Today is an exciting day for me because I am on a tour. A land, sea and air tour leaving Queenstown and exploring Milford Sound.
This is the only official tour I have in the area, and I am finding the area rather dull since I do not have a car to easily access the best places, so this… is exciting.
We started off early, and since I have this obsession with not missing things, I pre ordered my uber to get to the start point. I arrived early, honestly hoping to find coffee, but nothing was open. Which was entirely okay. I did not need it and I was first in line to board the bus.
Except the driver decided he would let larger parties board first, then couples… and all the way down to the single people be last.
Grumble. Not how I wanted to start this.
I asked to have a seat near the front because I struggle with stairs since my hip replacement, and the driver said he did not have any special accommodation notes near my name.
I replied, that is the reason I was first in line to board the bus, so I would not need to declare myself handicap since I am not. I am simply slow and prefer to sit near the front and not climb over seats and people since it takes me a long time to do so.
A very nice person, who was sprawled out over the front seats moved to sit with his wife who was sprawled out behind him and
The bus was full. They knew it. The driver announced it several times. They were let on early so they could sit together, so either they do not like each other and wanted to sit with strangers, which I would have happily done, or they were just trying to spread out. His ‘generosity’ of giving up one of his two seats was very generous. He gave up his other seat and went to sit next to his wife when the last passenger on the bus boarded and it was obvious neither of them would have two seats.
And that is when I met Mimi. The other solo traveler left for the last minute on the curb to accommodate larger parties of people. Mimi is my next addition to the Shenagsters.
Mimi, who is also traveling solo on this trip, and I found we had a lot in common when it came to travel. Our likes, our tolerance, our overall attitudes were similar. We shared tips on places we’d been and discovered we were both headed to Australia next. By the end of the day we had exchanged numbers and I might meet up with her in Australia.
So, today was a lot better than my previous tour. Because I made better choices and because of those choices, I met a new friend, and I got the seat I wanted in the first place.
When I booked this trip, I did not know what all it entailed, but Emma at the I site in Picton said she had done it; really enjoyed it; and the only thing she would change was she would fly back instead of return on the bus. So that is what I booked.
We saw the sun rise and light up the landscapes as we drove along to commentary from the driver, who although started out as a bit of a challenge, turned out to be a really nice guy.
We stopped at a few points along the bus route, which was very nice. We even stopped for more than 10 minutes at each stop. The day was beautiful, the sights were magnificent, again, the company was wonderful.
Our first stop was in a field to look at some mountains, and the moon was still up and watching over the world.
We stopped at a ‘super secret’ spot somewhere in the national park that had great views. The driver didn’t want to divulge the location because he didn’t want all the other busses to stop here as they do in the most travelled spots. I don’t know that the pull off at the side of the road was super secret, yet I could not name it or point to it on a map, so goal achieved.
We stopped at ‘mirror’ or ‘glass’ lake. I cannot remember which he called it, but I had heard of this place and the pristine reflections of the mountain in the distance and was excited to see it. It did not disappoint. My photos, not the best, but the visual was amazing.
For lunch we stopped in a town called Teanau. Mimi had heard of this town from a person she encountered a few days before, and was told if ever there, she must stop at Miles Better Pies, because they are truly the best pies in all of New Zealand.
We passed the pie shop on the way to our stop and Mimi took her break to run back and get one of the pies. She chose a venison and plum pie which sounded awful to me, but she raved and the others from the bus who followed her agreed.
I, disappointed at the selection and price at the place the bus stopped, went across the street to the grocery store to pick up a few things both for the day and my remaining time in Queentown. I was not disappointed with my decision, although I would have tried one of the pies after everyone was gushing over them.
Making a note to go there on my next trip.
Our next major stop was the sound, where we boarded a boat for the next leg of our tour. We had lunch on the boat and sailed around for about 2 hours taking in the sights, which were impressive.
Again, dolphins followed us around for a while, and again… I am just not quick enough on the draw to catch them. I will need to take more of these trips to practice.
And then it was suddenly time for our flight back. Mimi and I were put on different planes for the return trip, but we did manage to exchange numbers before that happened so we could follow each other through our travels.
The return bus would take 4 1/2 hours, just as it had on the first leg of the journey. Emma at I-site said she regretted not taking the flight back, so that is why I booked the flight, even though it was more expensive.
I am glad I made that choice, not only because it was a different perspective on the whole area, but also because it took 35 minutes instead of 4 1/2 hours. And, they had a car at the airport included which took me back to my hotel so I did not need to pay an Uber.
I really enjoyed this. The bus was informative, the weather great, and my new friend Mimi made the experience. Yes, all of those things made it easier to bring myself along in a positive and upbeat mood, but again, it was my choice.
I could have grumbled all day about the bus seating. I could have just sat next to the man or his wife and called it good. I could have complained about the drivers seating order. Although thoughtful to the overall population of the bus, and I do understand his logic and would have appreciated it if in a group; and he was correct, I did not note any issue on my ticket when booked. However, I was there ready to board before anyone else and had never been shuffled to the end of a line before simply because I was a single traveler.
But I stated my case, calmly and he did have the seat up front, and he turned out to be a good guide and a nice guy.
Today I was different. Everything was different. And today, different was a very good experience.
