Invercargill we outta here

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Well the ferry trip back from Stewart Island was uneventful along with our 2 days in Invercargill. Invercargill doesn’t have a lot to offer for most tourists. But if you are there do go and visit the EHayes Hardware Store on Dee Street. No I'm not mad it’s the home to the E Hayes Motorworks Collection and the World’s Fastest Indian. What an amazing collection of Vintage Motorbikes, classic cars including the Burt Munro’s Indian Scout Motorbike. If you are not into bikes there is always the camping, hardware and impressive giftware section to wander through. There is also complimentary tea and coffee for the poor spouses left waiting while their partners take their time inspecting every bike and tool in the place. The other place to visit is the Invercargill Information centre and the home to the Tuataras. See how many you can spot it’s amazing how good they are at camouflage. We got to about 21, the stoned looking guy before us was rather excited he got 11😊.

Sat 12/11 and we are outta here. A quick drive out to Oreti beach and the Sandy Pt Reserve. Oreti Beach is where Burt Munro (World’s Fastest Indian) used to practice on his motorbike. A windy spot here today but there were plenty of people out and about enjoying the Saturday sunshine. Further along the coast and we stop and wander around Riverton. A quaint little seaside settlement with the Jacobs River Estuary and the beautiful Taramea Bay. Our final stop for today is the beautiful Colac Bay. Iconic not only for the beautiful beach but the surfing sculpture as you enter the settlement. Parked up on the waterfront and its low tide, watching everyone head down to the rocky point to collect Paua. The fishing inspectors are out in force today and it was great to see nobody breaking the rules. It’s amazing how nervous everyone looks when inspector approaches, it’s a bit like being stopped at a checkpoint when you haven’t been drinking😊.

Sunday, Sunday and we are off to one of my favourite places…….Cosy Nook. This little Rocky Cove is a bit of a gem. Our Motorhome is too big to take down into the bay so we park up the top and walk down. Little cribs butted up to the water with rocky outcrops protecting this little place from the harsh winds. In the 1820’s this area had one the largest Maori villages in coastal Southland (40-50 whare). The bay was not suitable for Maori to launch their Waka (canoes) but ideal sandy beaches were located nearby. Further around the coast is the stunning Te Waewae Bay and the beautiful Monkey Island which is where we will park up on the beach tonight. Monkey Island is accessible but tide dependant. Set up and it’s time for a walk down the beach, then some photo shots from the viewing point on Monkey Island. Love this place. I headed back to the camper with my sore throat whilst Lance headed around the rocks coming back with 2 beautiful big Pauas (he gets big brownee points for that hunting and gathering). Yum Paua for tea.

Monday (14/11) a bit of an eventful night for us all last night. We had awoken in the night to a women yelling and I thought someone was drunk but then they were banging on our door. There was a tsunami alert following the large Earthquake near Kaikoura. It was amazing how disorientated we were. Secured things down and we were off for higher ground with the other 20 odd campers. Headed back down to the beach late morning to find our table still there😊, cuppa tea and a nap then we decide to head inland. A drive through the beautiful Lillburn Valley to Lake Hauroko which is in the Fiordland National Park. The lake is NZ’s deepest lake at 462 meters. Access from here to Dusky track is by boat only. There are a couple of shorter tracks you can do from the carpark here. The Lake when it’s still is beautiful. I thought a little spooky out here but I felt a lot better when a few more campers arrived later in the day. Yes they have sandflys but probably not as bad as what we experienced at the Nelson Lakes.

Tuesday (15/11) morning and we head back out the Lillburn Valley to Clifden Historic Suspension Bridge. This is worth a stop and a wander over. The bridge was built in 1899 and is a 111.5m long spanning the Waiau River. It’s sometimes called the iron bridge. Heading further north we opt not to head out to Lake Monowai as we had already visited back in 2009 and it was quite a drive out. If I had to choose between the 2 Lakes I would visit Lake Hauroko. Nice drive through the valley and the Lake is a more appealing spot. Next stop was Lake Manapouri. This is where the boats leave to cross the Lake then it’s a bus over the Wilmott pass to Doubtful Sound. We did an overnight cruise in the Doubtful Sound in 2009 so have chosen to do Milford Sound this time around instead. A lovely walk from the wharf along the Waiau riverbank and Lake Manapouri is worth doing. I made Lance sit on the same seat as in 2009 and take a photo😊. (You can probably see him rolling his eyes). From here we head to Lake Te Anau stopping at the lookout to the Waiau River Control structure. This controls the waterflow between Waiau, Mararoa Rivers and Manapouri Lake. Interesting information boards here on how this system works. Time to restock supplies, empty tanks, before parking up the night at the Alpine NZMCA Park Te Anau.

