On to Te Anau

December 27, 2014

We woke up and had breakfast then hopped in the car to drive to Te Anau.  We had a horse riding adventure on the beach in Dunedin scheduled, but we decided we would rather drive straight through  to Te Anau rather than wait around all morning to go horseback riding at 1:00 p.m. We would have to wait until then because it is tide dependent and the beach will be underwater until then.  So, we cancelled the horseback riding and headed to Te Anau.  

I drove the first leg and drove for about 3 hours.  It is really fun driving curvy roads because the car has really tight steering and handles the corners well (it is a Ford Falcon XR6).  We also saw loads of sheep, cattle, horses, and deer.  The deer are fenced in in large herds and we think they are being raised for venison.  With animals left right and center, I have seen a lifetimes worth of animals pooping.  It made me laugh when we passed a sign that said "Horse Poo - $1 a bag"!

David took over for the last two hours, so it was nice to relax a bit.  Unfortunately an hour outside of Te Anau, it started to pour down rain.  We were so bummed, because we were looking forward to spending a lovely afternoon there.  

When we arrived at our hotel just after 1:00 p.m. there was a sign on the door saying that they would be out to lunch from 1 - 2.  Bummer!  So we headed to town and stopped at the Pop In Cafe and had chocolate raspberry muffins and coffee and hot chocolate.  It had a nice view of the lake, so we sat and watched the rain come down over the lake.  

Next we went to the visitor's center to find out about the weather and things to do.  The weather is supposed to clear up tomorrow, so that will be nice for our drive to Milford Sound.  We wanted to do some kayaking, but every time we tried to book, they were either full or they wouldn't take anyone younger than 14.

So, after realizing that our paddling Milford Sound was not going to happen, we decided that we would just drive out and do all of the hikes along the way.  So we headed back to the hotel and checked in.  We have a lovely two bedroom place with a large living room and small kitchen amenities.  The master bedroom and living room open onto a balcony that overlooks the lake.  The view is spectacular.  It is nice to just get settled in and enjoy the view.  There are boats moored offshore as well as a seaplane.  Too bad it is raining, or we would sit out on the balcony...

After enjoying our little place, we decided to take a walk on the lakeshore pathway.  Jason wanted to swim in the lake, but the rest of us were too cold.  So we walked down to the yacht club and watched Jason take the polar challenge.  The water was around  55 degrees Fahrenheit.  Brrrrrrr!!!

Since it was still raining, we decided to have dinner at the Pop In again.  The kids wanted to eat at home, so they walked down with us and we got takeout for them and they headed back home.  David and I stayed to sit and enjoy the view before heading back to our place.  This is where we are staying from the outside.  We have the top level apartment along the front facing the river.  That side window is from the living room/breakfast bar area which has a great view of the lake as well.

The sun came out a bit, so we spent the evening on our balcony.  The riverfront got quite a bit busier when the sun came out and we really enjoyed watching all of the people go by.  It stays light past 10 p.m. so it was really easy to just stay out there because it was actually quite warm outside.

A lovely evening, now off to bed...