Time's running out

I swear, if another sandfly attacks me I will not move to NZ! haha...these things are absolutely vicious! I may be permanently scarred. In other news yesterday was Milford Sound Eco Tour day! The ride out was great and a lot of the scenery consisted of the back of my eyelids. I woke up around Te Anau (I should write these posts with a map beside me because I can never really definately remember the spelling of these places) and we had a stop to grab some lunch food because we wouldnt get another chance. I went in a cafe and got a turkey and cranberry sandwich to go (it tasted just like thanksgiving!). When we were re-boarding the bus (the driver made it quite clear that we were on a schedule so you had to make sure you werent one minute late) I recognized a guy getting on at this stop from our bungy the day before. He looked like he had all body parts intact too. We drove on into the Milford Sound National Park and took a picture stop at the mirror lakes and started talking to James who was the fellow bungy participant. He had pretty similar things to say about his plunge! Our next stop was a restroom because we wouldnt see another one of those in awhile either. At the end of one of the huge walking trails (it takes three days to get out of it) we were supposed to pick up 2 hikers to join our tour...but there were 5 there waiting so the driver moved James into my seat and used his seat to store the hikers packs. So I had a new buddy to talk to for the rest of the trip and he joined our crew. We stopped again at a chasm for pictures but had just 10 mins to get in and out of the hike that takes 15mins...it was quite some tour I tell ya, every stop we made was pretty much run, snap a picture, run a little farther, snap snap, run back to the bus. The trail to the chasm was PACKED with tour bus people, it didnt feel very idyllic to me at all as I weaved around tons of people in the rainforest as though I was on Spring Garden at 4pm. When we crossed over the mountain ranges, we actually crossed under them. We drove through a tunnel that had been built during the depression and had created a lot of jobs in the process. They made it with blasting material and hauled ALL the rock out in wheel barrels, it was really cool that they had left the tunnel the way it was so the walls were all rough and jagged. The driver said they only thing they did was add the lights on top and that was just 2 yrs ago! In the summer they had traffic lights so you could only drive one way at a time for safety due to the higher volume of campers and tour busses, but it was really a 2 way tunnel. We got to the sound in time to catch out 10 to 2 boat. We had the smallest boat in the harbour, which made us give each other slight glances, but in the end I liked it that way much better because it was more intimate and of course...eco :P We had a 2hr sail around the sound and what they say about the dwarfing effect is quite true...we had stopped to watch some dolphins swim around the boat and I could see these tiny things floating over by the rocks, so I asked one of the workers what are those as I pointed out to the water....he looks at me and goes...kayaks. hahahahaha...I felt pretty daft, but my scaling was all messed up from staring up at huge cliffs! The dolphins swam around us for awhile and were even jumping out of the water and flipping! One of the kayakers jumped out of the boat and tried to swim with them but they werent having any of it and they left haha! I can only imagine how cold that water felt. It was a great little sail and the scenery truely was spectacular! However, sometimes things can just get too touristy for my liking...it really takes away from the experience when you are trying to lose yourself in the nature and you are surrounded by huge tour boats, swarms of people and heaps of tour planes buzzing around. It wouldve been so much better on a little boat with just a few people! But even so I loved it! Coming back out of the sound and through the national park we had more picture stops and I heardthe little bell of dispair as my camera screen flashed at me "memory card full....memory card full..." Oh crappers...I rushed to delete some of the non-keepers from the days so that I could keep adding some winners to my collection and we stopped at the other end of the tunnel where I got my picture taken in a tunnel of snow (thats how high up we were) and then we stopped at a glacier spring and filled out water bottles (tasted 100x better than the tap water I had). The driver had passed around a menu from a ranch restaurant back in Te Anau for our evening tea and I had ordered a bowl of vegetables so we headed in to enjoy that. James bought my my first birthday present of the year in the form of a Speights Pint. We even had to rush through supper because of our schedule. I cant believe Eddie and Jo didnt vomit as they shovelled in icecream and cheesecake that arrived while everyone was paying their bills! Our last stop on the tour was the wildlife sanctuary...or bird place or whatever where we found my new favourite NZ bird, a relative of the Pukeko but bigger. The Takahe was thought to be extinct but the rediscovered them and now have 312 birds on the island, and well in the world. They were quite cool I must say...blue and green with red beak and feet...very funny to watch. James got off in Te Anau and I gave him my email so that when he gets to Bondi beach he can send me a picture of the funny lifeguards! For the rest of the bus trip we watched The Worlds Fastest Indian...it was a super cute movie, and of course was kiwi. Back in Queenstown we got some beer and headed back to the hostel for a night out with the Kiwiexperience tour group. Well, I headed out with the group and Jo and Eddie stayed in. They were heaps of fun, and its really great to get out there and meet new people...all very nice people! They helped make sure I really celebrated my birthday and dint use beign away from home as an excuse. I had a lot of fun! One of the guys, Zak, from San Diego even had a plan to get up on stage and sing happy birthday and propose to me so I didnt feel left out, and I was going to jump up and scream and wave my arms around as I accepted, but the kareoke portion ended before we got our chance so we had to just do it amongst the crowd. SO yeah mom...I'm engaged...but the ring was too big and it didnt have a rock so I sent it back. I think we are going to call off the wedding. While I was sitting there having a good ol laugh I look up and see this guy walking by...and the first thing I notice...his pale yellow tshirt that read DALHOUSIE university across the chest. Of course I reached out my arm and stopped him exclaiming dal...as in halifax! Oh yeah! It was too funny! The guy didnt go there, but his sister did, and he said out of the 5 tshirts he packed 2 were dal shirts. Poor guy. :P He also said he was pretty glad to run into a Canadian because he hadnt seen one in awhile...plus he said its true what they say about Canadian girls...we're all hot. He said he knows quite a few brits who want to move. SO yeah...good birthday over all I would say :P Today I think I will just hike up some mountains and see how many pics I can fit onto my poor little camera which is going to be returned when I get home. It's possessed I swear...it constantly changes settings on it's own. Jo and Eddie planned a day out on their own so I have my own schedule to abide to.