Wednesday and I'm up and ready to explore Milford. We had heard the road out to the Sound is beautiful and it really is quite spectacular. I’m going to change my writing style and list the places we visited along the way otherwise I will be here for ever and I'm real busy😊. The photos I have posted will give you all an insight into how beautiful it was.

Henry Creek (Sitting on the shores of Lake Te Anau) – Stopped for lunch here today. Windy +++ but nice if you can find shelter. Basic DOC Camp here right on the edge of the Lake.

Lake Mistletoe – Small glacial lake with 45 minute walk through beech forest. You do have to walk along main road at the end. Limited views nothing spectacular so if you are pushed for time don’t stop

Eglington Valley – This valley is stunning with lovely views of the Earl & Livingston Mountains.

Totara – Scenic DOC Camp in next to Eglington River. Beautiful Lupins doted along the riverbank make for some nice photo shots.

Mirror Lakes – This is 5 min boardwalk next to wetland pools. Awesome reflections from the Earl mountains. It would be perfect on a very still day. All the Tourist buses seem to stop here so it can get quite busy.

Cascade DOC Camp/Lake Gunn – Now this is the last DOC camp before Milford. Primo Spot I just loved it here with the river and the high ranges surrounding you. From the entrance to the camp there is a 45minute loop track through a Beech Forrest to Lake Gunn which we really enjoyed. The place was covered in lush green moss it was like you were in another world. Further down the road is another access to the Lake. This is a great place to stay in Fiordland National park.

Hollyford Lookout – A little wet and misty here when we arrived but reasonable views despite weather down to Hollyford Valley and the Darren Mountains.

Marian Cascade – Now this was a highlight of Milford. Maybe we got lucky with all the recent rain. A 30 minute return walk over a swingbridge and up to this cascade of glacier fed water that falls onto rocks (I still call it a waterfall but some may argue). Just awesome😊

Hollyford Valley/Humbolt falls/Moriane Creek – Now this is not on the main tourist track for those on the big buses so it’s a bit of a gem. The Valley is stunning as you drive through. The Humbolt Falls is a short walk (up hill😊) through Beech forrest. The views of the falls lookout are from a distance but still impressive as they 275 metres high. After venturing back down to the carpark we wandered down to the boat ramp and start of the Hollyford Track. This is such a pretty area. On heading out of the Valley we also stopped off at Morraine Creek and walked across the swingbridge for a couple of photos. Just love that clear blue water.

Falls Creek – Here on the side of the road is a permanent waterfall so obviously doesn’t rely on the glaciers feeding it. This can be a busy place to stop with the views up and down the river spectacular and the perfect backdrop for some pretty nice shots. Keas wandering around on cars kept us all entertained.

Homer Tunnel – The tunnel is 945 metres above sea level and 1270 metres in length. The unlined road tunnel allows access through to Milford Sound. Today the Keas were out in force keeping everyone entertained as we waited for the lights to go green (One way tunnel). The tunnel slopes down toward Milford side with a gradient of 1 in 10. It was really odd heading down in this dark tunnel. What an amazing structure. On return it was snowing lightly at the top and boy was the wind cold. Only a brief photo shot this time.

The Chasm – Well they needed the large carpark here and it was packed today. The Chasm is a 15 min walk to see the Glendau River where is squeezes up to a 22m deep narrow ravine. It has carved amazing formations into the diorite rock. There is a fair bit of force behind that water for sure.

Milford Sound and Cruise – Beautiful spot even without venturing onto cruise boats. What a very picture postcard place. The cruises are all fairly similar so we ended up on the Southern Discoveries Boat for our cruise. A couple of hours enjoying the beautiful scenery with high peaks, waterfalls and a bit of wild life made for a pleasant afternoon. Too much to see and explain but photos will tell a story. Lance and I reckon If money is not a problem do both Doubtful and Milford Sounds as they are both spectacular. If you were to pick one we think Doubtful Sound is more interesting with a lot more to see. (but it is more expensive). If you are on a budget at least do the Milford Sound it’s a still gives you a good taste of Fiordland.

Tutoku Bridge – Stopped here for photos with the spectacular Mt Tutoko (Fiordlands highest mountain at 2723m). It doesn’t look that big in the photo? Met the Milford Road Patrol parked on the middle of the bridge taking photos (a bit odd?), he said he was checking the bridges and roads following the earthquake.

Back in Te Anau and we are still here after 7 days. I have been hunkering down till the antibiotics kick in. Fiordland Medical Centre what a lovely bunch of people if you are unfortunate enough to need medical attention😊. Hopefully back into exploring mode soon.

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