Te Anau to Milford Sound

The drive from Invercargill to Te Anau took us from flat coastal plains through rolling hills and into mountains. Te Anau is situated on Lake Te Anau, a huge lake ringed by mountains. The air is crystal clear, as we are finding everywhere in this beautiful country. Our motel is right on the lakefront with two bedrooms, a kitchen and a front wall of windows which, though it does not directly face the lake, gives us a view of the lake to the left and the garden area to the right. We arrived a little before check-in which gave us time to walk around town a bit and have a delicious lunch of the savory pies that are so popular here in New Zealand from Miles Better Pies, a pie shop Dianne had heard of and been anticipating since last October. Later in the afternoon we took a boat ride across Lake Te Anau for a tour of the Glow Worm Caves.

Glow worms are the larvae stage of a moth and they attract their prey by dropping a sticky mucous line which they light up with a beautiful blue light. The Glow Worm Cave tour takes groups of around 12 people at a time through the cave on a series of well constructed walkways over a rushing river, often a series of waterfalls over well sculptured rocks on the cave floor. At the back end of the cave we boarded a small boat and circled the grotto in darkness and silence under the magical points of brilliant blue light of the glow worms.

After our twilight trip back across the lake we treated ourselves to dinner in the local pub, complete with Irish music, as it was St. Patrick’s Day. We were surprised to see our server from the pie shop greet us and show us to a table, particularly since she had told us that the pie shop opens at 7:00 A.M. and they start baking the pies at 4:00 A.M.

The next morning, after a breakfast stop at our new favorite pie shop (yep, same server showed up while we were there... does this woman ever sleep?) we hit the road to Milford Sound. Though it was raining in Te Anau, we heard that it might be clear at our destination later in the day. The drive became progressively more spectacular, with the glacier-carved valley narrowing, and the cliff faces becoming steeper and higher, reminding us more and more of Yosemite Valley. We had heard that the drive would feature waterfalls coming off the cliffs, especially after the rains. But Instead of just occasionally driving past a waterfall as in Yosemite, we were driving between sheer granite cliffs over 2,000 feet tall that were covered in cascading waterfalls. Everywhere we turned, there were rivulets of white water tumbling down the walls.

After many stops to take in the view, and feeble attempts to capture it on camera, we found our accommodations for the night. Once again, Colleen the travel-planner has done a fantastic job. We have two adjoining cabins, very cozy, clean and modern, with two full walls of windows. Those windows face a rushing river 20 feet from the deck, and just beyond the river is a green-blanketed cliff that disappears into a cloud, laced with waterfalls. Looking to the east or the west, more cliffs are shrouded with cloud, with their own white ribbons. This trip has shown us many incredibly beautiful places, but this is absolutely magical.

After checking in, we took a short walk to “The Chasm,” an impressive rock chasm carved by the Cleddau River (the same river that later passes right in front of our cabins.) The sun had come out, and a walk through forest and tree ferns took us to wooden foot bridges over rushing waterfalls and impressive rock formations. Then a walk down to the shoreline where we were surprised to find far fewer people and less activity than we expected. Once again, this beautiful place is not overcrowded like we are so used to in California.

It should be noted here that this entire country, even in the places that are not so spectacular, demonstrates an appreciation for the land and the environment that we find truly admirable. Everywhere you see examples of how much people care about maintaining the beauty and the resources: Rainwater is harvested from rooftops. Electrical outlets have switches to turn them off when not in use. Food is packaged in environmentally-conscious wrapping. Reminders to recycle, and save energy and water are everywhere. All yards have clotheslines and though everyone also seems to have an electric dryer, line dried clothes are the preference here. Trails and gardens and parks are meticulously and lovingly kept, even in tiny towns and out-of-the way places with very little traffic. In all the places we have been, litter is pretty much impossible to find. New Zealanders obviously love their beautiful country and take enormous pride in keeping it beautiful.

This appreciation and respect for the land is particularly meaningful to Colleen and me because today is Stefan’s birthday. Both Stefan and Evan care deeply about their environment and their planet, and all the creatures and plants and beauty that inhabits that environment. Having kids that feel that way, and being in a country where everyone seems to feel that way, gives us hope for the future.

We are scheduled for a cruise of Milford Sound this morning. We’ll drive back to spend tonight in Te Anau, then on to Wanaka tomorrow morning. There’s no telling when we’ll get internet again, but we’ll be back with more posts as soon as we can... We are always so thrilled to check in on our blog and find your comments and see new followers have signed on. At this internet connection we haven't been able to send any e-mail, so we have only the blog for now to keep in touch, but we LOVE hearing from everyone! Thank you to all of you... it is you who make this blog really fun for us... THANK YOU!!!