The final leg of our journey took us to the western side of the island to the Fiordland National Park, a region of steep, rugged snow-clad mountains, deep lakes, fiords, waterfalls, rushing rivers and dense forests. As our guide book said, it's an enthralling and dramatic landscape.
We first drove through bucolic farmland, getting excited when we glimpsed snow on the faraway alpine ranges - mountains that we would eventually be right amongst.
First stop was
Te Anau, a lovely town on the large glacial Lake Te Anau and a great spot to start exploring the park. We loved its laid-back atmosphere, helpful people, delicious food and the picturesque setting. After settling in to our accommodation we headed for the Information Centre to acclimatise ourselves and figure out what to do. A stroll around the lake seemed a good idea. Weather perfect if a little brisk.
And then it was off to the Bird Sanctuary where we really wanted to see the famed New Zealand parrot, the takahe.
The bird was such a prima donna and kept hiding from us. Finally, Steve took a decent shot.
This one (whatever it was) was more obliging. Again, one of Steve's photos.
That night we went to the local cinema to see a documentary film called Shadowland, a wonderfully exhilarating story of the history of the vast area known as Fiordland. We're glad we went. It was full of sweeping views of the soaring mountains, lakes and forests - views you never get unless you're in a helicopter, and even then, this was a specially commissioned film, so was filmed in very inaccessible places. I loved it when the camera focussed on a thundering waterfall and went closer and closer until we were actually underneath the falling water. It was so real you felt you were there. Great photography indeed.
The next day we packed a picnic lunch and set off on the Milford Road, the road that eventually ends up at Milford Sound. But we weren't going that far; instead we followed the brochure that showed the stopping off places to view the magnificent scenery.
Our first stop was in the Eglinton Valley, a vast lowland area between the mountains.
The next stop was at Mirror Lakes where reflections of the distant towering mountains are captured in Lake Te Anau. A boardwalk led down to, then alongside, the lake, giving us ample time to find the best spot for a photo. Because the lake's waters were so still, the reflections were beautiful.
Another spot further on summed up this area - snow, lake, mountain and trees. Check out the blue sky.
The Hollyford Valley lookout gave us views down the valley between the mountains. Here, the Hollyford River carves its way through the dense forest ...
... to arrive here...
... and here, a delightful spot called Falls Creek .
But the best scenery of all, for me, was that at
Monkey Creek.
The near-vertical walls of the mountains here are a mecca for rock climbers and mountaineers from all over the world.
I liked the way the river curved around here. This was as far as we went travelling the Milford Road.
On our way back, we stopped at Lake Gunn for our lunch ...
...then on to Cascade Creek where we did a wonderful walk in an ancient beech forest. A lovely end to a fabulous day.
But the day was not over yet. Back at Te Anau I spotted a sign on the lake for a seaplane trip. It turned out that this was much cheaper than the helicopter offerings, so I decided that this would be my very early Christmas present for Steve (as I am not one for boats and planes). He managed to secure a seat and off he went. It was 6:30 but still very light with little wind - a perfect combination. He loved it, and here are his photos.
And here's my photo of the seaplane returning home to land, and the photographer emerging from what he said was 'a fantastic flight, thoroughly enjoyable with a great commentary.'
On our third and final day in Te Anau we decided to walk a bit of the Kepler Track, a 3-4 day trek along the lake through forests to the alpine ridgeline and spectacular panoramic views. We opted for a couple of hours through the beech forest. The track was extremely well-maintained. It wound itself around large trees, vast swathes of small ferns, moss-covered logs, tiny streams bubbling over rocks, and some very large tree ferns. It was magical. We were walking quite slowly, taking photos and taking in the peaceful surroundings, so lots of people strode past us, all with a cheery 'Hello'. Even a couple of people were running!
He stirred sufficiently to take a photo (or two) of me enjoying this fabulous walk.
The next day we made our way to
Wanaka, travelling past Queenstown then veering north-north east.
