Feb 12 - 8:30 pm

New Zealand is just one beautiful scene after another. Just when you think you've seen the most amazing view, you turn around to yet another breath-taking landscape worthy of any nature calendar. Today we woke up early to catch a morning cruise in the Milford Sound. It's been declared the 8th wonder of the world - in Fiordland National Park, massive cliffs and mountains jutting out of this body of water that leads to the Tasman Sea. We lucked out with a mostly sunny day, some low-hanging clouds around the tops of the mountains. But it just added to the enchantment of it all. It's usually rainy there, so it was nice to be able to enjoy the beauty while enjoying some sunshine. I went camera crazy, shooting over a hundred photos on the 90 minute tour. It was all just so unbelievably amazing, I didn't want to forget it. My favorite part was when the boat took us right up to this huge waterfall, Sterling Falls. We were practically in it.
After the cruise, we took our time getting back to Te Anau, stopping at every lookout point, short walk, and waterfall along the way. I've named my dad the Waterfall Chaser, because he's a bit obsessed with them; so he has basically been in heaven. We walked to The Chasm, which was a short walk through a ferny and mossy path to a waterfall, which had cut these big holes into the rock, and there was a bridge, so we were standing directly over it.. I can't even explain it, but it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. The beauty of this place is indescribable. Rainforest, waterfalls, rocks, the vegetation, smells, everything! We stopped at the Humboldt Falls and Mirror Lakes too. And that was it.
We made spaghetti for dinner at the hostel. We felt the need to compete with the other backpackers from other countries, who all seem to be making gourmet dishes for every meal. It's insane! Are all the other nationalities way healthier than Americans, or is it just my family? I don't know, but I discovered that spaghetti will be a good meal for me to make myself while I'm traveling solo. After dinner, we played pool up in the loft, and sneakily watched the other guests cook yummy food. We found that we are not a pool family. We are all pretty horrible, so instead of trying, my mom spied on our British friend from the kitchen hang and re-hang her clothes on the clothesline outside. She said it was the highlight of her trip thus far. Mine too.