Gilbert Rees statue. He founded Queenstown.

Anyhoo, I was with family, right, so I couldn't do the stuff that I wanted to do. We had to make sure most of the activities were child-friendly. But that's okay. I still had fun.

1. Ride on the TSS Earnslaw
We rode the TSS Earnslaw Steamship and crossed Lake Wakatipu to enjoy the Queenstown scenery. The boat is 100 years old and but its still in good running condition. There's a bar inside where you can enjoy your favorite drinks. You can also see the steam engine. In the alternative, you can go outside and just enjoy the view. The ride was smooth and pleasant. The 90-minute cruise is NZ$55 per adult. Kids (below 18 years old) are FREE--one of the cool things with NZ!

Ria and Bea feed the little lambs, little lambs, little lambs...

2. Feed Sheep on the Walter Peak Farm Tour
Ria and I chose to take the TSS Earnslaw-Walter Peak Farm Tour bundle. You ride the steamship to cross Lake Wakatipu. Then you disembark at Walter Peak station and take the farm tour. It's a nice way to introduce your children to farm life in New Zealand. My daughter Bea fed some lambs with milk. She also got to feed Red Deer and Scottish Highland cattle.

Afterwards, they staged a dog show--well, sort off. They show us how dogs help the farmers by rounding up sheep to their pens. Ang galing ng mga aso. And then later the tour guide showed us how to shear sheep. It is a dreadful sight. The sheep was screaming and struggling--it was painful to watch. Bea got concerned and I had to explain to her that the sheep was doing okay. The TSS Earnslaw-Walter Peak Farm Tour bundle costs NZ$75 per person. Again, Kids go FREE!

3. Ride the Luge at Skyline Queenstown
My family and I went to Skyline Queenstown on top of Bob's Peak, 450 meters above Queenstown. To get there, you have to ride a gondola (cable car). Round trip ticket costs NZ$27. Kids (5 and below) are FREE!

On top, you can walk around the garden/park and enjoy a breathtaking view of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables. Skyline has a restaurant and a bar. They also have a Maori Haka show, but that's too touristy for us. The activity most people do over at Skyline is ride the luge. It's the same kind of go-carts they have over at Sentosa Singapore, but with a much better view. I almost fell because I took my eyes off the road. Ang ganda kasi ng view.

Are you ready, dear?

4. Paraglide from Coronet Peak
I said we mostly did child-friendly activities, right? Mostly. I mentioned Queenstown is reputably the outdoor adventure capital of the world also, right? So we can't visit it without doing something adventurous. My wife signed up to paraglide from Coronet Peak. We were picked up by the tour operator in the city and driven to Coronet Peak Ski Field. Then everything happened so fast. The paraglider guy set up the chute, attached it on himself and Ria, and then they ran off the cliff! As Ria screamed on her way down, Bea and I rode the van to the drop zone. Ria said she enjoyed it. The standard price for paragliding is NZ$189 with photo CD. I suggest to score for deals on discount websites like BookMe or GrabOne.The tour operator we got also offers hang gliding.

5. Ride a bike along Lake Wakatipu
Another adventure activity popular in Queenstown is mountainbiking. You can bring you own bike, but there are many bike shops in town that rent out all kinds of bikes. I rented a bike with a child seat so Bea could come along. We biked on the trail next to Lake Wakatipu and it was awesome. I got to talk to my daughter about nature, the mountains, the lake, her being a passenger and me being the driver--you know, 4 year old kind of conversation. Great bonding time with the kiddo. I don't exactly remember how much I rented the bike, I think $20 for 3 hours, I'm not sure. Basta, it was reasonable. If you're going to rent a bike on your trip to New Zealand, I suggest to do it in Queenstown. Fantastic views. You won't regret it.

Not on the list because it's not an activity, but still worth mentioning on this entry is taking a visit to Arrowtown. It's a small town, just outside Queenstown, which was the birthplace of the New Zealand gold rush of the 1800s. It's a historic place and authorities tried to preserve its gold rush charm. It actually looks like one of those towns you've seen in Old Western movies like Wyatt Earp. Not really a must-visit, but nice place to go to if you have time to spare.

There are several other things to do in Queenstown that we weren't able to do, which was a bummer. But I guess it just means, it's a reason to go back. 

Dressing up for Graduation

If you are attending your graduation at the University of Auckland, you either rent or purchase your regalia at Academic Dress Hire. You rent if you will just wear it during graduation day. But if you're like me, who teaches in university, it's an investment to buy the regalia. 

Academic Dress Hire is located at 17 George Street, Parnell--just across the Auckland Domain Cricket field. You can take the Inner Link or Outer Link buses and get off at the 540 Parnell Road stop.

You can actually order your regalia in advance at the foundation's website at Academic Dress Hire. It's easy to navigate. And there's a variety of options to pay. Credit card, debit, bank transfer on-line, or cash and eftpos on-site. The people who work and volunteer for the foundation are very nice, helpful and friendly. Word of advice, though, don't wait til the last minute to go, because the line gets long. Best to go at the earliest possible time, and avoid lunch time.

Auckland University uses black gowns. The gowns are $38.00 to rent, and $250.00 to buy.  Trenchers are $21.00 to rent, and $65.00 to buy. Thank God, I brought my UP Law gown and trencher. Saved me 60 bucks!

The different colors of bachelors hoods. They are $21.00 to rent, and $85.00 to buy. I will be using my UP Law hood for this graduation.

Of all colors, Arts courses were assigned the color pink! Hay, buti pa yung science, blue. Here are the different diploma scarves on display. They are $21.00 to rent and $85.00 to buy. I bought this one. So I can use it during graduation ceremonies in the Philippines.

Here are PhD gowns and hoods. I have no interest in taking a PhD. A masters is fine... for now.

And this is me wearing my UP Law gown, Auckland Uni PGDip scarf, and Auckland Uni MPP hood. Yes, I'm wearing a black baseball cap to my graduation... Kidding, of course.

This is unique to New Zealand. It's the Korowai or the Maori cloak. I guess you wear it in addition to the regular regalia if you are Maori or have Maori blood and heritage. The cloak is worn over the gown and to the Maori, symbolizes honor and prestige.