Ok, so I know haven't written anything in a couple of days, so I'll try to get it all in here, hoping that my internet connection stays strong.
The plan on Thursday was to drive from Dunedin down to some place called "Nugget Point Lighthouse", which I had seen on the "things to do in NZ" website, but didn't really have any sense of what it was like. Although I had also seen a number of other possible things to do in the area, the lighthouse was pretty high on the list. Having already learned that the "scenic route" anywhere was worth taking, we were keeping our eyes open. And we hadn't even gotten onto the highway when we saw one, so off to the left towards the ocean we drove.
Within minutes there was a sign for "Tunnel Beach", one of the things that I had hoped to see, and another thing that I didn't really know much about except that I had seen a photo online and it looked pretty. When we got to the parking area it was pretty full, only one spot left. The sign said "Beach, 1 hour return". Hmmm. I think I can do that, and we have a fair bit of time. So off we go. The first section is gravelly, loose, and fairly steep, and it quickly becomes apparent that the 1 hour return is probably going to be 15 minutes down and 45 minutes back up. So we keep going. Down. Further. Down some more. And more. More steeply, and soon we realize that it''s probably more than 1 hour unless you're an Olympic athlete, which neither of us is. Uh oh. But then we get a glimpse of the tunnel. And the trek back up is definitely going to be worth it. We hope.
This is unreal. Wow. Down some more. And more. And more. Beginning to wonder if these new-fangled leg muscles are actually defective. But then we're there, and it's amazing. Wow.
The drive up to the top of the "hill" to see Nugget Point Lighthouse is at times somewhat narrow and not for the faint of heart. But this pales in comparison to yet another long hike and climb. A sign warns "beware of cliffs", another "caution, exposed sections". Ok, so we'll stay to the inside, and to hell with the "keep to the left" shit. The view is stunning, and we haven't even gotten there yet.
Hiking out to the lighthouse is not as steep, either up or down, as the previous walk of the day at Tunnel Beach. But once out there, it is much more apparent how incredibly high up we are. The sign "beware of cliffs" takes on more meaning. The sea is an amazing shade of blue-green, and we can see a few seals way down on the beach. The wind is so strong that it feels like it could blow away anything you haven't got a good grip on. It is mesmerizing. Wow.
Time to head back. We have a long drive to Te Anau yet, and we're not sure of what we'll find for supper. But it's all good. We roll in about 7 p.m., and the host at Shakespeare House B&B assures us that we should be able to find something to eat, most places are open till 9 (and it is Friday night).
This morning we woke early to make sure we had breakfast (it was awesome, thanks Ray!) and head out to have lots of time to stop on the way to Milford Sound. The tickets are for the 1:35 cruise, but it's a couple of hours drive time, and I'm pretty sure we'll need an extra couple of hours to stop and gawk at the scenery. I wasn't wrong. But the wind is strong along Lake Te Anau and quite cold. So we don't stay anywhere very long. Even so, by the time we get closer (about 2/3 of the way) to the departure point, we find we are getting pretty low on time. So it makes sense to keep going, and then stop on the way back at the scenic lookouts.
The drive itself, as my friend Ian had mentioned, was worth it. Every five minutes, one of us is saying "Wow!". The mountains, the plains, the clouds, the raw beauty, is simply breathtaking. And it just keeps getting more amazing the further we go. Finally, we reach the parking lot and it is packed, but a young lad helps us find a spot. Then we have to rush to get our boarding pass, and it is only a few minutes till we are safely tucked on the Real Journeys M.V. Sinbad.
It is raining and very chilly, but then, we are in a temperate rain forest. The advantage to rain here is that there will be many extra waterfalls. There are five permanent waterfalls, but many narrow (but very long/tall/high?) waterfalls that are mostly just runoff. For the most part, we don't even take too many pictures, because it's not possible, even with a wide-angle lens, to capture what we're seeing, it's simply too big, and we are too close. Wow.
More photos to follow. There are a few, but because of the rain, my lens had some water spotting that was hard to keep up with, so I need to take care of many photos before sharing.
On the way back to Te Anau after the cruise, we do take time to stop at a couple of the places we missed going up to the Sound. The best was The Chasm. Or maybe it was the field of lupins. Or maybe it was the kea (mountain parrot). Well, anyway, we kept saying "Wow!" every few minutes.
The plan on Thursday was to drive from Dunedin down to some place called "Nugget Point Lighthouse", which I had seen on the "things to do in NZ" website, but didn't really have any sense of what it was like. Although I had also seen a number of other possible things to do in the area, the lighthouse was pretty high on the list. Having already learned that the "scenic route" anywhere was worth taking, we were keeping our eyes open. And we hadn't even gotten onto the highway when we saw one, so off to the left towards the ocean we drove.
