Wednesday, 30th January
This morning we left our hotel in Dunedin about 8.00am to travel to Larnach Castle, New Zealand’s only castle, but quite honestly it wasn’t really a castle. However, it certainly was quite a grand mansion and the gardens were delightful. We then had a long drive to Te Anau, slightly delayed on route as we got stuck behind a lorry moving a very large house (see photo), stopping on the way in an interesting town Balclutha and travelling the Presidential Highway between Clinton and Gore. The nearer we got to Te Anau the more mountainous the scenery became. Te Anau itself was a holiday resort on the side of a lake with beautiful views and we watched some youngsters diving off the pier and swimming in the clear lake. Our hotel for the night was themed on an American cowboy town and we stayed in the Dentist room.
Thursday, 31st January
Today was an awesome day of many, many photo opportunities and visual delights. We drove through the Fiordland National Park, which is a World Heritage and New Zealand’s largest National Park. We passed Mirror Lakes (except the little ducklings were making them unmirrored), Claudu Valley, The Chasm, where we walked into the rainforest passing many wild ferns – I was in my element. We then got to the Chasm, which is a narror gorge with raging waters cascading through the rocks, forming beautiful sculptures in the rocks. After the Chasm we passed Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls, arriving at the absolutely magnificent Milford Sound which is so hard to describe. We boarded a cruise boat for a 2 hour trip up and down the Milford Sound (not a true Sound but more a fiord). During the trip we sat on the top deck absolutely spellbound by the magnificent views of sheer rock faces towering above us and views of the mountains beyond. The captain gave a running commentary and steered the boat alongside a group of fur seals lazing in the sun on the rocks, then he also positioned the boat right under a 500 foot high waterfall. (Nicola and Andrew please note it was almost as bad as the Maid in the Mist). The journey ended only too soon and we returned to the shore and boarded the coach for a 300 km drive to Queenstown, although on the map it was only 50 km as the crow flies. As if the day had not been spectacular enough after a quick 1/2hour to wash and change we boarded a cable car (just managed to get Doreen on board) to reach a restaurant overlooking the town, where we ate a six course dinner with magnificent views across the lakes and the Remarkables (the mountains).
This morning we left our hotel in Dunedin about 8.00am to travel to Larnach Castle, New Zealand’s only castle, but quite honestly it wasn’t really a castle. However, it certainly was quite a grand mansion and the gardens were delightful. We then had a long drive to Te Anau, slightly delayed on route as we got stuck behind a lorry moving a very large house (see photo), stopping on the way in an interesting town Balclutha and travelling the Presidential Highway between Clinton and Gore. The nearer we got to Te Anau the more mountainous the scenery became. Te Anau itself was a holiday resort on the side of a lake with beautiful views and we watched some youngsters diving off the pier and swimming in the clear lake. Our hotel for the night was themed on an American cowboy town and we stayed in the Dentist room.
Thursday, 31st January
Today was an awesome day of many, many photo opportunities and visual delights. We drove through the Fiordland National Park, which is a World Heritage and New Zealand’s largest National Park. We passed Mirror Lakes (except the little ducklings were making them unmirrored), Claudu Valley, The Chasm, where we walked into the rainforest passing many wild ferns – I was in my element. We then got to the Chasm, which is a narror gorge with raging waters cascading through the rocks, forming beautiful sculptures in the rocks. After the Chasm we passed Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls, arriving at the absolutely magnificent Milford Sound which is so hard to describe. We boarded a cruise boat for a 2 hour trip up and down the Milford Sound (not a true Sound but more a fiord). During the trip we sat on the top deck absolutely spellbound by the magnificent views of sheer rock faces towering above us and views of the mountains beyond. The captain gave a running commentary and steered the boat alongside a group of fur seals lazing in the sun on the rocks, then he also positioned the boat right under a 500 foot high waterfall. (Nicola and Andrew please note it was almost as bad as the Maid in the Mist). The journey ended only too soon and we returned to the shore and boarded the coach for a 300 km drive to Queenstown, although on the map it was only 50 km as the crow flies. As if the day had not been spectacular enough after a quick 1/2hour to wash and change we boarded a cable car (just managed to get Doreen on board) to reach a restaurant overlooking the town, where we ate a six course dinner with magnificent views across the lakes and the Remarkables (the mountains).
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