Dunedin to Te Anau

The Journey

Unusually, a late start because we visit the excellent Settlers Museum in Dunedin and the Cathedral before heading out, detailed in the previous post. So we decide, after a supermarket shop, to take the most direct route to Te Anau. The wind is seriously strong, which makes piloting the slab sided motorhome quite an exciting experience....

...Talking of piloting, we spot an aircraft museum and small airstrip at Gore as we weave along so we call in. Wonderful. They keep a brace of Tiger Moths, a De Haviland Rapide amongst others, all in flying order. They also have radio controlled scale models of the full size 'planes. We spend a while here and move over little friendly cafe and I consume another (gluten free) friand and yoghurt (yo'gurt) with the flat white. They sure know how to live here.

Gore Aircraft Museum

Eventually arrive around 5.30pm, to find the corresponding Caravan Club tour have grabbed the best places. Their vans are all branded 'Jucy Lucy' with a rather suggestive logo. Very non European that.

Te Anau

A really nice little tourist town. We have another night here with a coach and boat trip to Milford Sound arranged and what a great second day it turns out to be.
We get up a 6am, shower, and we're on the coach at 7.15.

We see Mirror Lake on the way but the boat trip on Milford Sound, out to the Tasman Sea and back really is wonderful. Summed up by a travelling companion: ' This beats our cruise through the Norwegian Fjords'. Enough said.

On reflection, not a bad photo... (now, why do they call it mirror lake?)

Our boat

That's a little too close Cap'n...

Mmmm...

We booked a boat trip and 'punt' through the 'Glow worm Caves' on the interweb yesterday with a couple of like minded travelling companions so, after the trip, we are dropped off in the town (Te Anau) in time for a look round and a coffee.. and then to set off to the glow worm caves. Absolutely fascinating. After a fast catamaran ride across the lake, we travel in a small boat through pitch black caves, looking up at hundreds of glow worms and then learn about them from enthusiasts. Great. No cameras, 'phones, Go Pros allowed though, so make do with this from the wall of the centre...

We get back to the van around 8.30pm and I recon that Sue (who doesn't travel at all well in boats or coaches) has been brilliant. Early night!