Hey, everyone! And happy birthday to me haha. I spent the day doing a day tour to Piopiotahi / Milford Sound. I heard about Piopiotahi / Milford Sound years ago ago when my friend Syd was doing her six month tour of the world. She loved Milford Sound and her review of the place sounded incredible. Once I’d gotten to Queenstown, I knew it was somewhat easy to get to. I decided it would be a good birthday trip for me!

Pure Milford

I decided to book my tour through Pure Milford – mostly because they were the only tour company that had a physical location in town and I wanted to support them locally instead of going through a third party travel agent. It was $235 NZ which is, who knows, $160 USD?

The tour was a very long day that started at 8.30am from Queenstown. It was estimated that roundtrip, it would be a 12 to 13 hour day. The bus ride down, then a two hour cruise at Piopiotahi, then the bus ride back. OOF! I do love road trips, though.

I didn’t realize along the way that we would actually be stopping at a few sightseeing destinations – what a win! Our first stop was mostly a toilet/coffee stop in Te Anau which was sort of the start of Fjordland National Park. I walked down to the water and saw the Australian crested grebe incredibly close to shore!

I snapped some pictures and followed it for a few minutes. At one point I may have gotten too close and it ducked underwater and in the blink of an eye, it reappeared probably fifteen feet away. I think I actually gasped at how quickly it had swam that distance. It was only a thirty minute stop, so I hurried back to the bus after that.

We stopped at a few other cool sightseeing spots. The mountains seemed to be getting taller (not that they’re small in Queenstown), and more of them were snow-peaked.

We also stopped at what was called Mirror Lake. It seemed more like a pond to me. I wasn’t that impressed haha. The water was SO clear, though. When water is still here in New Zealand, it is stunning how clear it looks.

I kept my eye out for cool birds. In particular, I was looking for a kea. I was so hoping to see one!

As we got closer to Piopiotahi, more and more waterfalls were seen on the side of the road. There were so many waterfalls!

At this point, we had been driving for a while and were just about 45 minutes away from Piopiotahi, with one point of interest left to see…

Kea at Monkey Creek

Our tour guide told us that kea occasionally hang around Monkey Creek. Now, what’s special about kea? They are the only alpine parrot in the world. They are endangered and found only on the South Island of New Zealand. Their population is estimated at about 5,000. Rare enough to make me want to try and see them!

I got out of the bus and was in a hurried frenzy to try to find kea. I didn’t have to try for long. I saw a few people clustered together, then I saw two birds taking flight with beautifully colored feathers. And then… it’s right there! A juvenile kea.

Birds are fickle when it comes to photography. While mammals can run or hop away, birds have the added pesky advantage of taking FLIGHT. I assumed it would be pretty difficult to get a photo of a kea but it turned out, that wasn’t the case. Kea are incredibly intelligent birds and have been observed using tools. They are inquisitive and oftentimes regarded as comical.

I was surprised by the size of them. They are pretty large. Maybe the size of a chicken?

They didn’t seem bothered by people. At one point, I was photographing one of the adults and as it moved across the path, it seemed to be getting closer. I lowered my camera and sure enough, it was maybe three feet away from me, watching what I was doing. Such a cool moment!

Unfortunately, my time was limited since the tour bus would be leaving soon. I said my goodbyes to the kea and thanked the universe for sending them my way. It truly made my day and was maybe the highlight of the trip for me. I hope I’ll get to visit them again with less of a time constraint, where I can observe them for a few hours.

The photos below aren’t the best, but they do a pretty good job of showing the magnificent colors of the kea feathers when in flight!

Piopiotahi / Milford Sound

And then… the main objective of the day – Piopiotahi! We got on the bus and were immediately served a complimentary lunch (as part of the coach package). Yahoo! I was starving. I thought lunch would have been at one of the bus stops, not many hours later on the cruise.

