Kepler Track Hike and Farm Tour

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We had two full days to explore the region, with our primary destination being Milford Sound (the northern most fiord of Fiordland National Park). Sunday was forecast to have better weather, so we put off our drive to the Sound and boat ride until then.

We went down to Te Anau and checked out the visitor center for the park and watched a short film on the area. We then drove down the shoreline of Lake Te Anau and took a couple hour walk along the shoreline before the trail meandered deeper into the forest. The damp trail went through forests typical of this region with the trees covered in moss. The main difference was the ferns were a ground bush as opposed to the tree ferns that are common further north and on the North Island. We took time at the lake's shoreline for the obligatory rock tosses and skipping. This trail was a small portion of the Kepler Track which continued on well into Fiordland, some 60 kilometers in length. I saw a handful of these trails that originated in the area and split off in different directions for hearty soles wishing to trek for several days into the back country. From what we saw on the video these trails access some of the world's most beautiful scenery.

We got back in time for Sarah, our farm stay hostess, to give us a tour of the farm. This was an exciting 4-wheel drive ride through several paddocks which houses sheep, cattle, elk and horses. The sheep and cattle are unique breeds that are not the common varieties bred in the country. The elk are smaller than the American version but are still much larger than our deer. We had seen a type of deer that is raised on farms as well. It is odd to see these animals within fences.

The video did help explain one thing about the lack of mammals that we have seen on our trip. New Zealand only has two native land mammals, both of which are bats. Everything else was introduced. The possums, rats and a ferret-like creature are all now threatening some of the bird populations and are actively being trapped by the Department of Conservation. There is also some controversial poisoning of the possums in several forest areas.

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Comments

[Linda]

The hairy cattle - so cute! And those mountains in the distance look like the Misty Mountains from Lord of the Rings. : ) Gorgeous.