Ramble
Quest - Peaceful Te Anau.
I'm randomly dropped off at the TeAnau Lakeview Holiday Park, which turns out to be a good place, very clean with lovely flower gardens. Te Anau is yet another scenic town at the edge of a beautiful large lake surrounded by hills. It is quieter than Queenstown and Wanaka but much larger than Glenorchy. Actually, I think Te Anau is just the right size.
Aside from the being a trekking jumping off spot for Milford, Kepler and Routeburn, Te Anau is famous for the nearby Te Ana-au Caves. A long but beautiful boat ride across the lake takes you to these caves. A short hike brings you inside to see incredible rushing streams and underground waterfalls. These are very young caves but the fast moving water grew them quickly. Then it's into boats to be pulled slowly along to see the many glow worms here. I'm glad I got to see the glowworms close up in the woods because you can't see them like that here. However, there are many of them and it is a bit like star gazing.
The free Wildlife Center is worth a look if only to get a look at the rare and oddly beautiful takahe. This flightless bird, cousin to the much less appealing pukeko, was once thought to be extinct. Even after ambitious breeding programs there still isn't much more than 200 of them. This is one of those sad cases where the days are probably numbered for a species, which added a solumn reverence to my observation of one.
Nearby Ivon Wilson park was good for a quiet walk around a pond. A few well lanscaped parks surround the main part of town. It's just a lovely and laid back place.
I'd decided to do one more NZ tramp and was originally leading towards Stewart Island. However, despite feeling a bit trekked out at the moment, I find it impossible to resist the lure of the Kepler. You see, the Kepler Track was the first New Zealand trail to catch my attention many years ago. It has some tremendous merits, such as varied vegetation, including alpine, plus it's a circular route that can be started right from town! Add in the promise of great weather for the next few days and I immediately find myself buying hut tickets at the DOC office.
Heading in for the last great kiwi tramp!