Invercargill - Dunedin via Southern Scenic Route

Downtown Invercargill consisted of two pubs open for business tonight - one Irish and the other NZ. 

We had a drink at he Irish pub , where we met a girl from Limerick on a work visa. We also met an Australia couple from Canberra, who were well travelled and were shocked at NZ prices. We were surprised as we thought Australia was expensive considering their booming economy. 

We adjourned to the NZ pub to eat   What we have discovered since travelling in the south is the similarity of menu and price - whether in a pub or a restaurant. We ordered a calamari to start   It was not good as in The olive at Te Anau. This was followed by Nearby Stewart Island salmon and blue cod with bacon wrapped asparagus on a bed of delicious risotto. It was spectacular and not what one would expect from pub grub! 

The other consisted of Blue Cod but not as well presented as last night. I 

insisted on tasting the wine before we ordered a bottle tonight - no more nasty siurprises!! Both are delicious particularly my choice. 

It was 9pm and the restaurant had emptied - the Kiwis retire early. 

This morning , having quitted t he Hotel at 9, we made three unsuccessful attempts to find the scenic southern route to Dunedin. It is a less travelled route. We had intended taking the Tajiere Gorge Railway at 230 but with the loss of time we had to abandon that plan.  We were journeying in The Catlins Coastal Rainforest Park. Once the hunting ground for the Maori , by 1700 they had been supplanted by Eoropean whalers . In 1840 Captain Edward Cattlin came to investigate the navigability of the river and soon the loggers followed and sawmills were set up. Milling declined from the 1930s and the area is a shadow of its former self. 

A gravelled road some 14 km took us to Curio on the coast.

 It was certainly worth the detour. The peninsula was spectacular with the sea serving both sides of the peninsula. We were just in time to see the dolphins leave as it appears they only frequent the area early morning or late afternoon. We saw a baby penguin,

 who must have become separated from his family. It is too early for baby penguins to leave the nest It won't be for a month or two yet. The bird life was plentiful and unafraid of humans. 

The couple we had met in Wellington had highly recommended a visit here and we were not disappointed.

We visited the nearby Petrified forest. Here we're the remains of Jurassic forests which had been buried under volcanic ash. The only evidence now are rings of trees one can distinguish in the wave cut platform. Much evidence has been stolen over the years - stumps of trees by souvenir collectors. 

This is an earthquake zone as wa s evidenced by the signs. One tends to forget how much of NZ is earthquake prone. 

We continued to Florence Hill Lookout, where again the road met the sea with a magnificent panorama of Tautuku surrounded by sandy beaches - if only the weather obliged. It's like winter here. Yesterday it was 10 degrees in Dublin and 12 here and it's supposed to be summer here!! 

It was de rigeur to buy ones lunch from s mobile restaurant- of course fish and chips of course Blue cod and chips. 

We continued to Kaka Point , a minor deviation , where again the road met the sea. and great views of the sea surrounded by sandy beaches. 

 From there we drove to Balclutha , where we rejoined the 1 highway to Dunedin. We found the motel Alexis ion George's St without much trouble. It is very well appointed and right in the city centre. More tomorrow.....

Te Anau - Invercargill via Manapoyri Lake Clufden,Turapere and Riverton

Fancy wild hare for supper? We had intended to dine at the Red Cliff yesterday evening. However, it was booked out so I can't enlighten you as to the merits or otherwise of wild hare!! 

We ate at the Olive Tree. It was an excellent meal with Salt and Pepper Calsmari to start followed by roast lamb with a delicious gravy for CC 

and NZ 's famous Blue Cod for me.

 With the exception of the mound of chips, so loved by the Kiwis, the food was excellent. A poor bottle of Merlot ( I'll stick to Pinot Noir in future) marred the meal somewhat but a coffee and s NZ port completed s satisfactory meal. 

This morning, we had a walk by the lake, which wax truly magnificent with the mountains of different hues protecting its far shore. 

Next stop Invercargill . We decided on the scenic route as the other would have us repeat part of the journey to Te Anau. Our first stop was Lake Mapouri, 

then to Clifden  where we saw the impressive suspension bridge over the river. 

 As we drove in, a fleet of very battered 4X4 drove in . Middle aged men on an off road trip. I would suspect they were Kiwis.   

From there, we drove to Tuatapere, 

where we found the abandoned railway station and then on to the coast, where at Mc Cracken's Point 

we encountered the coast. The wind was blowing - if my geography serves me correctly, the ferocity of the wind is attributable to the Roaring Forties   The view of the sea with its turbulent whit horses delighted but there were no surfers to be seen - maybe the wind and sea conditions combined did not entice. 

