Today was another day of a lot of driving. We drove from Dunedin on the east coast all the way across to Te Anau – the gateway to the Fiordlands in the West. We took the Southern Scenic Route along the Southern coast. Today was the day the scenery that was really nice yesterday got really, really good.
We stopped at two waterfalls as we drove through the Catlins along the south coast – Barss Falls and Parakaunui Falls. I think the water levels are below normal as I was a bit disappointed by the small amount of water coming over them. They were nice walks in to see them, however.
The further West we went, the more spectacular the scenery became. Perfect, pastoral farmland (mowed down to a nice lawn height by the sheep) lined the roads the entire way. As we approached Te Anau, the mountains got larger and larger and mile after mile went by of perfect scenes of perfect farms and rolling hills in the foreground which snow capped mountains in the background. The sun came out in full for the last 100 km or so of our trip that really highlighted the scenery before us.
Te Anau was also very impressive itself. A small resort town of only 7500, it serves as a base for the outdoor activities that occur throughout the region. It is on the shore of Lake Te Anau – the second largest lake in the New Zealand -- and ringed by mountains.
We found a place to stay at the Te Anau YHA in a tiny, but colorful room that unfortunately has too thin walls but otherwise nice. We spent the afternoon checking out the scenery by the lake and preparing for a kayaking trip tomorrow on Milford Sound. We also went to a local pub – The Moose -- to try a local drink.
2 comments:
See, I look at these pictures and I think: "Why do I live in Minnesota?"
Oh...the pictures only get better, too.
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