Within minutes there was a sign for "Tunnel Beach", one of the things that I had hoped to see, and another thing that I didn't really know much about except that I had seen a photo online and it looked pretty. When we got to the parking area it was pretty full, only one spot left. The sign said "Beach, 1 hour return". Hmmm. I think I can do that, and we have a fair bit of time. So off we go. The first section is gravelly, loose, and fairly steep, and it quickly becomes apparent that the 1 hour return is probably going to be 15 minutes down and 45 minutes back up. So we keep going. Down. Further. Down some more. And more. More steeply, and soon we realize that it''s probably more than 1 hour unless you're an Olympic athlete, which neither of us is. Uh oh. But then we get a glimpse of the tunnel. And the trek back up is definitely going to be worth it. We hope.
This is unreal. Wow. Down some more. And more. And more. Beginning to wonder if these new-fangled leg muscles are actually defective. But then we're there, and it's amazing. Wow.
Now that I see the pictures I took, I can't believe I ddn't take more. But I think I was simply awestruck. Seeing people on top of the formation as tiny specks, then looking up at where we had come from, and it just put things in a whole new perspective. I wish I could post all my photos, but you'll just have to keep watching for later posts. The trek back up is long, arduous, and character-building. But I think my stamina is starting to return. I only stop a couple of times for air, and wish mildly for a defibrillator.
Back in the car, we are silent for a while, it was just too much to take in the grandeur. Too bad the sky was so gray, but the weather doesn't always cooperate with travel plans. Next stop, Nugget Point Lighthouse.
Although I have punched in the destination into Google maps on my phone, we don't really need it. There are signs that make it quite clear where to go. Sort of. But of course, the drive there is half the fun, and we find some lovely scenery along the way. The sun has decided to finally cooperate, and the tide is on it's way out.
The drive up to the top of the "hill" to see Nugget Point Lighthouse is at times somewhat narrow and not for the faint of heart. But this pales in comparison to yet another long hike and climb. A sign warns "beware of cliffs", another "caution, exposed sections". Ok, so we'll stay to the inside, and to hell with the "keep to the left" shit. The view is stunning, and we haven't even gotten there yet.
Hiking out to the lighthouse is not as steep, either up or down, as the previous walk of the day at Tunnel Beach. But once out there, it is much more apparent how incredibly high up we are. The sign "beware of cliffs" takes on more meaning. The sea is an amazing shade of blue-green, and we can see a few seals way down on the beach. The wind is so strong that it feels like it could blow away anything you haven't got a good grip on. It is mesmerizing. Wow.
Time to head back. We have a long drive to Te Anau yet, and we're not sure of what we'll find for supper. But it's all good. We roll in about 7 p.m., and the host at Shakespeare House B&B assures us that we should be able to find something to eat, most places are open till 9 (and it is Friday night).
This morning we woke early to make sure we had breakfast (it was awesome, thanks Ray!) and head out to have lots of time to stop on the way to Milford Sound. The tickets are for the 1:35 cruise, but it's a couple of hours drive time, and I'm pretty sure we'll need an extra couple of hours to stop and gawk at the scenery. I wasn't wrong. But the wind is strong along Lake Te Anau and quite cold. So we don't stay anywhere very long. Even so, by the time we get closer (about 2/3 of the way) to the departure point, we find we are getting pretty low on time. So it makes sense to keep going, and then stop on the way back at the scenic lookouts.
The drive itself, as my friend Ian had mentioned, was worth it. Every five minutes, one of us is saying "Wow!". The mountains, the plains, the clouds, the raw beauty, is simply breathtaking. And it just keeps getting more amazing the further we go. Finally, we reach the parking lot and it is packed, but a young lad helps us find a spot. Then we have to rush to get our boarding pass, and it is only a few minutes till we are safely tucked on the Real Journeys M.V. Sinbad.
It is raining and very chilly, but then, we are in a temperate rain forest. The advantage to rain here is that there will be many extra waterfalls. There are five permanent waterfalls, but many narrow (but very long/tall/high?) waterfalls that are mostly just runoff. For the most part, we don't even take too many pictures, because it's not possible, even with a wide-angle lens, to capture what we're seeing, it's simply too big, and we are too close. Wow.
More photos to follow. There are a few, but because of the rain, my lens had some water spotting that was hard to keep up with, so I need to take care of many photos before sharing.
On the way back to Te Anau after the cruise, we do take time to stop at a couple of the places we missed going up to the Sound. The best was The Chasm. Or maybe it was the field of lupins. Or maybe it was the kea (mountain parrot). Well, anyway, we kept saying "Wow!" every few minutes.
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