We continue along the coast to Riverton ,    

 an area frequented by whalers in the 1790s and John Howell, a whaler, set up the town in 1836 and is accredited with starting sheep farming in NZ!!

From Riverton, on a sea inlet, we moved inland again and reached Invercargill in the early afternoon The town was very quiet - in NZ shops do not normally open on Sundays. We eventually found the Victorian Railway hotel, where else but opposite the now defunct railway station , a new railway wax open for three years and then closed!! The vagaries of poor planning. 

We arrived at the Victorian Railway Hotel at 255 

. A note on the door informed us that check in was at 3pm. The hotel is registered as a NZ historic place , class 1 registered building.  It wax built in 1896 . The building was restored in 2004 but continues to exude Victorian charm. It is the oldest building on the area being used for its original purpose. 

We're off to see downtown Invercargill!! I'll report tomorrow. The wind is howling outside as I write - it could be winter!! 

Te Anau - Milford Sound

Te Anau is a town like all others in the region devoted to tourism. The hiker is well catered for in the shops which are stocked with all manner of necessities. 

The usual fast food and ethnic restaurants abound. In our experience, it is difficult to find decent restaurants in the towns. The only meal of note ( and apologies dear reader, I forgot to take photos) was the meal we had in The Landing in Waneka, which was excellent and only slightly more expensive than the usual available fare. 

We are staying at the Distinction Luxmore Hotel (NZ$378- 2 nights) in the centre of town. Today we will make the 120 km journey each way to and from Milford Sound. From Te Anau is the only road to Milford Sound

 There have been proposals to link the Sound with Queenstown ( reducing the journey substantially ) but each and every plan has been scuttered by the environmentalists. 

Fiordland's geology evolved over he last 500,000 years. The granite beds were metamorphised into gneiss. During the Ice Age, the 1,000 meter cliffs sided the U- shaped valleys eroded by the Ice. The valleys were submerged and fjords formed. Geographers do you see a discrepancy in the (hint ) name of the area? 

It rains - up to 7mm per annum - reputedly one of the highest in the world. However, settlements are situated in the rain shadow and receive half of the coastal precipitation.. 

The World Heritage Fiordland National Park at 1.25 million hectares is the largest National Park in NZ. The Milford Sound is c. 16km from its head to the Tasman Sea. 

We had been advised by Isite to take a 3pm cruise as between 12-3 pm as the tour busses arrive and it is very busy.  We followed the advice Leaving Te Anau at midway and after a number of stops along the way, we reached Milford Sound At 230 We had a quick lunch and left on the Orange criuise as recommended at 3..($60pp)

En route to Milford Sound , we stopped at Mirror Lakes so called because the lakes reflect the mountains.

 The weather wasn't bright, we were having so me 'soft' rain, so the reflection wasn't of great quality. 

Later we stopped to see the Great Divide , which at 235 m is the lowest east west crossing of Southern Alps .  

Eventually , after climbing to the cirque at Gertrude Valey , we reached Homer Tunnel. Here via the 1.2 km tunnel which cuts the cirque's head wall , it cuts to sea level. This tunnel is hewn out of the cirque's rock and that is much in evidence inside the tunnel where the bare rock is left exposed. It was only opened in 1953 after a number of failed attempts.   

We descended a winding rad and arrived at Milford Sound. There is little there but a cafe , a small hotel and the harbour. We booked a cruise departing at three. With minutes to spare we boarde the boat   We set sail.  

I had great expectations maybe too many as I found sailing through the fjord underwhelming ! Was it the weather which was dull 

and had a smattering of rain or was it my expectations I don't know but it disappointed even though we saw waterfalls 

descending from the massive valleys 

above and cruised so close to one , we were all showered   

and the fur seals we saw sleeping on the rocks 

or the Tasman Sea so quiet now but wild when the Roaring Firties roar ? 

We returned after a two hour journey and returned to Te Anau....

Wanaka - Te Anura

Last night on arrival in Waneka we decided to go to I-site to check on accommodation. The I-site is the Tousist Board of NZ.  It is highly efficient and can do all one's bookings. 

The girl advised that there was unlikely to be any accommodation within a 60   Km radius but she would try.

She secures a B/B outside the town and gave us directions. After much ado we found the place only to be told that she was full but to come and meet her friend, who lived in the town and would take us. We had no option   We followed to our new abode which happened to be located in a very a salubrious part of Waneka. 

