Travelling south to Te Anau was a delightful experience as the scenery was excellent. Southern Fjordland has a great expanse of big mountains and it was these, we had come to get to grips with,
(in a limited way!)Snow-capped peaks dominate the scene and whilst we were here, we aimed to 'do' Doubtful Sound too.
(in a limited way!)Snow-capped peaks dominate the scene and whilst we were here, we aimed to 'do' Doubtful Sound too.Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse and our cruise down Doubtful Sound gave us limited views of the massive walls rising vertically from the Sound. The wild-life was also conspicuous by its absence and, although we saw grey fur seals, most of the blue penguins were hidden(hunkered down in their shelters I guess!).
The following day we set off on the Kepler Track, the second of NZ's 8 great walks we were attempting, but this one is much more remote and more to my liking as it goes up into the mountains. Temperate rain forest covers most of the ascent of 1,000m to the Luxmore hut which is at about 1,100m. Now, I like rain forest just as much as the next bloke, but as can be imagined, it became a little tedious after 5 hours and we were both relieved to get above the tree-line. The hut was very comfortable with electric lighting and gas cookers, but at this altitude, it did get cold at night! The second day consisted of an alpine ridge, part of which
was still snow-covered, and although we set off in poor weather, it improved slowly and we were treated to wonderful views of the Murchison and Kepler mountains, Lake Te Anau to the North and east and Lake Manapouri to the South. Progress was steady and at about 5.30pm we reached our second hut at Iris Burn(Peter H informs me that this is what one gets if you view some of those dubious internet sites!!!). Another warmer night ensued, chatting to our fellow walkers and after a good night's sleep we left the hut for our third day. We had intended to cover a similar distance to the Moturau Hut, but decided that we could 'gain a day' by walking on through to our final destination back in Te Anau. It was a risky strategy since we had nowhere booked to sleep in Te Anau and it was a long way(about 24 miles), but eventually at around 7.30pm we arrived back at the hostel to find that we could book in for an extra night(phew!). So, we walked the whole route + an extra 3 miles from our hostel to the start and another 3 miles to finish!
was still snow-covered, and although we set off in poor weather, it improved slowly and we were treated to wonderful views of the Murchison and Kepler mountains, Lake Te Anau to the North and east and Lake Manapouri to the South. Progress was steady and at about 5.30pm we reached our second hut at Iris Burn(Peter H informs me that this is what one gets if you view some of those dubious internet sites!!!). Another warmer night ensued, chatting to our fellow walkers and after a good night's sleep we left the hut for our third day. We had intended to cover a similar distance to the Moturau Hut, but decided that we could 'gain a day' by walking on through to our final destination back in Te Anau. It was a risky strategy since we had nowhere booked to sleep in Te Anau and it was a long way(about 24 miles), but eventually at around 7.30pm we arrived back at the hostel to find that we could book in for an extra night(phew!). So, we walked the whole route + an extra 3 miles from our hostel to the start and another 3 miles to finish!The following day saw us on yet another adrenaline activity...this time in the form of Jet-Boating on the River Waiuo near Te Anau. An 11am start meant we could have a 'lie-in' and w
hen we were picked up by coach, we discovered that we were the only ones booked for that session. A short bus journey and we entered the river, just downstream from where we had left it on the Kepler track, the day before. Mark started up and a sudden rush of power lifted the machine out of the water and down-river at a fast rate of knots. The morning was beautiful and fantastic views of the wild-life followed, with Mark executing the odd 360 deg turn just to keep us awake!! ....brilliant and well-worth the early rise!!
hen we were picked up by coach, we discovered that we were the only ones booked for that session. A short bus journey and we entered the river, just downstream from where we had left it on the Kepler track, the day before. Mark started up and a sudden rush of power lifted the machine out of the water and down-river at a fast rate of knots. The morning was beautiful and fantastic views of the wild-life followed, with Mark executing the odd 360 deg turn just to keep us awake!! ....brilliant and well-worth the early rise!!