Te Anau and the Fiordlands

  Te Anau, New Zealand
Wednesday, December 26, 2007

We arrived in Manapouri excited to explore the Fiordlands National Park, part of the World Heritage Area that covers most of South West South Island New Zealand.  Over a coffee we decided to take an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound, John's treat as a very generous Christmas present to Amanda and I.  We booked our trip on the MV Tutoko in two days, and then had time to kill till then.

Due to rain, rain and rain happening outside, we decided to head to the cinema.  Which, in Te Anau, mostly plays one thing, Ata Whenua, or Shadowland.  Which is what the Maori called the Fiordlands.  It was a beautfully shot piece, done mostly by helicopter, though by the end  I think most of the theatre was half asleep.  It gave a great overview of exactly how impressive a place this was though.  When we came out the rain had paused, so we had a walk around before it started again, and then drove back to Manapouri for our nights stay. 

In the morning, we awoke to clear skies, and started our drive up to Milford Sound.  From Te Anau it is 100km up through the park.  We had a marvelous morning drive, taking photos, and messing about.  We pulled off to have a hike up one of the mountains, to get a view, and when I went into the little rest building I was greeted by a Kea.  These are parrots, who are very smart, and also mischievous.  They like to rip the moulding out of car doors, and scratch up paint jobs and soft tops.  As well as beg for food.  We thought we were lucky to see one at first, until we walked a 100 meters downs the trail, and were serenaded by about 100 of them.  Our hike took us the the alpine zone, and a nice informational trail at the top, with some superb views of the adjacent valleys and peaks.  After our descent we headed for the end of the road.  We had hoped to have a small walk and a bite to eat, which we sort of did, along the road with buses whizzing by, sitting on a rock that seemed to be placed there on purpose.  When we got to the dock, two of the large cruising vessels came in from their morning tour, and suddenly there were about 3,000 Asians flooding this small courtyard.  Amanda and become seperated from us and was working against the current, it was quite funny.  We spent the rest of the day exploring the many sites to visit along the road that we had hastily driven past in the morning.  As well as venturing to Gunn's Camp, in the Hollyford valley, which seemed an old outpost on the Western Frontier.  We had a venture up one valley to the snow, and John and I  found a spot to slide down a bit, even if you had to do it on your feet.

After our snow sleighing

We walked along the mirror ponds and enjoyed the views.  All and all a wonderful day.  And when we returned back to our place, we thought we had been followed, because when we looked out the glass door, there was a kea looking in, as if to say, didn't you realize I was hanging on to the back of the van?

Lake Manapouri

The next morning we woke up early and headed down to the docks to start our adventure.  We boarded the Lake Manapouri ferry, and were on our way to Doubtful Sound.  At the other side of the lake we got on  a bus, just the seven of us, and were coached across the old road to Doubtful.  Our first glimspses were atop the pass, mountains folding into each other as the fiord disappeared beneath them.  Finally we reached our vessel, the Tutoko, and met the Captain and his only mate, Buddy.

Champagne!!

We were greeted with Champagne, well, sparkling wine from NZ, but it is damn tasty.  We spent most of the day motoring along, checking out the many arms of the fiord.  Sheer cliffs dropping to the water, and continuing as deep as 500 feet or so.  We went all the way out to the sea and bothered the seal colony for a few minutes.  A swell was on the way, and it was quite bumpy out there, especially after being on the sound, which was flat as a lake, all day long.  Then we made our way towards the foul weather anchorage, up another arm which we hadn't yet explored.  The other people on the boat had a dive with the Captain, and brought back some more giant rock lobsters, and then we went to a fishing hole, and pulled up fish after fish.  John caught a small grouper, but it was easily the biggest fish caught on the day.  Dinner was great!  Fresh fish and a lobster each, what more can I say.  As the sun was setting we were sitting around the cabin, drinking beer, and chatting about the amazing sights of the day, politics, and whatever else came up.  Then off to bed we went, to be tormented all night by the heat of the wood fire, and the snoring of our shipmates. 

The morning was rain.  Not just any rain either, but downpour.  At first I thought,.. Stink!  But then I realized that this place would not be what it was without the rain.  And as we watched the rain from the comforts of the cabin, I soon came to see that this place was more magical in the rain.  The waterfalls, which were amazing yesterday, became torrents running down the sides of the rock.  The mist made the distant mountains appear very mysterious indeed.

Misty mornings

We threw on our rainjackets, and went out into it, and I fell in love with this place all over again.  There is magic in this place, and I liken it to the same feeling I had in the redwoods of California.  Just nature's ancient cathedrals.  Her best accomplishments.  The rest of the day I was just in awe.  It was a fantastic trip.