I went to the top deck of the boat to eat… and was nearly blown away. The wind gusts on the top deck were insane. During the day, cool air from the arctic blows in through the sound. I ended up going back inside to scarf down my food but was itching to get back to the top deck to take in the 360 views of the fjords.

I have never seen mountains like this before. Some were dotted with moss and various foliage. Some waterfalls flowed off the side of some of them. At different points of the year, there are hundreds if not thousands of waterfalls apparently (as a result of ice melting down the mountains.

Most of the two hour cruise, we were taking in the beautiful views. I kept my eyes out for dolphins, but instead I got a few fur seals (maybe a sea lion?) at the halfway point. Basking on rocks, as usual. I think the one on the left is a fur seal but the one on the right is a sea lion.

One of the interactive experiences on the cruise came shortly before the tour was finished. There is a waterfall that has been coined the “Fountain of Youth.” The tour boats pull up close to the waterfall and the spray from the falls blows onto the guests’ faces. They call it a “glacial facial” because it’s glacier water. I didn’t want to get drenched and wasn’t sure if I wanted to be close to the waterfall but I’m glad I did. The spray was very subtle. It coated my glasses and face with droplets of cool water. It was a fun experience! Afterwards, my face actually did feel as if it had gotten moisturized or something haha.

Before long, the tour was over. I would like to return during a different season to see how many more waterfalls there are at Piopiotahi.

The drive back to Queenstown was lovely, too. The views here are almost unbelievable. As our bus waited to drive through a tunnel, the tour guide pointed out there were a few more kea hanging around by the cars. One was on the back of a ute/pickup truck. It flew away and I was able to see the striking colors of its feathers once again. I was really pleased to see them again, albeit briefly. Such a great activity for my birthday! Thanks, Pure Milford.

Birthday Aurora Hunting

Once back in town, I was on a mission. The aurora activity was looking good on the app I use to monitor solar activity (Glendale) but it wasn’t dark yet and I had some things to do. Laundry and dinner!

And then, it was time. I started to see that others were posting about seeing the aurora and I speed-walked the whole way to my little aurora-hunting spot.

Nothing.

I listened to music for a while, enjoying the warmish night. As the warmth from the sun cooled off throughout the night, I put on my jumper. And then another jumper. And my hat and gloves.

Eventually, I turned off my music and decided to lay down on the bench.

Hmm… what’s that? Was I imagining something?

A soft, pillar-y beam had risen above the mountain. And a second one, too. It was VERY faint. The moon was full and up all night. It would make seeing the aurora very difficult. And yet, with a 30sec exposure on my camera, I was able to confirm that it was, in fact, the aurora!

It happened so quickly and then it was over. I stayed for another hour, hoping it might return. The data was still looking good. But that was it. A quick birthday kiss from the universe and that was it.

I am glad, though. I know now without a doubt that the aurora can be visible in Queenstown. I was asking myself if maybe the mountains were too high, that I wouldn’t be able to see them here. I proved that theory wrong!

Funnily enough, I have been convincing myself the entire week that even though I hadn’t been seeing the aurora with the naked eye… it would make an appearance on my birthday. And it did! Thanks, universe!

I look forward to a clear night and a new moon where there is strong auroral activity. I think it’s coming.

P.S. Re-looking at these pictures and I just can’t believe I was able to see the aurora on my birthday AGAIN! I feel truly blessed and lucky as hell.

Eclipse Me

I think the biggest thing to share this week is that I self-published a book!

Eclipse Me follows Jesse, an introverted, queer artist struggling with major depression and self-esteem issues. Despite his initial reservations, Jesse attends a cooking class with his best friend Alice, where they meet the darling duo Frank and Charlie. The four become close friends, but Jesse and Frank develop their own bond which evolves into an unlikely friendship. Despite experiencing many highs and lows with his mental health, Jesse attempts to rebuilt the damaged parts of his past and to allow his loved ones to encourage him towards living a more positive, fulfilling life.