Her husband a retire farmer poured us a beer and we chatted. I asked how it was that there were so many cattle and sheep in a single field   He explained that the grass which is grown under irrigation, is not very tough and the roots can easily be remove by prolonged grazing. As a consequence the cattle are left briefly on the field to eat the grass quickly hence the high density, and then fed on fodder. Interesting! 

I thought I might lose CC Ito Dorothy !! As we were leaving to dine in the town, she was perfuse in her admiration for CC's pink jumper and had noticed that he had been wearing a navy one earlier!!!! She also noticed that both had the Gant logon and asked about the brand. It appears it's not available in NZ!! However , on my opinion he elected to take the better option!!

His wife was glad to now be living in the city. She was not originally from the city, she informed us but from the high country. He now tended a prize winning garden and opened it to the public at intervals. She treated us to all her homemade preserves at breakfast in addition to her homemade muesli. With much hugs we left Ian and Dorothy and heade for Te Anau. 

It was another glorious day. We were to make our first stop in Queenstown the largest city and centre of the tourism in this area. We are warned not to stay there as it is ferociously expensive. 

As we left Wanaka, we traveled the Otago Peninsula the centre of the wine industry in this part of NZ Winery after winery beakoned  us to taste its wares. We visited one and discovered how high prices were. It must be highly taxed although they do make excellent Pinot Noirs. 

We visited s fruit farm 

where the quality of the tfruit was amazing and had cherries whipped into our ice cream in our presence.

 On we went through narrow gorges and wide plains , eventually arrivIng at Te Anau, where we had booked accommodation for the next two nights. Tomorrow we intend to lmake the 240 mile return journey to Milford Sound, take s cruise down the fjord to the Tasman sea   ........

Franz Josef - Wanaka

We soared above the glaciers - Franz Josef and Fox. It was spectacular scenery. We landed on the virgin snow it was indeed an experience not to be missed.

To see one's footsteps imprinted on the as yet untrodden snow was a humbling experience - footsteps that made little impact on the vast terrain unfolding before us. 

It was a beautifu morning - summer had again arrived if as advised briefly. The sun shone and the wind was no more! Yes, we were helicoptering over both glaciers. It was my first time in a helicopter and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The views were stunning as we flew down the Franz Josef glacial valley 

then flying close to the cliff face, we crossed to Fox Glacier 

and then high above the valleys the vast countryside opened up beneath us   - stupendous!! 

Yesterday as we drove from Greymouth to Franz Josef, we traversed the mountaineous route, intersperse briefly by views of the Tasman Sea. Thunder showers accompanied us as we dove.   It was a very scenic drive through the tree canopied mountain, through the Alps. For the mountains were formed at the same period as the European Alps - hence the name. 

We arrived at Franz Josef at 17.00 and luckily found accommodation at an excellent Motel The Alpine Glacier in the middle of town (NZ$175)  

After we alighted from the helicopters, We quitter Franz Josef and traversed the Alps to Wanaka. The sun shone high on the sky and the scenery was spectacular! Densely canopied roads were interjected by vast lakes with their petrol blue waters. The colour is, as I understand it the result of their glacial origins - but you geographers would understand that!. 

Lake Bruce 

was the first lake we encountered , prior to climbing the Haast Pass , through Mt Aspiring National Park - a very steep climb. We then descended in to the coastal plain once again and were met by numerous spectacular waterfalls to our left and the sea to our right. 

The road was very quiet -little traffic considering it is summer holiday s. At the Blue Pool 

we evountered a significant number of tourists. , elsewhere we had the stunning scenery to ourselves. The road from St Josef was quiet and the countryside devoid of habitation. One could travel for miles without seeing any form of habitation such was the inhospitabilty of the environment- only trees could survive here. 

A 1.5 km walk to the pool through a forest path 

and a sky bridge 

that traversed the river, took us to the pool. Two rivers meet here   The bridge over the river acted as a magnet for young people to jump from into the pool below. I thought it dangerous as I could see rocks in the pool below. However Kiwis are made of stronger stuff , it appears, as parents , cameras at the ready, evouaged their off springs to jump from the bridge!!!

Deep, vast lakes backed by snow capped mountains accompanied us as we journeyed on. 

 A we neared Lake  Hawea, 

our journey was approaching its end and the final vista was the site of Lake Wanaka around which the town of Wanaka, is built

The quest for accommodation in Waneka - read tomorrow.....