Month: January 2021

February 18, 2019

Today was one of the longer driving days. Our itinerary was to drive northeast to Otira via Arthur's Pass National Park (estimated 4-1/2 hours drive time).

We woke up to clear skies and were out early shortly before 7 AM. First stop was the Lake Pukaki Lookout, the same one that we went to 2 days earlier. This time we got to see Mount Cook in the early morning light with very few clouds. I drove to a second viewpoint at the Pukaki Kettle Hole Track. This was up a short and steep gravel road, the end of which I don’t think I was supposed to drive up since the road suddenly got very rough. But the car made it up and down okay. It was a gorgeous view from there, with the morning sun on the golden hills. I drove to one final lookout of Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook, and then it was time to say goodbye to that area.

Next stop was Lake Tekapo. We stopped at the town park and got some nice photos of the lake with reflections from the surrounding hills. The water was very still. We stopped at the Church of the Good Shepherd, which is a famous tourist spot. The church did not open until 9 AM, so we were too early. But I got some good pictures of the outside with the lake in the background. It was also nice seeing it with very few other people, before the tour buses arrived.

We drove onward to the town of Methven where we filled up on gas and went to the grocery store to buy food for dinner. Then we headed for Rakaia River Gorge, or at least I thought that was where we were going. It turns out that the GPS coordinates in the Roadtrippers app for the gorge were incorrect. It routed us onto some farm road in the middle of nowhere. By the time I figured out what was wrong, we had driven about 10 km out of the way. Moral of the story: double check the directions with a second source whenever possible.

We finally reached the gorge, and it was beautiful. The water was the turquoise blue color that I had expected to see at Hokitika Gorge. We took a hike up the river toward the lower gorge viewpoint. The first 10 minutes of the hike were great, with many scenic vistas of the river. Then the trail started climbing... and climbing... with no views. After 15 total minutes on the trail, we got a good view of the river and the highway bridges in the background, and we decided that was far enough to go. According to the sign at the trailhead, we still had another 15 minutes or so of hiking uphill before we would have reached the viewpoint.

Next stop was a fun one: the town of Springfield where a giant doughnut sculpture had been placed in the city park. D’oh! We ate lunch at a picnic table, and afterwards I asked Heinrich to take some pictures of me next to the doughnut. What a great place for some stupid selfie poses!

Heinrich took over driving, and we went to Castle Hill. This was an area similar to Elephant Hill with very large limestone rock formations. We walked around and found a few small arches! Of course we had to take pictures of all of them. The area was quite extensive and we only saw a small portion of it. On a cool day I could see easily spending a half day or so exploring all of the nooks and crannies. When we were there it was blazing hot and uncomfortable to be out in the sun for very long.

Next stop was Arthur’s Pass National Park. The scenery gradually changed from dry grasses to trees as we got closer to the pass. We took the hike to Devils Punchbowl Falls. There was a nice view of the waterfall at the bridge across the river, and then we hiked up many steps to reach the base of the falls. The hike was worth it! This was one of the nicest waterfalls I have seen.

Back at the car park we were entertained by a bevy of kea birds, at least 8. Two were playing with some black thing that might have been a camera case. One decided to jump onto the roof of our car, and another jumped onto the front and peered at us through the windshield. Crazy!

We continued on to reach the actual pass on the road. Just beyond the pass was the Otira Viaduct which replaced a very nasty set of switchbacks and landslides. We stopped at an overlook to the viaduct and watched more kea birds. The viaduct was steep with a 16% grade at the bottom and avalanche sheds. It was time to put the low gear of the car in action!

We arrived at the Rata Lodge Backpackers in Otira. We had reserved a small room with a private bath. Down the hall was a shared kitchen.

The host told us there was a spot very close to the rear of the property that led to a small area where glowworms could be seen at night, so after we unpacked the car we took a walk to find the start of the trail and where the glowworms should be. Then we went back and used the shared kitchen to cook our dinner: chicken with honey mustard sauce, red pepper, carrots and onion over rice.

After it got dark, we returned to the trail and spotted a few glowworms that appeared shortly after 10 PM in the area we expected to find them.

February 17, 2019

At 6 AM Heinrich reported it was overcast outside, so we slept in for another hour. By 7 AM it was partially clear. We were up and out by 7:30. It was cold outside, the coldest I have been since the Tongariro Crossing hike.

We planned to spend the entire day exploring Mount Cook National Park. It was about a 45-minute drive from our motel room in Twizel to Mount Cook Village where the visitor center was located. I drove up the west shore of Lake Pukaki and stopped at an overlook. There was a low band of clouds surrounding Mount Cook, but the mountain top was clear. The sun was too low to give the lake its usual intense blue color.

