On day 3 of our road trip we drove from Queenstown to Te Anau to spend a night before our Milford Sounds cruise. The drive was along the winding shores of lake Wakatipu, surrounded by snow-capped mountain ranges and endless blue sky.
Tip: Pack a last fergburger for the road before leaving Queenstown!
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| Scenic drive out of Queenstown |
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| Rolling hills with sheep grazing |
Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in South Island of New Zealand and the town is very small mainly with visitors stopping over en-route to the Fiorland National Parks or before embarking on one of the scenic hiking tracks.
There is also a glowworm cave at Te Anau but since we have a tour booked to visit the Waitomo caves we preferred to do some light hiking (or so we thought) instead. Initially we wanted to a take boat across lake Te Anau to the starting point of the Milford track but unfortunately it
was closed. It is important to check the opening period on national park website
beforehand. The friendly receptionist at YHA where we stayed hence recommended we take a water taxi across to Brod Bay and hike part of the Kepler track instead. If you hike back directly it is supposed to be 3hours walk.
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| Our water taxi to get across lake Te Anau |
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| Lake reflecting the sky and mountains, absolutely breathtaking |
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| Arriving at Brod Bay |
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| our water taxi dropping us off |
Our driver, Steve, told us that from Brod Bay there is an easy walk to a vantage viewpoint up the hill and the detour should take us about 1.5hrs return. We soon learned the hard way that it was by the Kiwi standard, and definitely can't be applied to your average Singaporean.
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| Start of our 5.5hrs hike |
The path soon became very steep and after climbing for an hour this is what we saw.
We weren't sure if this was the "view point" Steve was referring to as by that time I was seeing stars when this was taken. Time to turn back for 3+ hours walk back to Te Anau town
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| Reward after climbing upslope for 1.5hrs |
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| Coming down was much faster. We were blessed with good weather fortunately |
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| Skipping stones at Dock Bay |
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| Boxes to trap stouts which are main predators of kiwi chicks and egg |
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| Finally reaching the start of Kepler track, only 3km more back to town |
Where to eat:
Miles Better Pies @ 2 Milford Crescent
Good for breakfast before going to Milford sound.
Where NOT to eat: Redcliff restaurant & bar
It was supposed to be the one of the best restaurants in Te Anau according to review. However we did not have a very good experience there. Firstly the service staff was one of the least friendly we've met in NZ. Also, I ordered a duck confit which was way too salty; it was like eating a bar of salt. When I tried to highlight it to the waiter, his response was a nonchalant "this is how duck confit is supposed to taste like" with a condescending scoff. Well, I think I've had enough duck confit before to know how it is supposed to taste like. In the end he refused to send it back to the kitchen and I hardly touched the rest of my main. To add more salt to the wound (oh the irony), the bill was exorbitant for a small restaurant in a small town.
Where to stay:
YHA Te Anau @ 29 Mokonui Street, Te Anau
Even though it is YHA, the double room is very nice and clean. Main thing is that the receptionist is super helpful and friendly. He really helped us out planning our hike and calling up boat companies to help us reserve a ride. There is also a very spacious common kitchen and dining area where you can chill out and talk to other fellow travelers.
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