Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu
View of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Te Anau & Milford Sound

Te Anau
After our trip to Queenstown, we drove to nearby Te Anau and visited the Glowworm Caves. We had a nice boat ride across the lake to the caves. 


We docked at the pier and went into the visitors center for a short explanation of what we were going to experience. We then entered the cave.


The cave was very cool to climb through. It went back into the mountain quite a ways. No photography was allowed so you'll have to take our word for it. The walkway was well planned through the labyrinth of water and falls inside. When we got to the end of the cave we climbed into a small boat and journeyed around a really small cavern in the dark. On the ceiling were a few little glowing things..... that was the worms. The brochures might have enhanced the brightness of the worms glowing a little, but we enjoyed the cave and the boat ride over anyway.

We stayed overnight in Te Anau and got up bright and early Saturday morning for our bus ride to Milford Sound where we had booked a day cruise. The bus was very nice with large picture windows on the sides and glass roof panels throughout. That was a very nice touch with all the waterfalls above. 

We made a stop at Mirror Lakes along the way. On a clear day the reflections in the lake are stunning. Even though it was overcast, I show this photo so you can see how clear the water is.

You can see the tree roots in the water.
Sister Edward loves a challenge!!

MILFORD SOUND
Before we went to Milford Sound we were told there were no bad days. If the sun is shining it's beautiful with blue skies. If it's raining it's beautiful with more waterfalls. We got the later..... and the stories were true..... there were lots and lots of waterfalls..... waterfalls on top of waterfalls. Enjoy the photos!!

Real Journeys was fantastic to travel with. The cruise featured a buffet meal and comfortable seating.
The first part of the cruise was the journey out of Milford Sound into the Tasmanian Sea. Elder Edward stayed up on the top deck for a lot of the time. The rain and wind were pretty strong at times. It gave him a chance to try out his new rain jacket.


Here you can see the waterfalls above the waterfalls.

Seemingly endless supply of water!!

Did we mention lots of waterfalls?




Some smart people stayed inside and avoided the pelting wind and rain.
On the trip back into Milford Sound the weather started to ease a little.
We were finally able to see some patches of blue sky.
And we saw more..... you guessed it..... waterfalls!!
There is beauty all around.....
Some of the inside people came out.
We were in constant awe of this spectacular place!!
Some of the local creatures enjoying the day.
When we approached this waterfall the captain backed the boat up near the falls.
Sister Edward and a waterfall..... priceless!!
One last waterfall before we docked.
Elder Edward would love to do this again sometime.
On the ride back to Te Anau we made another stop along the way. This time it was at The Chasm..... a rest area near the road. We experienced an incredible walk into a tropical paradise. Sometimes you get a bonus when you least expect it.

We followed a pathway through some of the most incredible vegetation you can imagine.


We couldn't begin to count the different shades of green.
The end of the walkway crossed a bridge over this slot carved out by water over many years of existence. A loop around and we were back on the trail out.


We made one other stop as we returned from Milford Sound. We stopped where one of the many waterfalls flows down into a nearby river. We filled our water bottles up with fresh water from the mountains. It looked clean and pure..... and tasted great.

Upon our arrival back at Te Anau we got in our car and drove back to Dunedin. It's hard to imagine all this beauty just three hours from our home in NZ. We felt gratitude for the chance to see this beautiful example of God's Creation.



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