I drove into Mount Cook National Park and we stopped near the entrance to take some photos. The mountains were gorgeous in the morning light with wisps of fog as the clouds were starting to clear. At the visitor center I bought a day walk guide for $2. We decided to hike the Hooker Valley Track. The NZ Frenzy book recommended to take this hike if the weather was clear. The forecast at the visitor center was partly cloudy until noon, then increasing clouds followed by rain in the afternoon. Since it was a 3-hour return hike, we had time to do it before the conditions deteriorated.

It turned out to be a great hike! The views of Mount Cook were stunning. The weather actually improved until it was partly cloudy. The trail was easy and wide with a very gradual ascent. Along the way there were three long swinging bridges to cross. There were several ribbon waterfalls cascading down from the mountain glaciers. The view of the glaciers was much better than at Franz Josef. We could see patches of blue ice, and some of the snow was tinged pink.

Near the beginning of the hike we heard a distant booming noise. It sounded a bit like thunder but we knew it was not due to the nice weather. I think we heard a rock fall or maybe a small avalanche. A few minutes later there appeared to be a small cloud hanging over the mountain. It dissipated quickly. This may have been a dust cloud resulting from the fallout.

The trail ended at Lake Hooker. Across the lake we could see the glacier moraine, and in the lake there were a few icebergs. We stopped near the lakeshore for snacks and then went down to the lakeshore for pictures.

This was a crowded trail, not as bad as the Tongariro Crossing but there were no periods of solitude. On the way back the numbers of people increased due to the time of day. Shortly after we left the lake just before noon, clouds started rolling in over the mountain tops, partially obscuring the view. We timed that well.

We took a second hike to the Tasman Valley Glacier view. It was a short steep walk up many steps to a viewpoint of the Tasman Glacier and its terminal moraine. The lake in front was gray colored from all of the silt and littered with icebergs. It was well worth the hike. We skipped the walk to the lakeshore and boat jetty. Later we found out this was a good hike as well since it got closer to the icebergs. We will save this for our next visit to New Zealand.

Heinrich drove us back to the hotel. On the way we stopped again at the Lake Pukaki Lookout, and the water was much more blue. Time for more pictures!

Back at the hotel we used the laundry facilities. This should be our last load before we reach home.

The hotel had a grill, so we stopped at the Four Square grocery and bought some porterhouse steaks, a couple of potatoes and coleslaw. The dinner was delicious, and it was still much cheaper than dining out. We chatted for a while with a couple from Canada that had been touring for four weeks, and we compared our experiences.

We spent the rest of the evening planning for the next day and making blog updates. We saw nice pink cloud colors of the sunset outside the room.

February 16, 2019

The itinerary for today was to spend the morning visiting some areas near Dunedin and then drive north and inland to the town of Twizel, near Mount Cook National Park (estimated 3.5 hours drive time).

We woke up to partly cloudy skies. We had the heat turned on in the room, which was a good thing since it was very chilly when we opened the door. It appeared that a cold front had come through the night before.

Heinrich drove us back through Dunedin to see Tunnel Beach. There was a very steep walk down the hillside. It was clear, cold and windy. For the first time since the Tongariro Crossing hike I put on my hat, gloves and rain pants to stay warm.

We had a great view of the sea arch during the descent. The final drop to the beach went through a tunnel, hence the name. This was a beach accessible at low tide, and we were there at the right time. There were stunning cliffs and alcoves surrounding the beach, and they looked very pretty in the morning light.

Heinrich drove back through Dunedin and north to the next spot: Doctors Point. This was another area accessible only at mid or low tide. There was a 10-minute walk down the beach to a natural cave. There were two sea arches that we were able to walk through, and a third very small arch on the side. It was a nice peaceful place. There was a sign at the beach saying that penguins were in the area, but we did not see any.

Next on the agenda was to take a detour from the main highway: the scenic coastal route. This was several miles of somewhat narrow and twisty road that climbed to a viewpoint at Puketeraki Lookout. When we arrived at the lookout, it started to rain lightly: just some localized weather. The view out to the sea was nice, but I did not think it was worth the time needed for the detour.

The road rejoined the main highway and we continued on to Shag Point. At the end of the road was a short walk to see fur seals. There were many of them on the rocks, some napping and others diving into the water. There was a pair that were continually playing together in and out of the water. It was a lot of fun to watch them, and I had a very good view.

