A Whole New World – Fit 'n on Fire

(We are now safely (we think) home in Canada and on 14 days of quarantine.)

With the news of the escalating pandemic and advice from governments to return home, we unloaded our packs into the Highlander and we accepted the load that our dream vacation and adventure was going to pivot in a very different direction. Along our drive back to Te Anau, we discussed the emails from the Canadian Consulate and advice from family and friends. With moments of group silence, we grieved the loss our remaining trip plans, while trying to remain positive and not panic. What a let-down after the past 3 days! Damn Coronovirus!

First order of business was to return our rental sleeping bags, proceed to the grocery store and pick up supper at a nearby food truck. We moved about very conscious of social distancing. Michelle and I devoured our supper in the back seat of the car as we drove the short distance from town to our new lodging, the Acacia Cottage. Meanwhile the guys drove to Cottage 45, to retrieve our valuables we left for safe keeping while we were trekking, and they caught up with Ian (owner) and thanked him with some Scorched Almonds, a NZ treat.

As the girls assessed our new crib, we adjusted to the reality of not being on the track anymore. We unpacked our smelly gear and (I) slipped (literally…ouch!) into the shower to wash our smelly selves. The house offered laundry in the garage, so we immediately took use of the those facilities. It took a while to locate the essentials (wine glasses) and we never did find the wifi (grr…it didn’t exist), we mused it was no Cottage 45 but it did offer all the other essential comforts. We did remark on the strange layout of the house – no front door, long hallway with three bedrooms, two bathrooms.

A group meeting was in order and agenda items included – current recommendations from CAN and NZ government, plan for contacting airlines/travel agency for new flights home, cancellation of remaining bookings/plans for our vacation, updating family and friends regarding our status and drive to Purakaunui to get Charlotte (Will and Michelle’s amazing daughter) in two days. We did decide as a group to go on our pre-booked Milford Sound cruise tomorrow. In addition, we began our one sided phone relationship with RBC travel (on hold for over an hour) before climbing into our beds after a very long day.

After an early wake up call, we had a quick breakfast and packed our bags for our Jucy Cruise to Milford Sound. We walked past the neighbouring field saying good morning to the alpacas and walked next door to the Alpine Center to purchase coffees, while waiting for our ride. The road to Milford Sound had been closed after the slips and then re-opened only to bus traffic, hence why we had booked small bus transport. To our surprise when the bus arrived, it was a large Jucy bus and when we boarded it was full! We learned that they had three buses not full and consolidated them all onto one. We sanitized and touched little, feeling very apprehensive in this environment. We tried to find comfort in the magnificent rainbows. (Note: we are now fourteen days out from that bus ride).

Through the the bus windows and occasional stops we took in the scenery to the fiord of Knobs Flats, Mirror Lake, seeing the massive repairs done to the road, the waterfalls and the awesome but ominous Homer tunnel. Our bus driver Peter provided commentary along the way.

We were provided with a box lunch upon exiting the bus, and proceeded to wash our hands and sanitize ourselves. The weather matched our mood, as it began to pour rain. We donned our rain pants, jackets, gloves and hats, as we told ourselves if we were in Milford Sound we wanted it to rain to be treated to the waterfalls. Also, our original plan before the slips would have had us hiking the northern Milford along the Arthur Valley in this weather…”damn poor cloud that doesn’t have some silver lining“, as my dad would say.

We boarded the Jucy Cruise boat and quickly secluded ourselves to the top deck outside. Thankfully the boat offered lots of space and was well below capacity. Waterfalls and large mountains surrounded the fiord which was carved by a glacier and very deep. As the rain pelted us, we marveled at mother nature’s beauty in this magical place.

The boat took us out to the end of the fiord and as we encountered the ocean waters things started to get rough, causing us to brace ourselves a bit. While our rain gear held up, Michelle and I headed inside while Jody and will did a photo shoot on the bow using the NZ flag and waterfall for backdrop. Meanwhile, Michelle and I watched “the fools” on the TV inside showing the bow cam.

Disembarking the cruise, we raced to the bus to secure front seats, with as little exposure as possible. Seated at the front, we rested for much of the journey back in a chilly bus, as the AC needed to be on to prevent the windows from fogging up (so cold!).

Back at the house, we enjoyed a supper of pizza and salad, wine and cheese and cancelled our remaining bookings, requested refunds and spent hours on hold with RBC travel. Air NZ information was not to call if our flight was not within 48 hours, so we submitted an online inquiry to change our ticket to an earlier date. As we headed to bed, we vowed to social distance/self isolate as best we can for the remainder of our time in NZ, however long that may be.

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