Nicholas Quirke was expecting another day of astounding scenery on 7th February he was going to Milford Sound and although he had been in unable to book a room in the nearby Te Amu he thought the experience would outweigh the consequences. He had some useful tips from fellow guest Steve, who had got a speeding ticket returning from Milford, before saying goodbye to Janet who had been a lovely Landlady. As he turned out of Queenstown he spotted a Hitchhiker who was also heading to a trail called Gertrude’s Saddle just outside his destination. I was a 4 hour drive and the company was welcome. Dan, a trained architect was travelling around his native New Zealand and proved to be a really entertaining travelling companion. They stopped often on the route, taking photos and really appreciating the amazing landscapes. The towering mountains and beautiful lakes were truly inspiring. Nicholas dropped Dan off and drove the final 10 miles on his own. There were not enough superlatives to describe his astonishment at what he was seeing. Awesome. At the Sound he parked and booked a cruise which was a surprisingly cheap $70 for 2 hours. There is not a photograph, a bit of film that can accurately capture the real beauty of this world. it is a landscape with colours and sounds that awe and move and terrify. It is huge and complicated; Kyla who was working on the boat told him that the vegetation on the rock face have no deep roots and they manage to live there by holding each other up. Just when he thought he was seeing perfection, a pod of dolphins swam by and round the boat. Nicholas thought he might cry with joy at this thrilling sight. He added to this feeling by seeing the sea lions basking in the sun. it was 6.30 pm by the time he finished and he still did not have a place to stay. With no Signal he was going to need to drive to the nearest town Te Amu to attempt to find somewhere to stay. This, however, did not deter him from checking out the roaring excitement and tropical beauty of The Chasm. It was 9 pm before he had organised a hotel which was a further 2,5 hours drive. The chalet was in the old Gold Mining town of Arrowtown and was surprisingly spacious and luxurious for its relative cheapness. They used a golf Buggy’s to transport him to his rooms; ‘Another first’, he thought. Tired but satisfied by the long wonderful day he climbed into the ridiculously large bed and went to sleep.