As we were getting ready to leave, a guy told me there was a little blue penguin in the cove near the car park! We found it easily. It was standing quite still near a large rock and did not move while we were watching. I wondered if it was asleep or maybe it was sitting on a nest, but it was in a wide open area and not an ideal place for a nest.

Further north was the Moeraki Boulders. This place was more touristy with a cafe and gift shop, and tour buses in the car park. We were asked to pay $2 per person to access the path to the beach and the boulders. There were many boulders scattered along the edge of a narrow beach, and some were partially covered by the waves due to the rising tide. They were really weird looking: they reminded me of bowling balls. Heinrich commented they looked like huge geodes.

I took over driving and we headed inland and west on the road to Twizel. It was an easy road to drive, nice and wide with many straight sections. There was not much interesting to see as we drove through sheep pastures and grasslands. The surrounding hills became golden as we entered a drier region.

We stopped to see the Elephant Rocks. This was a series of limestone outcroppings in various weird shapes. It did not take too much imagination to see animals in the shapes: definitely an elephant was there! Heinrich could see one with a small hole in it: a mini arch!

Next stop was a limestone cliff at the Waipata / Earthquakes Scenic Reserve where partial fossilized remains of a whale had been found and were on display. Access was via a long and narrow gravel road. Nobody else was there. It was somewhat interesting but I did not think worth the time and effort needed to get there.

I drove to Twizel and we checked into our room at the High Country Lodge and Backpackers. It had a private bath, small refrigerator and a sink. There was a shared kitchen on the property that was being used by several people when we got there. Neither of us felt like cooking, so we walked over to the town mall and went to a restaurant to order a pizza, salad and beer for dinner.

The weather was completely clear and we had great views of Mount Cook while driving into Twizel. I checked the weather forecast for the next day, and it was cloudy for Mount Cook, not at all what I wanted to hear. So after dinner we filled up on gas and then drove to the southern edge of Lake Pukaki where there was a great sunset view of Mount Cook and the surrounding mountains across the lake. I snapped several photos. No matter what tomorrow may bring, at least I finally have a few shots of the Southern Alps with no clouds.

February 15, 2019

We woke up to a clear day. I watched the sunrise over Porpoise Bay from the upstairs kitchen at the Lazy Dolphin Lodge. It was beautiful!

I wanted to spend a little more time in the area since the weather was so nice. Back at Porpoise Bay I saw several more Hector’s Dolphins playing in the waves. They were out in the center of the bay since the water was calmer there than yesterday.

The objective for the day was to see the Catlins area and then drive to Dunedin (2 hours 50 minutes estimated drive time). First stop was McLean Falls. It was a 40-minute round trip hike through the Catlins Forest Park to reach the falls, which were impressive.

Next stops were at Florence Hill Lookout (great view of a golden sand beach below) and at Purakaunui Falls. This was one of the most photographed waterfalls in New Zealand, and there was a tour bus already there when we arrived. It was an easy 10-minute walk to the falls through a nice rain forest.

Then we drove on to Cannibal Bay. There was a long and narrow twisty dirt road to get to it. The wind was very strong there, and the surf was up. We walked along the beach and counted seven sea lions in the area. Most of them were sleeping. Two of them were rolling around in the sand.

We drove to Nugget Point. This was another popular tourist stop. We hiked to the lighthouse. At the point there were great views of the ocean all around. On the way out we spotted several fur seals sunning themselves on the rocks at the bottom of a cliff.

View From Nugget Point

Next we stopped at Roaring Bay, which was only a few kilometers down the road from Nugget Point. We were hoping for a chance to see penguins which frequented the area. A display sign said the most likely time was after 4 PM. Since it was shortly after 3 PM, we waited for a while and ate sandwiches in the parking lot. Then I realized we really would not have time to wait longer, since the bed and breakfast place we were staying in Dunedin wanted us to check in before 6:30, and it was almost a two-hour drive to get there.

I sent a message to the property with an estimated checkin time of 5:45. Heinrich took over driving. We arrived in Dunedin early, so we filled up on gas at a Z station and then found a Countdown supermarket next door. This was our first time in a Countdown store. I picked up discount card, but their gas discount worked differently: there was a minimum spend of $40 in order to get the gas discount. We went to the deli and bought ready made meat lasagna, coleslaw and potato salad for dinner.

Heinrich drove to the Piringa Bed and Breakfast, which was past Dunedin and on the Otago Peninsula. We had to drive up some very steep hills to reach it. There were great views of the peninsula from the front of the B and B.

Piringa was a self contained cottage with a refrigerator and microwave, and continental breakfast fixings were included. It was very nice and spacious.

