New Zealand Christmas & New Years 2014/2015
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Milford Sound
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Paradise Ducks - The male has a black head and the female has a white head. They mate for life. If the female dies, the male will starve himself until he dies. If the male dies, the female will starve herself for several weeks and then move on.
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The view from our campsite at Milford Sound.
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The beginning of the hike up to Lake Marian.
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The trail had many tricky climbs up roots and rocks.
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The large red beech trees were spectacular.
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The trail soon became harder.
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Finally, we made it and I can relax!!
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They were not kidding when they said, "Steady climb with some rough sections underfoot", especially in the rain with moss covered roots and rocks. It was definitely a 3 hour round trip hike. Luckily, it was totally worth it!!
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It was tough, but worth it!
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It is hard to tell from this picture, but this blue waterfall dropped into an incredibly deep gorge.
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We started to walk out towards these falls near Homer Tunnel, but the incredibly strong winds made us turn back.
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Stoat traps - You see then all over New Zealand. The stoat is like a large weasel. I saw one near Queen Charlotte. They were introduced in the early 1900's to kill the rabbits, but instead, they decimated the native bird population.
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