Te Anau is a town that grew up exclusively to house tourists who go there to see some part of Fiordland, which was not all that long ago declared a World Heritage site. The town has one short main street ending at Lake Te Anau, with some nice gardens, and many restaurants and shops. It developed only over the last 50 or so years, so doesn’t really have much of a history.
Gardens along main street of Te Anau
I could not find anything on airbnb so am staying at the Villager Inn, which was built to look like a gold mining town. My room is a bank, at least on the outside! Very comfortable except I am now listening to the people in the next room arguing, thankfully in a language I don’t understand!
My motel room (the bank, with the pillars)
Today (March 1) I went on a tour of Doubtful Sound with the company Real Journeys. It was quite pleasant here in Te Anau when I left, and returned, but at Doubtful Sound it poured. Not surprising as it get 10 metres of rain a year!!!! Imagine. With the rain come numerous waterfalls cascading down the slopes, which dry up quickly when the rain stops. So the rain was actually a bonus, although a clear day would have been nice! Getting to the Sound means taking a bus to Lake Manapouri, crossing the lake (about 40 minutes), another bus ride of about 40 minutes across Wilmot Pass, and then onto the boat that toured the Sound. There were about 115 on the tour. One of the most impressive things about that area is just how remote it is. It is accessible now only because roads were built when the Manapouri Power Station was developed. Our bus drivers, who clearly had a passion for the area, provided commentary as we drove along, telling us about the rainforest we were passing through. The southern beech dominates. Tree avalanches are relatively common, as many of the trees literally grow out of the rocks, with only moss to feed their shallow roots.
Waterful in Doubtful Sound created by the rain
It’s now March 2. I’d decided to take the 5:25 pm bus to my next stop (Queenstown area), thinking I would want more time in Te Anau. As it turned out I didn’t need more time so just had a rather lazy day. Just as well, as it was one of the few dull, rainy days I’ve had on this trip. But it’s not -20, and I don’t need to shovel it!