After dinner I wanted to go to Sandfly Beach for a chance to see more penguins, but we found out we had to navigate a twisty road to reach the beach and we would have to drive back in the dark. Then I read some reviews of Sandfly Beach in the CamperMate app. The penguins came out earlier there based on recent sightings, between 4:30 and 6:30, so we were already too late.

February 14, 2019

The next phase of our trip was to spend time in the Catlins area near the southern tip of New Zealand. This area was renowned for its wildlife: penguins, dolphins, and sea lions. Our destination in Curio Bay was an estimated 3 hours 40 minutes drive time from Manapouri.

We woke up to the sound of steady rainfall. We had heard it come down hard during the night. This was the first day of our vacation where the rain really affected our plans. The forecast for the area was rain for most of the day, partially clearing sometime in the evening.

We checked out of our room and headed south in the pouring rain. Our first stop was the Clifden Suspension Bridge that crossed the Waiau River. This was New Zealand’s longest wooden suspension bridge. It was still raining, but we donned our rain jackets, read the interpretive signs, and walked across the bridge.

Afterwards we drove further south to the coast where we had wanted to spend time exploring some beaches. We stopped at McCracken’s Lookout, which was supposed to have great views of the coast. It was still pouring rain, and the cloud cover was so low that we saw nothing but pounding surf. So we sat in the car for over an hour hoping it would clear. It never did. Finally we gave up and drove on.

The next stop was Gemstone Beach. This was a place where people hunted for real gemstones such as sapphire and jasper. I was skeptical that I would find anything but figured I could take a look even in the rain. There were lots of stones but I did not find anything worth collecting. There was one other guy there that had a shovel and was picking up some stones. He showed me what he had collected: some yellow colored stones, and he identified them but I don’t remember the name.

We drove on to Monkey Island. The description in the Roadtrippers guide said that at low tide, this small island offshore can be reached on foot. A staircase leads to the top of the island where there are great views of the mountains of Fiordland. Not today! Although it had finally stopped raining, the cloud cover was still very low so there were no views. And it was not low tide. I snapped a few pictures of the island, and we drove on.

There were a few more lookouts that we did not bother to stop at due to the weather. We reached the city of Invercargill and stopped at the New World supermarket to buy groceries for the next few nights, and then we filled up on gas.

Finally at about 3 PM the weather started to clear. We drove to the Waipapa Point Lighthouse. This was the site of New Zealand’s worst shipwreck where 131 people lost their lives. The lighthouse was built after the disaster. We walked down to the beach where we saw a pair of sea lions! They rolled around in the sand for a while and then stopped to clean themselves. We were able to get fairly close to them for photos and videos.

Next on the agenda was Slope Point, the southernmost point of the South Island, but we decided to skip going there since it was a 40-minute round trip walk and it was getting late in the afternoon. Maybe next time!

We drove to Curio Bay, a central point in the Catlins area. We checked into our room at the Lazy Dolphin Lodge which was located directly on the beach of Porpoise Bay. The room was very small, but there was a shared bathroom and kitchen directly outside. There was also an upstairs area that had a separate kitchen that was shared with the dorm rooms. It had a nice view of Porpoise Bay.

Shortly after we arrived we met a girl who was staying in one of the dorm rooms. She told us that she had just returned from Porpoise Bay where she had gone swimming with a pod of Hector’s Dolphins. I asked her where we could find them. She told me to take the path to the beach from the lodge, which would lead to the right side of Porpoise Bay. I walked out there and after a few minutes saw 5 or 6 dolphins swimming near the shore. They were far enough away that I was not able to get any good pictures, but viewing was good through binoculars. Swimming was not an option for me: the water was too cold. Afterwards I walked up the bluff to where there was a car park and a campground. There were some nice interpretive signs for the dolphins. I walked up a road that led to the headlands area. There was a good view of Porpoise Bay from above, and on the other side of the bluff was Curio Bay, which was a nesting site for yellow-eyed penguins.

I walked back to the lodge, and then we used the shared kitchen to make our dinner: spaghetti, bread, and hummus. One of the girls staying at the lodge told us that currently there was only one yellow-eyed penguin residing in Curio Bay, and he usually returned to his nest between 8 and 9 PM, before dusk. There was a viewing area set up for people to wait and watch for the penguin at the bay.

So we walked to Curio Bay and arrived there shortly after 8 PM. The bay itself was quite interesting since the beach was strewn with petrified logs. The penguin viewing area was across the fossil forest logs. A yellow rope designated where we were not allowed to get any closer. We waited 45 minutes with about 50 other people when we finally saw the penguin. He put on quite a show, preening himself and standing in one spot so it was easy to take photos from a distance. We watched for about 15 minutes before he disappeared into his nest.