I wish I could say I got picked up by some goliath, but… I found it was impossible to get a response from a traditional publishing house/agent (I’m choosing to believe it’s not because it’s a shit book LOL).

I finished the first draft of this novel back in 2020 and have sat on it for a long time. I certainly had a fear of rejection in regard to publishing houses. As a result, I could only stomach reaching out to a few at a time.

Three years later, I’ve found myself still wanting to share this work with the world but with seemingly no way to do it. So I gave in and decided to self-publish with the devil himself: Amazon.

While at its core Eclipse Me is undoubtedly a queer romance, I like to think the stronger theme throughout the novel is the battle of mental illness. Jesse, the protagonist, is constantly fighting overwhelming thoughts, feelings, and the various perceived losses in his life.

I truly hope some of you take the time to read this one. It would mean the world to me!

(Eclipse Me is available for $0.99 on Kindle, but is $14.99 for paperback, since it actually costs Amazon money to print/bind it.)

Lastly, I’d like to give the disclaimer that while there are elements I’ve repurposed from my own life, such as Jesse being an artist, I attempted to vastly distort his experiences, relationships, and outlooks from my own. I think that’s what a lot of writers do. They start with what they know, and embellish from there.

Happy reading!

Miscellaneous

There is a guy in Queenstown that goes busking most nights and plays his accordion. As I was walking back to my accommodation one evening, he was playing a tune from Zelda. I was touched to hear it and of course had to give him some coins.

Remember the black bunny from the other week? I saw it again! It was in the middle of the Queenstown Gardens trail and when I went to snap a picture, it hopped away. I wonder if there is an Alice in Wonderland situation going on? Is he late for a very important date?

Last Sunday, I returned to the Sunshine Track to try to get a closer perspective of the waterfall. I mentioned last week I’d share a picture if I did. The trail was very obscure – I was like… Is this even a trail? Haha. But it was. I had to duck under branches a number of times, but then I made it! A cute little area.

That same day, I was able to see some more Australian crested grebes in a much closer capacity. I observed them for a while. Adorable! I really like these guys.

This is turning into an Australian crested grebe appreciation post.

And a photo of the last running steam ship in the southern hemisphere as promised – the TSS Earnslaw.

On another night, I went stargazing with my new friend Jose. He is from Chile and we . We went to my usual spot and talked, then watched the stars. At one point, he said, “look!” I turned my head and saw the largest meteor I have maybe ever seen. It passed by quickly, but in the moment it felt it was in slow motion. It looked like a fireball!

The above picture is Jose dancing with his poi – this is a Māori form of dancing – it is a ball on a cord but Jose had light-up balls.

Art of the Week

I like this one and want to keep working on this series! Distorting and stretching the body.

Reflections

It has been a good week. The work week went by really quickly and now my birthday is pretty much over, too! I was chatting with my parents on the phone earlier and mentioned how it’s kind of weird that I don’t think I’ve been home for my birthday since, I think, 2015?

2016 – Iceland
2017 – South Africa
2018 – Sweden/Finland/Norway
2019 – Hawaii
2020 – Colorado
2021 – North Carolina
2022 – Australia
2023 – New Zealand

That is pretty bizarre. Usually, there are moments of loneliness on my birthday where I wish I was celebrating with my loved ones but I always made it a priority to treat myself to an adventure for my birthday. I didn’t really experience it this year, but definitely in Australia I did. I am ready to spend an upcoming birthday with my family, that’s for sure! Maybe next year?

And finally… I felt lucky enough that I got to see some of my FAVORITE New Zealand birds on my birthday. The kea, kaka, tui, grebe, and magpie. The magpie was a little gift from Australia since I used to see them there often.

What’s next? WORK! Haha.

I am not sure. Maybe next weekend I will take the bus to Arrowtown to see what that area is all about? I’m not sure yet. We will see.

Until next time, sending you all my love. xx