Up the West Coast and Home Again
Wednesday, March 15th, 2006Once the sun finally appeared after our night of pounding hail, driving rains, and high winds, we left Bluff, stopped briefly to type out the last post, then rode on to Te Anau.
Te Anau and Milford, part of Fiordland, were our next stops. This area is gorgeous, and a definite must see for anyone who has never been. Like much of the central and western region of the South Island, the glacial history just jumps out at you. While we’re winding through the mountain passes carved out by ancient glaciers, waterfalls tumble down all around in thin streams. We were told that on a rainy day there are thousands of waterfalls that almost completely dissapear within two hours of the rains ceasing. We definitely had to see the Milford Sound (which is in fact a fiord) so took a boat tour out to the Tasman Sea. The range of mountains on either side of the fiord follow 300 meters down to a U shaped floor. There are a few permanent waterfalls that feed into the fiord, and on one occasion the captain brought the bow within a few meters of the falls. They say passengers are encouraged to go and fill a cup from the falls, but this is easier said than done. At the end of the fiord we turned around in the Tasman and headed back, stopping once to watch some NZ fur seals, and another time to drop someone off at the underwater observatory.
Te Anau is a lakeside tourist town that offered a few excursions like a trip to glow worm caves and several boat tours. Hikers and kyakers would also find alot to do here. The highlight for me had to be the hot shower and laundry at the Holiday Park. This is me with my face planted in some fresh laundry straight from the dryer…heaven.
Christen and Al