February 13, 2019

We got up before dawn to get ready for our 7:15 AM trip to Doubtful Sound. The weather was partly cloudy. The boat dock was only a few km down the road and there was plenty of parking since we got there early. At the boat dock we saw amazing bright pink and orange colors from the sunrise.

The first 45 minutes of the journey was a boat ride across Lake Manapouri. The early morning sun lit up the surrounding mountains and cliffs with a nice orange color. I went up to the top deck and took numerous photos and videos.

We docked at a visitor center facility that had nice display panels of the area geology and wildlife. After a few minutes we boarded a bus for the second leg of the journey: a one hour drive up Wilmot Pass. The road went through dense rain forest. As we got closer to Doubtful Sound, the weather progressively deteriorated from mostly cloudy to full cloud cover and a lot of mist. I took pictures of a couple of waterfalls near the road. These were narrow ribbon waterfalls cascading off the mountains.

There was a very misty view of Doubtful Sound near the top of Wilmot Pass. I did not take any pictures there.

We boarded the Go Orange boat. It was not filled to capacity: I am guessing about 50 total people were on the cruise: no tour groups and no children. I spent most of the time standing on the top deck. Despite the weather which was initially drizzling, it was not that cold or windy. The water was quite calm. That also led to the very misty conditions at the start of the cruise.

It was a very different experience from Milford. The morning light through the mist made the surrounding mountains look ghostly. I thought it was pretty cool. As we progressed through the sound toward the Tasman Sea, the weather improved. The light through the clouds was lovely, and there were patches of blue and periods of sunlight. At the entrance to the sea there was a faint rainbow. It was windy there but still not too rough on the water. On the way back there was one spot that had sun rays coming down from the clouds that looked wonderful with the mountains as a backdrop.

There were several ribbon waterfalls to view throughout the sound, but nothing as large as Stirling Falls or Bowen Falls that we saw at Milford. We also did not see any wildlife. That was surprising to me since I thought we might see dolphins or seals. Still, overall it was a fun experience.

I am glad we took the morning cruise instead of afternoon. The morning light on the mountains was a highlight. On the bus return trip the overcast conditions returned and it was not as interesting. The tour guide stopped the bus at Helena Falls for a short photo break. We also stopped at the outlet tunnel from the power plant, where the water from Lake Manapouri was let out into the river. At the top of Wilmot Pass the view into Doubtful Sound was a complete whiteout, so there was no reason to stop there. We passed four full bus loads of the Real Journeys folks for their afternoon tour.

The boat trip back across Lake Manapouri was uneventful. It was very nice being in a small group of people. Everyone was friendly and well behaved.

After the tour we drove back to the hotel room and walked over to the restaurant. They had a takeaway menu where we ordered 2 servings of the blue cod fish and 1 scoop of chips. We discovered that 1 scoop was plenty for 2 people. Total cost was $17. The hotel also gave us coupons for 2 free beers which we were allowed to take outside of the restaurant to have with our fish and chips. We ate at the picnic table outside our room. The weather that afternoon and evening was very nice: partly cloudy.

We spent that evening relaxing. I had taken so many pictures and videos that it took a while to go through all of them and select the ones to post to Facebook. The internet at the room was very slow (almost as bad as in Yellowstone) so I used my cell phone data connection most of the time.

I was hoping for nice weather for a sunset walk at the lake, but we did not get it. The clouds rolled in and the mountains in the distance were fogged over.

February 12, 2019

I did not have much scheduled for today, so we slept in and did not leave the room until 8:30. It felt good not to rush around. The morning was mostly cloudy, and the weather was predicted to be partly cloudy in Te Anau and at Manapouri where we were headed (a 40-minute drive). Overnight it had rained hard. Maybe it helped the waterfalls in Milford Sound.

Morning View of Lake Te Anau From Our Room

Instead we decided to drive back to the Te Anau bird sanctuary where the birds were scheduled to be fed at 9:30. The naturalist was very knowledgeable and gave an interesting talk on the history of the takahē birds and efforts to increase their population. These birds have been victims of the stoats that were introduced to New Zealand in order to control the rabbits (which were also introduced). The stoats preferred eating the bird eggs and chicks to the rabbits, which drove the takahē and some other native bird species to near extinction.

We got to spend about 20 minutes inside the takahē enclosure, and then we watched the naturalist feed the ducks and some of the other birds. She gave us food to feed the ducks, and they pecked it right out of my hand.

