Doubtful Sound of Silence – 05 January 2008

Waking up to the engines firing up this morning was a welcome in disguise. I say that because as Hayley began to wake I went out on deck to take in some of the beauty of the undisturbed landscape. Not wanting Hayley to miss out on the breathtaking images I captured a few quick shots with my camera. Upon my return to our cabin Hayley was ready for breakfast. Occasionally, while eating breakfast I would pounce to the stern of the Navigator for more gorgeousness. Satisfied with one morning offering, breakfast, I made my way outside with a cup of coffee to enjoy another offering, nature. Aside from the ship’s engines it was a sanctuary of peace.
As we slowly cruised our way around the calm waters of the morning Sound we made our way to the secluded waters at the far reaches of the Hall Arm. It was here the crew of the Navigator put out a request for the entire ship to take part in. We were all asked to turn off any electronical devices; cell phones (which were not working anyway because we were so remotely removed from any reception), video cameras, still cameras, ipods, game boys, etc. In turn, the Navigator would turn off all engines and non-essential equipment. In addition, we were asked to find a place on deck with our choice of a great view. For the next fifteen minutes we were to stay put, remaining silent, not conversing with anyone and just soak in the Sound the way it was meant to be. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, as there will be very few opportunities in today’s world when one can have total silence like this. Being able to hear every bird call, every splash of water cascading down the fiord waterfalls, every leaf rustle in the breeze was just truly amazing. It was a moment that put all troubles, worries, and worlds out of my mind. With Hayley alongside me I felt like I was in Heaven, until the silence was broken. Not by the engines coming back to life, but rather by a few on board tortfeasors that just could not stay put and felt the NEED to talk. When there is total silence the sound of a foot hitting the iron decks of a ship are amplified even louder. Even a whispering conversation sounds more like normal speech. The last half of our fifteen minutes of silence I was stewing because these people ruined my peace. I felt like I was back in Kennebunkport on Wedding Weekend Saturday when my spa appointment got all messed up and the stresses relieved by the massage came back when I became aware of the Spa’s poor timing.
When the engines fired to life I got over the tortfeasors rather quickly. One of the crew members put out an invite to have us join them in the saloon for a sampling of New Zealand crayfish. The smile on Hayley’s face at the thought of getting to sample it carried her in a flash to the saloon faster than the crayfish. One of last night’s crayfish managed to survive a few extra hours until after breakfast this morning when it met its fate, the waiting taste buds of the guests on board served up on toothpicks. In comparing it to a Maine lobster we would say it was slightly saltier, yet not quite as sweet. Nonetheless, it was very delicious.
Although our day had really only begun time-wise when we got back to the wharf at Deep Cove our day was pretty much over. We both took the opportunity to dose on the bus ride back over the Wilmot Pass. With a full memory chip in my camera already from four hours of photos this morning on the Sound I downloaded them to the computer while on the boat crossing Lake Manapouri. Following our motor coach ride back to the Antler Lodge in Te Anau we went to the town centre for a not-so-good bite to eat at The Ranch. The service was not good either, as our tag team of waitresses failed to order my appetizer, I mean my entrée.
After lunch we made a quick stop back at the Lodge to plug in the laptop to charge the battery since I drained the batter while on the Navigator and this morning downloading photos. We then made a short drive south of town toward Manapouri all for the purpose of a single photo. I noticed yesterday while on the Real Journeys bus a sign that just cracked me up and I had to capture it. The sign read “Horse Poo $1 / bag.” And the O’s in poo were made up as the eyes of a smiley face. With laughter rolling our bellies we settled them with some ice cream back in town.
Following a return to the Antler Lodge to pick up the laptop we went to a different internet café where I could use my own laptop. For the next hour and a half Hayley would check emails and surf the net while I remained busy finally posting six days worth of journals to the wedding website and some photos to my FaceBook account. I stopped when the battery alert came up on the laptop signifying I only had about five more minutes.
Back at the lodge I took a nap while Hayley read the paper and watched the local 6pm news. Rested up we went back out for dinner around 7pm to La Toscana. We were very pleased with them two nights ago, we wanted to return. The staff remembered us and asked us how our trip was, that was comforting. Not wanting to take the table by the door and wanting a booth we waited about twenty minutes. Getting hungry we took the first one that became available. It felt like we were in timeout because the table we got had a booth seat on one side and a wall on the other. It was okay though because we got to sit next to each other and not across the table from one another.
After eating the best pizza we have had in New Zealand we returned to the Antler Lodge. With Hayley watching House on her ipod I have been busy recharging all our batteries.
Cheers to all,
Bob and Hayley
Musical Tunes Stuck In Our Heads:
· The Little Drummer Boy
· Rock and Roll All Night – Kiss (DJ Pat, we are thinking of you)
· Titanic Suite – James Horner, if I recall correctly (the part where Leo DeCaprio is at the front of the boat shouting “I’m the king of the world!”
· Gettin’ Jiggy With It – Will Smith
· Footloose – Kenny Loggins (we heard this twice on New Year’s Eve in Wanaka and then saw the video today at lunch).