Day 89 Wanaka (Milford Sound Flight and Archery)

The flight was on. Infact Kyle our pilot said it was a perfect day for flying. That was until I got into the cockpit and broke the door handle. Flight called off and I was to say the least dissapointed. Not quite as much as our one other passenger Trish the receptionist from a hotel on a jolly checking out the plane trips. The company were fine about it, just a three hundred dollar charge for the handle. Only joking they seemed quite pleased I'd discovered the problem before the plane took off. Infact they arranged for me to get on the flight about to leave next door.

Even better I got to sit in the cockpit again. Now I have to say the one hour flight to Milford Sound airport was not quite as expected. Its a very little plane, It bounces about a lot and its only got one engine. See where I'm going with this...think Buddy Holly? Well it was sensational we flew over Mount Aspiring and its glacier before navigating over the beautiful Milford Sound and one of the smalles airports outside the beach at Barra that I've ever landed on.

The boat cruise was equally beautiful and the captain explained it should have been called Milford Fiord because its formed in part with sea water. A sound is purely mountain water only.

The captain was also a wee rascal. He backed under the waterfall and we all got soaked. I loved standing under the cascade of a million white droplets. Then I felt it soak right through to my pants which was uncomfortable.

We passed the lazy lazy lazy New Zealand seals almost hunted to extinction but thanks to New Zealand's conservation measures they are back to full strength but still very lazy.

Now then I was really looking forward to the return flight. "Why Ewen? Is it because you will be flying over Shania Twains home in the wilderness covering a huge area?" No its beacuse we fly over Sutherland falls my home county. Apparently the man who discovered them climbed up the falls to see where it came from.

Now far be it for me to question Tom's flight skills ut as we landed back in Wanaka almost every warning bell in the plane was screaming out as we dipped in on a somewaht acute angle. Still added to the experience.

To round off the afternoon I took myself along for a spot of archery training as I'd always fancied trying it. After some deatailed coaching in Zen the art of archrey I fired at will. Its times like these I'm glad I was not around in the middle ages. These are lethal weapons and the arrows really do make that air sound in flight and thud on impact. The also go in about two inches. Ouch


Here is my first target.

Here is my last. A picture tells a thousand words as they say!


Robin Hood has nothing to worry about!!