Afterwards we drove into the town of Te Anau to fill up on gas, and we bought a few groceries at the Fresh Choice market.

Since it was only a half hour drive to Manapouri where we were staying for the night, I thought it would be fun to scout out some Lord of the Rings film locations that were along the way. We stopped at the Rainbow Reach car park that accessed the Kepler Track. We walked over to the swinging bridge at the beginning of the trail and admired the view over the Waiau River. About 1 km from the car park was where the opening aerial shot for the Fellowship of the Ring was filmed: the River Anduin. We drove up the road from the car park and found a spot to pull over next to the location. It was a very short walk to the bank of the Waiau River where the shot was taken.

Back on the main road there was another film location only a few km away: the Dead Marshes scene. This is where Gollum guides Frodo and Sam through a swamp and saves Frodo when he falls under the spell of the dead people within it. Someone put a rock cairn at the edge of the road and an arrow to mark the spot. It was dry season, so there was not much water in the swamp and the area was overgrown. I walked as far as possible without getting my feet wet in the mushy ground. According to the GPS coordinates I got to within 150 feet of where the scene was filmed.

After that bit of fun we drove to the town of Manapouri. It was still too early to check into our hotel room, so we drove to find the car park where the Doubtful Sound cruise was leaving the following day. Then we drove to the Frasers Beach car park, found a picnic table and had lunch. We walked down to the lake and snapped some photos. The weather was still mostly cloudy, but it was warm.

We checked into our room at the Manapouri Lakeview Motor Inn. The room had a small refrigerator and private bath, and there was a nice view of the lake. There was a shared kitchen on the property where we used the microwave to make baked potatoes for dinner. We also had a chef salad with chicken, carrots and tomatoes.

We relaxed for the remainder of the evening.

February 11, 2019

We were out of the room early at 6:45 AM to start the 65-minute drive to Milford Sound. Heinrich did all of the driving. We were booked on the 3:15 PM boat tour so we had plenty of time to get there, but we wanted to get ahead of the tour buses on the road and maximize time to see all the sights along the way.

The weather in Te Anau Downs was partly cloudy and the colors of the sunrise were pretty pink in the clouds as we left. Our first stop was at Eglinton Valley which had a nice view of the surrounding mountains. The sun lit up the top of the ridge.

Next stop was Mirror Lakes. These were very small lakes that did have nice reflections of the Earl Mountains in the water. It was a 5-minute walk from the road through a pretty fern forest.

We made a series of stops of views along the way, including Lake Gunn and The Divide.

We took a side road where there was a trail to Lake Marian. The first 10 minutes of the trail crossed a swinging bridge and then went to a viewing platform of a series of small waterfalls. It was really more of a rushing river with a few large cascades, but it was quite pretty.

Next stops were at viewpoints: Monkey Creek and the Gertrude Saddle.

At the Homer Tunnel there can be as much as a 20-minute wait to go through the one-lane tunnel. Just as we were reaching the end of the line of cars, the traffic light turned green so we had no wait at all. The mountains were getting more spectacular as we got closer to the sound, but the weather was also getting progressively worse. It was now mostly cloudy in all directions.

We stopped at The Chasm. This was a 20-minute round trip hike to a series of small waterfalls. The trail went through a lush rain forest and passed over two swinging bridges. This was one of my favorite spots for the day. The creek had carved some impressive holes in the limestone to form potholes. There was even a small arch that Heinrich photographed. Back at the car park there was a cheeky kea bird that was posing for us and looking for handouts. It actually hopped onto the roof of our car at one point.

We reached Milford Sound and there was a guy directing traffic to where he wanted us to park. We ended up in a lot so far away from the boat terminal that we had to take a shuttle bus to get there. This was not what we wanted since we had intended to take the walkway to the terminal so that we could see some of the views.

Before getting on the shuttle bus we had breakfast at the car. The sandflies were pretty bad there, so we ate quickly. The shuttle bus took us all the way to the boat terminal. We decided to check in early and ask if we could take an earlier cruise. I was very concerned about the weather which had been predicted to start raining at 3:00, which was about when we were supposed to start the cruise. We had success in switching the tour time to 12:40, but we had to pay $5 per person extra for the upgrade.

It was only 11:45 so we had some time to kill before we had to report to the boat dock at 12:30. So we walked the reverse direction to the visitor center where I got a nice photo of Mitre Peak with its reflection in the water. We also took the first part of the Foreshore Walk which gave a glimpse of Bowen Falls.

