Today started early.  Chad and I got up at 130 AM to take pictures of the night sky.  The sun sets here at 1030 PM, and full darkness doesn’t really start till past midnight.  We captured some pretty incredible views of the Milky Way.

After a few hours sleep we were off to the airport to visit Milford Sound.  Rather than bus we chartered a six seater Cessna to fly us there and back.  The flight took us over Mt. Aspiring and over the Southern Alps.  What a difference a mountain range makes. 

Air blows over the Pacific ocean and gathers up a lot of moisture, so the western edge of New Zealand is quite wet.  Milford Sound is one of the wettest places in the world.  Thus the vegetation here is very different and the weather moody.  Most trees are firs as there are very few native deciduous species.  On our side of the mountain range, very little moisture falls.  In fact we’re smack in the middle of fire season.  In-between is an expanse of remote wilderness, high, snow capped peaks, and several glaciers only a poet could adequately describe.  There are no roads, there are no people, there is nothing for miles and miles.  Even Milford Sound, New Zealand’s most popular tourist destination, has only one road in and out.          

Our small plane flew up the sound, with mountain walls roughly 4000’ feet high on either side of us.  After landing we boarded a small boat and set sail to see the cliffs, this time from sea level.  They were no less impressive.  Interesting fact:  Milford Sound is not actually a sound.  Whoever made the map got it wrong.  Technically it’s an ocean inlet, though some call it a fjord.  The mountains here were carved by  glaciers but pushed up by plate tectonics. The rock is extremely old and used to live near the bottom of the crust.  I’m not sure which, but either the Pacific plate or the Australian plate is diving down, pushing up the other.  It’s opposite on the north island, which means the two islands of New Zealand are actually twisting slowly past one another.  Also helps explain the enormous amount of seismic activity. 

The rest of the day involved beaching, swimming, and strategic reindeer food placement.  I helped spread carrots around the property for Father Christmas, their name for Santa.  One of the grandkids is a true believer.  After she went to bed, we went around chewing up the carrots and spitting them out to look as if a reindeer had eaten them.  One of my shoes, which was drying outside, is currently filled with chewed carrot.  We also staged quite a scene in the living room.  Who knew Santa was so messy. 

The remainder of the family arrived today from Australia.  Dinner was boisterous and joyous.  Many haven’t seen each other in quite some time.  We have a very full, busy house.  Everyone eagerly awaits Christmas.  We’ll open presents, have breakfast, and spend the day at the beach.  

We’re going wine tasting Friday.  I’ll be back with you then.  

Merry Christmas.