Milford Sound
Fiordland National Park, New Zealand - Day 13
The hike had come to an end. On the fifth day of our adventure we enjoyed a cruise around Milford Sound, seeing the fiord and surrounding mountains from a different perspective. The cruise was about a couple hours long, taking us out to the Tasman Sea before pulling a u-ie and heading back to the harbor. Katie and I stood on the top deck, in the freezing wind and mist, enchanted by the scenery and refusing to see it through tinted glass.
With the cruise done, our fellow hikers and us boarded a bus destined for Queenstown. As with the trip to Fiordland National Park, the bus stopped in Te Anau for lunch. Even though I had a feeling I should wait, I pulled my phone out of my bag and powered it on. I hadn't had any cellular or internet access since the night before we left for our hike and got all my texts and emails from the last five days all at once. There in my inbox was an email from my mother informing me grandpa Don had passed away, time stamped four days ago. Grief hit me pretty hard. The bus ride back to Queenstown wasn't a pleasant one as I fought being emotional. Back in Queenstown we quietly exited the bus and headed back to our hotel.