We walked back to the boat dock. We were the first people on the boat and immediately headed to the top deck where we found seats on the left side of the boat and under the roof. I thought this would be a good place to sit since I was worried it would start raining. Also the boat direction was to be close to the shore on the left side.

It turned out this was not such a great spot since the boat came so close to the shore that the roof overhang got in the way for many of my shots. But I still was able to get many decent photos. I chose the Mitre Peak company for our cruise since they had smaller boats and did not cater to the cruise crowds. It was a definite advantage when we passed the fur seals and got really close to them.

Mitre Peak also offered 15 more minutes out on the water than most of the other companies, taking us further out into the Tasman Sea. It turned out to be a wasted effort on this particular day since the boat captain reported the water was too rough to go out there. Instead we spent the first 15 minutes of the cruise circling the small bay where we had just walked around in the prior hour. This gave no new views and I wish that we could have spent more time in the main Sound area.

The weather held and it did not rain. But it was almost completely overcast which made the mountains and the water look washed out. Also it had been at least a few days with no rain there, so most of the small waterfalls that I had heard advertised were not in existence. If I were ever to go again, I would not bother to book so far ahead of time and spend more time in the area to try to go on a day with blue skies.

That is not to say I thought it was a waste. There were a lot of great sights on that cruise: the fur seals were awesome, and I loved seeing the two main waterfalls: Bowen and Stirling. The view of Bowen Falls is great from the boat. However, access to that waterfall could be obtained by taking a shuttle boat and then a short 5-minute hike to the base of the falls. I did not find out the charge for the shuttle boat but it was certainly cheaper than the Sound cruise.

Stirling Falls is unique because the boat takes you right up to the waterfall and then underneath it! So you have the chance to get soaked if you wish. I elected to stay dry, but the spray felt good.

After the cruise we took the shuttle bus back to the car. By this time the majority of the tour buses were clearing out and we were able to drive to the car park next to the visitor center. From there we went on the full Foreshore Walk and snapped a few more photos of the portion of Bowen Falls visible from there. We also went on the Lookout Walk which climbed up a series of steps to give an elevated view of Mitre Peak and the sound. I don’t think many people know that this walk exists since we had the place to ourselves.

It never did rain, so we probably would have been okay for the 3:15 tour. There was also a small period of time where I was able to see a patch of blue sky. But for the most part the weather conditions stayed the same all day with overcast skies.

On the drive back we stopped at the Tutoko suspension bridge where we had a nice view of the Tutoko River and the mountains behind. We also stopped again at The Chasm. There were no tour buses there but the kea bird was still hanging around the car park looking for handouts.

There was no wait at the Homer Tunnel and on the other side we pulled over to get a great view of a wall of small ribbon waterfalls. This was what I thought I was going to see on the Sound! There were at least four kea birds there, even more pesty than at The Chasm. People were ignoring the posted signs and feeding them.

We made one more stop at the Falls River waterfall. This was a nice gusher close to the road and not marked in the road guide. I was surprised there was no road sign for it. That ended up being one of my favorite stops for the day.

We drove back to Te Anau Downs and made dinner in the shared kitchen. We had our standard potato and eggs dinner with bacon, red pepper, onion and cheese.

February 10, 2019

We got a later start this morning. The room was so nice and comfortable that it was hard to leave. Free continental breakfast was included. I had yogurt and toast with Nutella and jam.

Heinrich drove back toward Queenstown to stop at the New World supermarket to buy food for dinner for the next two nights. We got our 6 cents per gallon discount gas coupon and drove to the Z station on the outskirts of Queenstown to fill up.

I took over driving. Our destination was Te Anau Downs (2 hours 10 minutes estimated drive time). The weather was partly cloudy and nice. I intended to stop at a few overlooks of the southern end of Lake Wakatipu, but somehow the Google Maps navigation got stopped and I passed all of them before realizing what had happened. We did stop at the southern tip of the lake to snap a few photos.

I had marked the Mavora Lakes as a possible destination, but they were on a one-hour side trip each way and on a very long dirt road. Since the weather did not look stellar in that direction, we decided to skip it.

As a result we were in Te Anau much sooner than expected. We stopped at the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre where I picked up a few free brochures of the area and bought a T-shirt. We took a walk along the Te Anau lakeshore. It had turned into a nice warm afternoon and still was only partly cloudy.

We walked to the Punanga Manu o Te Anau Bird Sanctuary. This was a really interesting place. It is home to injured birds that could not survive in the wild as well as home to endangered species. My favorites were the takahē and kākāriki birds. The kākāriki had beautiful bright green plumage.

Then we drove into the town of Te Anau to fill up on gas. There was an I-site information center where I bought a Milford Sound day hikes guide for $3.

