Sometimes, you have to be reminded about how small, tiny, minute, miniscule, you really are.
And if you're going to be reminded of this, a trip to Milford Sound is a spectacular way to go about this.
This was my second trip to Milford Sound. The first occurred when I was 17, and to be honest, I don't remember much about it. I remember it was pretty. I remember there was a boat trip. And that is about it.
Arriving at Te Anau last night, it was always on the agenda to have a day off from driving and let somebody take me somewhere. I'd booked well in advance the day trip to this majestic place. The location for many of Peter Jackson's sets in The Lord of the Rings. The scenes around Rivendell were filmed here.
For me, it's being surrounded by some of the most incredible feats of nature was enough.
The tour was booked through Viator, but Cheeky Kiwi Travel picked us up, on time, and in a new, clean minibus. There were ten of us on the tour. Pretty much a perfect number. Two Germans, three Americans (and good Americans, not the ugly ones) and five Australians. Our driver, Dave, was brilliant. Informative and funny, he was the perfect mix of a caring leader, while showing us the best of the Kiwi sense of humour.
I'm glad I didn't drive myself. This would have meant driving the 120 kilometres, through steep and winding roads, as well as through a kilometre long tunnel with a 10% gradient, the drive takes around two to three hours. It would also have meant not getting the commentary about the Fjiordland National Park, the local flora and fauna and the ability to hop out, take a few pictures and have a look about. Driving this wouldn't be fun. Leave it to the experts.
This has been my favourite day of the trip so far. It's money very well spent.
For me, just being in this amazing part of the world was more than enough. The German girl and I bonded, both of us single women with the same feelings about the landscape. It's gobsmackingly beautiful. There's no other words for it.
Oh, and even better, we were fed on this tour. What I loved most about this is we were given a lunch pack. A home-made chicken sandwich, an apple, some cheese and bikkies, a packet of chips and a small chocolate bar. The sandwich, wrapped in cling film, looked like Dave's missus had packed our school lunch. It was most awesome. We ate on the boat, while it took us out to the mouth of Milford Sound, out to the Pacific, and back again. Two and a half hours, or 35 kilometres - depending on which measurement you want to take. We saw bottle nosed dolphins and fur seals. This made me very happy.
I had a good natter with one of the deck hands - a lovely bloke.
"I've been to Australia. Australian's are racist, eh?" he said. I could see him gently bating me - it was in the twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, Australians are racist. Okay, we're probably one of the most racist countries about. But not everybody is," I responded.
He was taken aback. "You're agreeing with me?"
"Yep. Not all Australians are racists. But there are a lot who give us a bad name."
"You're right."
"Education and travel are the best way to kill racism," I told him. "The more education, the more you travel, the less frightened you are by other cultures. New Zealand is just a kinder, more environmentally aware Australia with better ice cream. We're pretty much the same - we just have flora and fauna that want to kill you."
He had a laugh at this.
Another Aussie couple and I then went on to tell him about how your footy code and the team you support can define you more than anything.
We arrived back at the dock. I wish it went on longer.
Then we drove home to Te Anau. We were out for the better part of nine hours. We were all somewhat stunned by the abundance of natural beauty. Dave, being Dave, shoved Enya, Dire Straits, Keith Urban and Phil Collins on the stereo and tried to bore us to sleep.
Being home, I'm still reeling from the assault on the senses this trip provided. The air is so fresh. We drank water from the glacier. We saw nature at its best.
It really was the best day.
And now I'm back. Instead of finding a noisy restaurant in which to have dinner, I got myself Subway - I was craving the vegetables. I wanted to eat my dinner in my motel room and enjoy the quiet while eating my sandwich and the ice cream procured at the local supermarket. This was washed down with the last of my feijoa soda.
Tomorrow, I'm driving to Queenstown and catching up with an old colleague for a coffee. We'll see what else the day brings.
I'm a little wind and sunburned. I'm pretty tired. I have Phil Collins playing in my head.
But I'm happy.
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