10 November 2013 ~ Doubtful Sound
Listening to: Matisyahu ~ Escape (10/23/2008, The Fillmore, Detroit, MI)
Ferns are mostly a tropical group, and New Zealand has an unusually high number of species for a temperate country. There are about 200 species, ranging from ten-metre-high tree ferns to filmy ferns just 20 millimetres long. About 40 per cent of these species occur nowhere else in the world.
Because of all the rain, the rivers were running along the pass.
That picture was before the snow really began to come down. We stopped along the Willmatte Pass to wait for a snow plow (either that or put chains on the bus). It was fun watching the children who had never seen snow get outside and have a snowball fight with their parents.
http://youtu.be/ABHqI-IDT48
I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but ever since I found out I was coming to New Zealand, I had the idea in my head that I wanted to see penguins in the wild. That was the reason I selected this tour. I was so excited, but alas, no penguins to be seen...even as we passed the island they typically are found on. It didn't help when I told my co-workers or the hotel clerk, and they told me they had seen penguins on similar tours in the past 4 months. Well, I guess that's a reason to come back.
http://youtu.be/sODUHIJEPU4
In the distance, we can see the crest of waves where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. The Tasman Sea is named after the Dutchman Abel Tasman, the first European to record New Zealand in 1642.
Finally, the sky began to clear, and I went outside to the back of the boat.
Numerous waterfalls were active due to all of the rain.
The guide said this was not just cloud cover, but actually an avalanche at the peak of the mountains.
The pilot stopped the boat and asked everyone to be quiet, to really get a sense of the nature.
http://youtu.be/ILXkt-7PUeQ
I've seen other natural beauty spots, as depicted in this blog. One main difference...the lack of people. In China when touring the lime hills of Guilin, there was a convoy of boats going through a gorge. I could barely get a picture without a boat. Here, there were basically 2 boats in the entire Sound, and this is regulated by the NZ government.
You could close your eyes and really imagine Solitude.
http://youtu.be/fsXmZostdKM
So, despite my "Doubts", I had a great day on Doubtful Sound. The lesson of the weekend...remember that since we cannot control Mother Nature, just enjoy all the beauty around us every moment.
Ferns are mostly a tropical group, and New Zealand has an unusually high number of species for a temperate country. There are about 200 species, ranging from ten-metre-high tree ferns to filmy ferns just 20 millimetres long. About 40 per cent of these species occur nowhere else in the world.
Because of all the rain, the rivers were running along the pass.
That picture was before the snow really began to come down. We stopped along the Willmatte Pass to wait for a snow plow (either that or put chains on the bus). It was fun watching the children who had never seen snow get outside and have a snowball fight with their parents.
http://youtu.be/ABHqI-IDT48
I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but ever since I found out I was coming to New Zealand, I had the idea in my head that I wanted to see penguins in the wild. That was the reason I selected this tour. I was so excited, but alas, no penguins to be seen...even as we passed the island they typically are found on. It didn't help when I told my co-workers or the hotel clerk, and they told me they had seen penguins on similar tours in the past 4 months. Well, I guess that's a reason to come back.
http://youtu.be/sODUHIJEPU4
In the distance, we can see the crest of waves where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. The Tasman Sea is named after the Dutchman Abel Tasman, the first European to record New Zealand in 1642.
Finally, the sky began to clear, and I went outside to the back of the boat.
Numerous waterfalls were active due to all of the rain.
The guide said this was not just cloud cover, but actually an avalanche at the peak of the mountains.
The pilot stopped the boat and asked everyone to be quiet, to really get a sense of the nature.
http://youtu.be/ILXkt-7PUeQ
I've seen other natural beauty spots, as depicted in this blog. One main difference...the lack of people. In China when touring the lime hills of Guilin, there was a convoy of boats going through a gorge. I could barely get a picture without a boat. Here, there were basically 2 boats in the entire Sound, and this is regulated by the NZ government.
You could close your eyes and really imagine Solitude.
http://youtu.be/fsXmZostdKM
So, despite my "Doubts", I had a great day on Doubtful Sound. The lesson of the weekend...remember that since we cannot control Mother Nature, just enjoy all the beauty around us every moment.
posted by ~L~ @ 11:33 PM
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