We drove to Te Anau Downs. We were staying at the Fiordland National Park Lodge. Since it was still too early to check in, we drove across the road to see Lake Mistletoe. It was a short 5-minute walk to the lake which had a nice view with mountains in the background.

We checked into our room. It was very nice with a private bathroom and a beautiful view of Lake Te Anau. There was a shared kitchen right next to our room, and there was also a lounge area with a TV, books and games.

After unpacking I took a walk along the shore of the lake while Heinrich did the laundry. There were a few nice wildflowers along the shore.

After I returned we cooked dinner in the shared kitchen. We had chicken alfredo with added red pepper and onion over spaghetti and a salad. We also split a loaf of bread from the bakery and I had hummus with avocado. It was delicious.

In the evening we took a walk near the lake. There were some beautiful lenticular clouds that formed. They were quite dramatic in the sky.

February 09, 2019

The itinerary for the day was to drive to Queenstown, take the road to Glenorchy and the Routeburn Track to do some hiking, and then drive back through Queenstown and south to our reserved room at the Remarkables Lodge (total estimated drive time 3 hours 40 minutes).

We awoke to partly cloudy skies and were on the road shortly after 7 AM. There was a shortcut road out of Wanaka south to Queenstown that avoided going back to SH 6. This shortcut went over the Crown Range Summit, which is the highest sealed (paved) road in the nation. We stopped at the summit to take some photos of the views from the pass. The hills were golden in the morning sun.

The road down from the pass into Queenstown was extremely twisty and steep with many hairpin curves. Fortunately it was wide and there was not much traffic.

We drove through Queenstown when it was still early and traffic was not bad. I encountered some two-lane roundabouts that were confusing since I had not dealt with those before.

We took the drive to Glenorchy. The objective was to drive to the end of the road and beat most of the traffic, and then make stops along the way to see the various sights on the way back. As we drove to Glenorchy, the weather progressively worsened with thick clouds. The scenery was nice, not spectacular, with the golden mountains as a backdrop to Lake Wakatipu.

We arrived in Glenorchy and walked a little way on the lagoon track. This was a disappointment. Google Maps showed the road going farther than it actually did, making a longer hike to the lagoon. We reached the end of the lagoon and there were no views. We decided to turn around before wasting any more time there.

Heinrich took over driving and we went to the end of the road at Routeburn Track, 34 km past Glenorchy. The last 6 km were on a chunky gravel road. The weather at the track was extremely overcast and drizzling rain on and off. But we were back inside Mount Aspiring National Park and the pretty lush scenery. So we decided to take the nature trail loop hike and then go to the Bridal Veil bridge that crossed a stream below the waterfall, a 1.5-hour round trip hike.

The hike was through a pretty forest. Even in the bad weather it was nice. There was a swinging bridge that passed over a creek with beautiful clear blue water, possibly a mini version of the Blue Pools? There was also a nice waterfall in the distance but it was difficult to get good photos due to the mist and rain. The Bridal Veil bridge featured a small waterfall and cascades into small blue pools: very pretty. We passed a large group of people near the bridge: I think they were part of a tour.

On the drive back to Glenorchy, we stopped at a Lord of the Rings filming location (Isengard) near Scott’s Creek. There was a waterfall cascading down the mountain in the distance, and the mountains near the Routeburn Track were misty in the fog.

Back in Glenorchy we parked at the wharf. The scenery was much better there with nice views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains. The weather was partly cloudy. On the wharf was a couple that had just been married, with the bride in her dress and groom posing for photos. The photographer was operating a drone that buzzed around annoyingly.

On the drive back to Queenstown from Glenorchy, we did not stop at many viewpoints due to the heavier traffic on the road. I took a few photos of Lake Wakatipu from the car as Heinrich was driving.

We stopped at Bob’s Cove. There was a trail that led to the base of Lake Wakatipu with a few nice views. The sun had returned.

Back in Queenstown the traffic was heavy, stop and go. Consistent with our avoidance of urban areas so far, we had no desire to make any stops in town. We got through the traffic and then drove to the Pak N Save supermarket on the other side of town near the airport. There we stocked up on food for dinner. There were no cooking facilities where we were staying, so we got fixings for a chef salad.

We drove to the Remarkables Lodge south of Queenstown and checked into our room. This was advertised as a four star bed and breakfast place, and it was indeed very nice. The property was at the foot of the Remarkables mountains. Our room was huge with a private bathroom, spa tub and a sitting area. We had our chef salad for dinner, and then we used the outside hot tub for about a half hour.