Fractured Reality

The bus trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound was both a scenic highlight of my time in New Zealand, and the most frustrating of journeys.

Due to the singular nature of New Zealand's roads the trip takes four hours in each direction, despite being only about 50km as the crow flies. We departed before dawn - a fleet of coaches all heading in the same direction, occasionally stoping to disgorge hordes of Tourists - the lowest form of traveller, those whose entire purpose seems to be the taking of endless photos of each other standing in front of things - for brief walks to predefined viewpoints. It all felt very rushed and forced, and while the scenery was never less than stunning I often wished the bus would stop elsewhere. We zoomed past frost covered fields and rivers, streams winding through stony beds, mountains covered in ice and snow, all at least equally photogenic as the places where we did stop.

At Milford we were herded onto a boat and taken on a two hour cruise up the fiord to the sea and back. The boat was packed and even when I managed to fight my way to the railings, the position of the sun (the cruise took place between 1 and 3pm) made taking particularly good photos impossible. In some ways it was a shame we had such beautiful weather. When it rains the cliffs around the sound are covered in hundreds of temporary waterfalls, which would have been quite a sight to see.

On the return journey we were treated to quite possibly the most spectacular sunset I have ever seen. It was a magical hour in which the hills turned golden and the snow fields pink, before the sky faded from yellow through orange and pink to deep blue. If I'd have taken photos I'd be accused of doctoring the colours. But the bus didn't stop so I couldn't. That was probably the most frustrating thing about the entire day.

Don't get me wrong - I do not regret taking the trip, I just wish I could have done it at my own pace. This is the problem with tour buses, on which I have been travelling in New Zealand and will continue to do so for much of my time in Australia. They take most of the hassle out of getting around a country, and you meet some good people along the way, but time is always against you. Any stops during the day are made against the clock, the bus always leaves early in the morning, and you can't stop whenever you feel like. This is why I want to come back here with a car - to take in the things I've missed this time around and to do so at a more leisurely pace.