Apologies for the distinct slowing-down of my blog entries in recent days. In remote parts of New Zealand there aren't many internet cafes and nor is there much mobile phone reception to speak of.
When I wrote my last entry, on the 16th, I had just pitched up at the lakefront in Te Anau. The next day (Thursday 17th) I went on a walk up Mount Luxmore, which overlooks the lake from the west. The summit of Mt Luxmore is a proper mountain, ie steep and pointy and covered with snow, so I obviously wasn't going to go all the way up. But there's a hut at the 1000 metre mark where one can sit and eat one's hastily prepared cheese sandwiches and enjoy some pretty special views. By the lakefront it had been dull and overcast; climbing up through the forest it was cool and misty; at the peak I was above the clouds and the sky was blue. See photos.
On Friday I boarded a bus and headed off to Milford Sound, which was obviously always going to be one of the focal points of my trip to NZ. The bus from Te Anau to the Sound stopped several times to let us all get out and take pictures, as there's nearly as much to be seen on the way as there is when you get there. The weather at the Sound itself was OK, we could see everything, but the light wasn't great (it probably would have stopped play at Lord's) so most of my photos didn't come out so well. The ones that were passable or better have been uploaded. One of them is a bit blurry but I've included it because there's a boat near the bottom of the picture which indicates the scale of the place. It goes without saying that Milford Sound is beautiful and awe-inspiring and lots of other cliched terms like that.
Yesterday I headed out to the south coast, and then east to the Catlins, where there are sea lions and lighthouses and also a signpost marking the South Island's southernmost tip. (Sadly by this point my camera had died completely for some reason and it doesn't look likely to recover, so I don't have any more photos. Fortunately, said camera didn't cost me anything! I 'liberated' it from a former employer who will remain nameless. I will buy a new one in duty free next time I'm in an airport, which has obviously happened to me rather often of late.) Stayed the night in Owaka, a rather bleak and desolate place but a very plush hostel, and today drove up to Dunedin. Here I experienced the joys ofthe world's steepest street - Baldwin Street. If you don't believe me then look it up. Also went up the Otago Peninsula in the hope of finding penguins and sea lions and stuff, but sadly without success.Indeed New Zealand as a whole is not all that great for wildlife. The forests I've walked through have been almost eerily quiet, apart from the odd wood pigeon. My insect repellent has gone unused. Evidently there was an abundant and diverse bird population in New Zealand for many millions of years, until humans came along and brought with them cats and dogs and (especially) stoats, animals which developed a penchant for climbing trees and eating bird's eggs and thus just about wiping the poor little tweeters out. As mentioned in the previous entry, me and my hired Nissan have been making sturdy progress in finishing them off completely. Humans eh?
Hope everyone is well! Next update from me in another day or two (or three, or four...)
 |
| Milford Sound |
 |
| Milford Sound |
 |
| Milford Sound |
 |
| Milford Sound |
