Another Remarkables Day...

Te Anau, New Zealand

May 17, 2007
S 45°24.852
E 167°42.591

Hugging the lake’s edge, the road from Queenstown zigzagged around the mountain range known as The Remarkables. Again, the contrast between the sapphire lake, the granite cliffs, and the reflection of the autumn sun off the golden grass fields was as stunning as the first time we saw it. As we snatched one last look at the lake in the rearview mirror the road relaxed and took us straight for Fiordland National Park, specifically Te Anau.

In front of us were massive snowcapped mountains as far as the eye could see. The granite was glistening against the blue skies in the foreground. Behind the mountain range were dark, heavy clouds surely bringing more rain and snow.

The drive to Te Anau from Queenstown was a remarkably easy 187 KM. We arrived at the Te Anau Top 10 Holiday Park, arranged a bus and boat cruise tour of Milford Sound for tomorrow, and immediately set out to check out the quaint and very quiet town of Te Anau.

Te Anau has its purpose, a starting point for those going to Fiordland National Park and people who are heading out on the many treks in the area. The main street is lined with travel agents, internet cafes, tourist knick knack shops and little cafes conducive to resting an achy body after a trip through the mountains. However, being the “off season,” the town seemed almost deserted, with the exception of a sheep-dog in the back of his pick-up and a few wandering backpackers; we felt like we had the town to ourselves.

We were tempted to tackle the Milford or Routeburn Treks. However, after visiting the Te Anau Department of Conservation and hearing stories from a couple that attempted Milford yesterday and had to retreat to emergency shelter last night due to intense snow, rain and wind… enough said, we decided to play it safe. Hiking this time of year in Fiordland is equivalent to backpacking through Mt. Hood or the Sierra Nevada Mountains in late November—not very smart.

We’re off to Milford Sound tomorrow, supposedly the most beautiful area in all of New Zealand… lots of hype, hopefully it will live up to it’s reputation. We’ll let you know.