Happy Sunday to everyone and sorry for not posting for a few days. I have to admit it was because we were simply in awe of our surroundings in Fiordland and spend every single minute outside.
We arrived in Te Anau - the gateway to Fiordland and specifically Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound last Sunday and did not stop until yesterday when we left and headed to Wanaka. Te Anau is an adorable little town that sits on Lake Te Anau and literally is the jumping off point for anything you want to do in Fiordland; hiking, boating, fishing, scenic flights, kayaking, day trips to Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, or multi day treks on the famous Routeburn Track.
We start our adventures with a 21k hike from ‘the Gates’ just outside of Te Anau to the Kepler Track Brod Bay and back. The following day we did the Lake to Lake Cycle, where Ted had a wee accident and ran into a tree. In his defence, that part of the trail was insanely narrow, and though there were signs to dismount and walk for 150 meters, there was a sharp turn at the end of the 150 meters and unfortunately Ted hit a tree - which was WAY better than the alternative, which would would have been a sheer drop if he felt the other way. He was banged up a bit, but Simon (from Australia) happened upon the scene and had a first aid kit until we were able to get back to town and go to the Meidcal clinic and he did get stitches- poor Teddy. He’s much better now.
The next day was a ‘rest day’ so we did an 11km hike to Rainbow Beach and it was an amazing day; warm, blue skies, cool breeze, and this hike was admittedly flat, in the woods; trees covered in moss - it was magical.
After that we did another 11km hike - the planetary system hike, which starts in downtown Te Anau and goes out 5k, along the way posting signage about the planets, with each marker spaced according to the distance between the planets. It was an easy hike, once again on a beautiful day and the track was virtually empty (yes!), and we had incredible views of the mountains and the bird life, which Ted loved.
And lastly, we did the Key Hut Hike, which was probably one of the most stunning hikes we have ever done. It starts in the lush forest on a trail that is probably 45 degrees and goes up and up and up for half the hike. The purpose of that is to get above the tree line, where the next hour you are doing switchbacks to the top of Key Hut and the views are simply stunning. Mountain ranges (Fiordland) for as far as one can see. Low lying clouds that seem to float half way up the mountains, waterfalls here and there (stunning and incredible long), and vistas with the sun catching them that are truly magical. We both agreed that was the best hike we’ve done here in NZ in all our trips. It was amazing.
From there we drove the rest of the way to Milford Sound to see that awesomeness of the sound and mountains and walked/hiked around for a few hours and took make pictures before bidding it adieu … It was another amazing day in New Zealand and we topped it off with dinner at the Black Dog Cafe …
Now we are in Wānaka and about to begin a hike in Mt Aspiring Park today - wish me luck!
Cheers
Robert and Ted
