Day 25 Saturday

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Day 25 Saturday

On the trip yesterday we learnt about all the activities centered on Te Anau. It is the main tourist base for the area known as Fiordland, a world heritage area full of mountains, fiords, streams, waterfalls, native forest and sandflies. The road to Milford Sound is one of the very few roads into the vast area and is used by several thousand tourists each year to access Milford. Another important activity is walking (tramping) and there are several long distance (3 to 6 day) walks through the mountains with campsites or lodges spaced along the way. These open up for the summer months and about 3000 people use them each year. They are so popular they are being booked up up to two years in advance! So, who’s up for it?

Anyway, today we are off to Queenstown. The weather forecast promises hail so that might be interesting. Looks as if it is a bit chilly in England at the moment, which might come as a shock when we return.

Today we left Te Anau for Queenstown. The drive was comparatively short and we had time for another leisurely drive in the afternoon before dinner (dinner is at the Remarkables Lodge where we are staying for two nights). We drove to Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu (Queenstown is at the other end of this lake). During the drive we noticed large clumps of lupins: we had seen these yesterday as well. They are all in bloom – yellow, purple and pink. Apparently they are considered to be a weed having being introduced and spread from people’s gardens. They thrive well in not so good conditions and can be seen all over the place. (Deb: I am going to plant more in our garden cos when I see them I will remember NZ)

Glenorchy was a sleepy place though it has been brought to fame as the centre for a lot of the filming of Lord of the Rings (they even do tours to view the locations!).

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