Te Anau

Upon returning from the overnight cruise, we traveled the Wilmot Pass to the Manapouri power station by bus, cruised the clear waters of Lake Manapouri, and rode a bus back to our B&B. As if we didn't have enough of boats and buses, we boarded another boat across Lake Te Anau to see the Glow Worm Caves.

It was quite windy on the top of the boat. As you can see, Matt was standing his ground like a man and holding my purse.

I chose the less windy option for a photo op.

After a short walk through the cave, we hopped on a small canoe and floated in the dark. Above us, it looked liked a stary night.  But these weren't stars, they were glow worms! They attach themselves to the top of the cave and spin tiny silk strings that glow and attract small insects like sandflies. The hungrier they are, the more they glow. You can see the detail of the journey through this realjourney website.

(Photography wasn't allow, so I'm using this photo above as an example)

After the cave tour, we went for a short walk on one of the trails before catching our boat back to Te Anau.

 Once back in Te Anau, we decided to walk around to see what the town had to offer. Matt caught this huge fish.

And I found what used to be a huge tree.

(It really doesn't take much to entertain us.)

We then went for a short 6 mile run around the lake to the Control Gates, stopping to see native birds at the Wildlife Center.

 After that, we went grocery shopping. I made lamb with a side salad for dinner. Not my finest cooking to date, but Matt was nice about it.