Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park

The morning view across Lake Tekapo

We spent much of the day hiking through Mt Cook National Park. We were so excited - the weather report said light rain early then clearing.  Well, it was just the opposite, so we never did get to see Mt Cook, but we enjoyed the nature walks nonetheless.

We started in the Mt Cook Visitors Center. The atrium was neat and if not for the cloudy skies, you'd be able to see Mt Cook from this view.

 

This is a tarn, similar to a mountain goat.

Our first nature walk started with the Kea Point track. It was 1 hour return and included great views of "The Footstool" (above).

We heard two loud rumbles when chunks of ice came rushing down the mountain slope of The Footstool. The color of the ice was blue and orange.

The start of the Hooker Valley Track.

Get it? Hooker. Like hook a fish. Never mind.

Our next hike was along the Hooker Valley, a 3 hour return which included a swing bridge over the Hooker River.

Another swing bridge, only this time it was above gushing glacier water. Brr!

The Hooker Valley

We made it to Hooker Lake and the end of the track.

The Hooker Glacier (or rather what's left of it)

That's me, crossing the second swing bridge on the return journey.

The remnants of the Tasman Glacier. Some of this glacier still exists below the icy lake.

If you look closely, find the tiny white spec in the middle of this photo. It's a chunk of ice. Looks small, doesn't it?  Now, see the photo below to get an idea of how "little" that ice cube really is.

Here is that tiny white spec from the photo above, zoomed 20x.

Those two yellow things are inflatable boats. Not so small after all!

Mattie and the Tasman Valley

Janie and the Tasman Glacier

Back at Lake Tekapo. Mattie showing off his stone skipping talents.

Well, that's it for Lake Tekapo. We were supposed to stay another day, but the forecast is calling for rain, so we're skipping town and heading over to Dunedin.

On the road again...to Lake Tekapo

We spent a good portion of the day driving north to Lake Tekapo.  Here is a summary of our adventures and the scenery.

A deer farm just outside of Te Anau

"Bees! Bee Everywhere! God they're huge!"

Mavora Lakes

The scene in Lord of the Rings where Frodo leaves the Fellowship and Sam almost drowns trying to follow him

A short walk from the shore we found the tree where Frodo hides from the orcs at the end of the Fellowship

The river that connect the two Mavora Lakes

The scene in Lord of the Rings where the riders of Rohan burned the orcs and Merry and Pippen run into Fangorn Forest.

A very colorful mushroom just outside of "Fangorn Forest"

Sheep...as far as the eye can see!

Somewhere beneath this mass of wool was the road. The farmer herding them yelled to us "Just push into them!"

"You want them to do what?!"

Run sheepies, run!

A massive bull.  His equipment was bigger than my head!

We made a quick stop at the Gibbston Valley Winery and Cheesery. Above: The cheese platter and wine samples: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Blanc de Pinot Noir

Vineyards near the Kawarau Gorge in Central Otago

Driving between Kingston and Queenstown.

This lookout was just before Devil's Staircase (the name of the road you see winding along the mountain on the right)

Another scenic overlook (near the town of Tarras)

The scenery changed so much along the way

Driving through Lindis Valley

It started to rain just a little

Church of Good Shepard in Lake Tekapo

A guard dog watches over the town of Lake Tekapo

Don't tell Mattie it's just a statue

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.

Doubtful Sound

Our overnight cruise in Doubtful Sound began with a bus ride from our B&B in Te Anau to Lake Manapouri (approx. 30 min south).

Then we cruised the crystal clear waters of Lake Manapouri with views of the Cathedral Peaks in the background.

Approaching the Manapouri underground power station and Wilmot Pass. The white clearing on the mountain side was caused by a tree avalanche.

The Wilmont Pass

A 12-mile road stretching from the Manapouri power station to Deep Cove. It was built in the 1960s and provides the only access to Doubtful Sound (by land).

Although it was cool and humid, we were just thankful for the dry conditions.  Our guide said it was the best weather they've seen all season. Truly a miracle considering they get rain 200 days out of the year. And the average rainfall is 275 inches/year.

 

Believe it or not, the sun came out. So, we joined our fellow cruise mates for a 45 min kayaking trip through Crooked Arm.

I'm not as experience with a kayak as I thought, so we took our time enjoying the view. You can see our ship in the background, just to the right of my head. Better get movin!

We were very fortunate to see a pod of bottlenose dolphins in their natural habitat. They are not trained to do tricks. This one was simply having some fun along side our ship.

We also encountered fur seals hanging out on the rocks.

This one decided to slide down the rocks for a little dip in the water.

Our sleeping quarters was a quad-share suite. Very tiny, as you can see, but we only spent a few hours in there anyway.  I got the top bunk on the left. I was so afraid of plummeting 6 feet to my death in the middle of the night that I didn't sleep well at all. I was so happy to hear the sound of the anchor rising at 6AM the next morning.

 The morning view

So calm and peaceful

Truly stunning reflections

The Hall Arm in Doubtful Sound

I can't possibly find the right words to describe the fiords. It was an amazing experience. The landscape was so dramatic. To think about the forces of nature that formed this area or even flora and fauna that live here...it's truly remarkable. I would highly recommend the Fiordlands to anyone coming to NZ.