Day 8 Sunday - Wanaka

Back on the road this morning, and as we headed out of Te Anau we checked out the Vintage Machinery Museum - basically Bob has some sheds crammed full of old cars, bikes, tractors, tools etc. It's like a man cave on steroids - Gary would 💕 it.

There is also the old school house from the days when there were 10 pupils. Bob (who must be about 80) told us when he was a lad some kids who lived further out rode to school on their horses and left them tied up in the paddock!  Speaking of livestock , across the road from the museum we met some lamas.

We motored on to Queenstown where we got more fuel then headed 20 minutes out of town to Arrowtown which is a historic gold rush village - lots of vintage buildings from the 1890s including the ex gold miners cottage where we had lunch.

Next we headed towards Wanaka on the Crown Range Road which is NZ's highest main road at 1121 meters - the first part of the alpine drive is quite challenging and I was concentrating on the road not views, which were limited due to mist. Half way there's the famous Cardona Hotel also dating back to gold mining days.  Apparently in the old days the landlord would allow two drinks to men heading towards Wanaka but only one if travelling to Queenstown!

Indeed the next part of the road was easier and we reached Wanaka in the late afternoon. We were in town briefly on Day 4 but now we'll have more time to explore and we've already visited "That Wanaka Tree".

Day 7 Saturday - Doubtful Sound

When in Fiordland you must visit a fiord - and there's two local (ish) to Te Anau. Our original itinerary had us driving down the famous Milford road for about 3 hours to take a boat trip on Milford Sound. But in early Feb Fiordland had really torrential rain and this whole area, including Te Anau, was in a state of emergency. Tourists were trapped by floods and tree avalanches with one meter of rain in one day - state highway 94 to Milford Sound was washed away in places and is still shut two weeks on.  So plan B was Doubtful Sound, but this isn't a self drive option as it's much more inaccessible - read on...

From Te Anau the first leg is to the edge of nearby Lake Manapouri, about 20 minutes out of Te Anau. Boarding a boat, it's a 50 minute cruise across the lake to take you to the start of the Wilmot pass. This pass was built in the 1960s to service the lake's hydro electric plant and ended up costing 2 dollars per cm and it's 20 km long - the most expensive road in NZ. It crosses the southern alps - beech forest on one side changing to rain forest on the other with a wet, warm climate.  Luckily for us it was a dry day with only light cloud and as you descend the valley you get your first glimpse of Doubtful Sound.

We boarded the Patea Explorer and began our cruise down the 40 kilometre fiord. On either side the mountain have a Jurassic feel with dense tree ferns, moss and lichens and there's beautiful cascading waterfalls - it rains on 200 days a year!

The cruise was unforgettable - the highlight was seeing fur seals basking in the rocks but it was just an amazing place to be - a privilege to visit somewhere so unspoilt and ruggedly beautiful. 

We cruised to the end of the fiord where it meets the Tasmin sea, which can be rough but not today.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves - these were taken on my phone and Bethany will have better ones to do it proper justice.

At one point the engine was turned off and we had two minutes of silence.  Appropriate as it's sometimes called the Sound of Silence.

Big smiles from us - it was a very long day, reversing all the various legs to get back to town, but definitely not to be missed.

Day 6 Friday - Te Anau

After a wonderful Sherwood breakfast (scrambled egg on sourdough and waffles with crème brulé and berries) we headed out of Queenstown for the 100 mile drive to the Fiordland.  For several miles the road clings to the edge of the lake with dramatic mountains above - then it becomes green farmland with lambs scattered in lush countryside.  We also spotted some alpacas and a herd of deer.  After a bit of drizzle during the drive we arrived at Te Anau to blue sky and checked into our accommodation before taking a stroll round the lake.

We visited a bird sanctuary and then had some late lunch and down time before joining a cruise that took us across the lake to the glow worm caves.

The boat ride was lovely in the late afternoon sun and we landed at a wooded area and entered the caves in small groups - we ended up just us with a guide called Vedant and he was very enthusiastic telling us about the formation of caves and the life of glow worms. When it came to taking the boat through the cave, with only two passengers he said we could lie back on the benches and look up to the cave roof to see the tiny strings of light above. With just the lapping of the water against the boat and total darkness apart from the little clusters of light it was a very tranquil experience.  Back on the lake the sun was setting and we were ready to get back to town as tomorrow is going to be a big day.

Day 5 Thursday - Queenstown

Queenstown sits on the shores of the 50 mile long Lake Wakatipu, but the town is compact and we started by exploring around the waters edge where people were sitting in the sun having coffees, ice-cream etc and being entertained by an unusual busker.