Again, the scenery was so pretty.
We diverted off the main road and took the
Crown Range Road - a fabulous route through huge mountains with the road winding higher and higher giving us fabulous panoramic views. There were no places to stop for photos except a couple of 'chain bays' where, in winter, people can stop to put chains on their wheels. This is the only photo I took through the car's window when I realised we couldn't stop - almost at the end of the road.
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We finally arrived at Wanaka. We had stayed here around 15 years ago when it was a small lakeside community. Now, it is the fastest growing town in New Zealand. Goodness me - it was so crowded, no parking spots, people and motor homes everywhere, but the willow-lined lake setting was lovely. Some of the homes were super gorgeous and modern - all timber and glass walls, but I actually liked the look of this one nestled among the trees on this rather large block.
The next day we drove to Mt Aspiring National Park, another great drive with both Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea on view, backed by snow-topped mountains. |
Our destination was a site called the Blue Pools. Not much information about it but it sounded promising - an easy flat walk through a beech and podocarp forest, along some duckboarding, and over a swing bridge to see pools of water flowing into the Makaroora River. Off we went, the clouds now looking rather threatening.
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| The entrance to the forest. |
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| Over the swing bridge. |
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| Part of the blue pools |
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On the viewing platform.
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Our afternoon trip was a visit to a lavender farm and gardens. So peaceful and pretty ...
...despite the lavender having been pruned of its purple glory.
The flowers were colourful. I did spot a lavender bush in bloom in the garden section.
We then spent some time at the sweet-smelling lavender shop and stimulated the economy!
Back at Wanaka, we again aided the community by purchasing a few books at a lovely bookshop.
Our trip was drawing to a close. The next day we hit the road for the last time, our destination Christchurch. The highlight of this route was just past the town of Twizel, where we could see Mt Cook (60 kms away) reflected in the waters of Lake Pukaki. The viewing spot was full of motor vans so we left and drive a little further on.
Nearby is an area designated 'Dark Sky' because of the clear air and lack of light pollution. It's apparently one of the largest Dark Sky areas in the world. Just our luck to be passing through in daylight.
We finally arrived in Christchurch and bedded down for the night. Tomorrow we take the car back, but before that, we decided to visit the botanic gardens. What a delightful escape from the city. The Rose Garden was fabulous...
.. but it was the old-world Heritage Garden that took my breath away with its old species roses, peonies, foxgloves, iris, lavenders and arbors of climbing roses. You can see by the number of photos I have included that I was enchanted. I simply love cottage gardens.
I guess you spotted the bee in that photo, so see if you can spot the bird in this next one!
Steve persuaded me to finally leave. We followed the trails set out in our brochure and came to the river where we spied tourists enjoying a row on the Avon.
And then I left Steve sitting on the river bank and wandered some more, chancing upon the Curator's House and Garden. How Kate would have loved this. The house was built in 1920 for the curator of the gardens, hence the name. The garden was actually a potager - the beds filled with kitchen garden herbs and spices with a variety of companion plants to ward off pests, suppress weeds, and to attract pollinators - at the same time giving off a pop of colour.
I spied a small potting shed and a petite hot house.
We ended our visit with a picnic lunch (a half chicken left over from my hotel dinner the night before which consisted of an ENTIRE chicken).
The car was duly returned to the hire company and they took back us to the airport.
The trip home was uneventful until we called our limo service to pick us up. It was 11:00 pm and we were tired. Oh no - we were told that the driver had hit a kangaroo and destroyed the car's headlights and the car was out of action and no other driver was available. 'Get a taxi and we will reimburse you'. What an end to our holiday. But - the driver was lovely, the car comfortable, and our money promptly in our bank account the following day.
We didn't have many photos of the two of us together so this one, taken by a friendly local on our last day in the botanic gardens, will be a good one on which to end our adventure.
And I've added two more photos showing what we both enjoyed doing the most on the trip!
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