This is Happy the Famous Singing Dog of Queenstown - check out his Facebook page and hear him sing!

After enjoying the waterside attractions we headed for the Skyline gondala which takes you up for a 220 degree view of mountains, lake and town far below which is just stunning.

Back to ground level we checked out the Botanic gardens then collected our hire car and headed round the lake to Bob's Cove - it's an area that features on LOTR tours and the track takes you through a beech wood then a steep climb to Picnic Point where you get the most amazing panoramic views over turquoise water - running out of superlatives!

After a brief stop back in town for food we headed up to Arthur's Point where we had a date with a hot tub with yet another very impressive view.

Back at the ranch we've enjoyed local cherries and relaxing after another busy day.

 

Day 4 Wednesday - Haast Past to Queenstown

An early start today as we had to rendezvous at 7.45 am at the bus stop - and a complete change of weather with the clouds down to base of mountains.  We headed off on the twisty road south flanked by dense rainforest - lots of hairpin bends and river crossings until we ran along the coast where we stopped at Ship Creek where there was amazing driftwood and small Hector dolphins playing in the surf as the cloud began to lift.

Next the Haast pass, which turns inland across the Southern Alps and is one of the most isolated places in NZ - no people, power, telephone, WiFi for miles. The alpine ridges tower above with deep valleys below but towards Wanaka views widen again and the road hugs the side of Lake Wanaka then Lake Hawea. These are huge icy blue glacial lakes of stunning beauty - we will return to Wanaka later in the trip.

Onwards is Cromwell where wine is produced as well as fruit growing and after this the turn off to Arrowtown before we reached the outskirts of Queenstown, our stop for the next two nights. We're staying at Sherwood - it's a recycled 80s motel that's now an eco community complete with allotment, fire pits, yoga classes and curtains made of army blankets - what's not to like 💕? It was a long day travelling some 350 km but we've made it to the far South.

Day 3 Tuesday - Glacier and rainforest

With jetlag behind us we were fully energised for some tramping - the NZ term for hiking. The first walk of the day was to view the Franz Joseph glacier and we were lucky as the summit appeared out of the clouds as we reached the viewing point. It's very majestic but it was sad to learn how much it's receeded in recent years due to global warming. It also has a slightly brown tinge as a result of the recent Australian bush fires.

The next walk took us on the Robert's Point track which is classed as advanced level. It starts as a pretty easy stroll through the rainforest but ten minutes in we found out why you need to be fit as it's all uphill, necessitates climbing over rocks, traversing streams and crossing swinging suspension bridges, one being 111 meters long across the valley - don't look down!

Being the second walk of the day we stopped at the half way mark Hende's Hut so we could get the 5 pm shuttle back to town but it was an amazing experience as well as an extreme workout in the heat.

On our way back to the carpark we took the track to Peter's Pool which gives reflective views of the glacier mountains.

On arrival back we were greeted by a young lady who works here giving us freshly baked scones - the perfect accompaniment to our well earned cuppa.

After rest and food we managed to raise ourselves to join a night-time glow worm hunt - tiny larvae that glow through bioluminescence.  We went on a short walk from our accommodation and they were in a hedge glowing like tiny fairy lights. Final step count today over 29K...

Day 2 Monday - Transalpine Rail Journey

We had an early start having booked on the 8.15 am Transalpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth, one of the world's most scenic rail journeys. After crossing the flat Canterbury plains for around an hour the train reaches the southern alps and begins its climb to the high country sheep station of Craigieburn. There's dramatic scenery as the train clings and climbs, crossing four viaducts and passing through several tunnels before reaching Arthur's Pass station where there's a brief stop.

The next part of the journey brought another change of scenery as we travelled through lush rainforest then followed the River Grey into Greymouth where everyone disembarks after the 5 hour ride.

Next we got on a coach which took us

along the west coast heading south. We made a stop at the gold mining town of Hokitika and had ice-cream by the Tasmin sea. Apparently fame is around the corner for this town as it's about to feature in a BBC dramatisation of the prize winning book 'The Luminaries' by Eleanor Catton, a drama set Hokitika in the 1860s goldrush.

Onwards we passed through several small towns - one so small it has a population of just 2, a bushman called Peter and his wife who famously sell possum pie!  The road got narrower and then became one lane due to slips caused by rain storms which are common in this wet rainforest region. By contrast the sun was out today so coming towards our destination of Franz Joseph we got great views of Mount Cook which is NZ highest mountain and also the glacier mountains where we are staying for a couple of nights.

Jet lag was a bit of an issue for me last night so hoping the mountain air will do the trick!