Day 4

5th April 2010

Day 5. Weather took a turn for the better. Breakfast was butter & Easter spice buns on a jetty overlooking the gorgeous Lake Wakatipu and the remarkable mountain range, aptly named The Remarkables.

Jetty in front of caravan park

The Remarkables looked their best at approx. 5pm when the dusk light hits on their granite faces and highlights every crevices. This morning though, they looked muted & flat. Before we had a chance to dig in, a flock of wild mandarin ducks made a beeline for us.

Led by this chap

Followed by his alpha female

After letting them squabble for our food, it was interesting to note that they had quite a distinctive social hierarchy. The alpha male & female are clearly notable with their positions in the lake - right in front of us where the immediate food source is. Another distinctive feature is that the no other male looked as handsome as Mr. Alpha and no other females, as regal as Mrs. Alpha. And finally, they are all in pairs.

Of course, they are mandarin ducks after all! If they were not so romantic, I may be inclined to roast them for tea.

After brekkie, we started on to a place called Te Anau from Frankton and this short drive is a fine example of how the journey is usually more of an adventure than the destination itself. Took the highway that hugs the edge of the mountain range on our left side and we have the shimmering Wakatipu on our right.

From highway looking towards lake and more mountain range opposite

Devil's Staircase

Scenic route

This beautiful stretch of road ran on for about 40km. From a junction called Five Rivers, we made a turn and passed Mossburn. Another hour later, we arrived in the quaint little town of Te Anau.

I have, unfortunately no photos of Te Anau. It's a little lakeside town dotted with cafes, your everyday-retail shops and it is the last civilised area before Milford Sound - one of NZ's top attractions, which is where we are headed. We lunched & re-fueled before booking in for our activity in Milford Sound. Te Anau is also the place for you to arrange transport to & fro Milford Sound, as well as cruises or kayak expeditions.

Moving through green corridors

The scenery is much greener during this part of the journey as we are entering the heart of the Fiordland where rainfall is recorded to be up 250mm (or more) in 24 hours. But today, it was all sunny and balmy.

A jetty by Lake Te Anau - the largest lake in South Island

As we drove on, we were constantly in search of snow-capped precipices. We did not see any and were frankly quite disappointed. It was early autumn, & perhaps too early for snow peaks.

Could not resist a signature jump in the deserted road

There are plenty of little attractive spots to stop by on the way to Milford Sound.

Like this place called Mirror Lakes

This is a small patch of lake situated amidst the august mountains, and on a calm day, it will act as a large mirror & reflect the surrounding mountains so that you are looking at an awe-inspiring parallel image. D could not capture the awe-inspiring mirror because some ducks were splashing about, creating unsightly ripples. (or so he says)

Same freaking Mirror Lake taken by some other freaking photographer on July 2008. Without splattering ducks around I bet.

We also stopped by a 45 min-return loop walk around Lake Gunn. Had to pass through a mossy forest where it was cold, quiet and very very green!

mossy tree

Lichen and moss covered every inch of the tree trunks, boulders & formed a velvety green carpet along the track. The area had a perpetual moist-ness to it and I felt quite sticky & uncomfortable. Not to mention, unbearably cold.

Amidst green covers

River leading to Lake Gunn

As we got closer to Milford Sound, the scenery altered slightly with more exciting sights around the corners.

Mini-waterfall somewhere along the journey.

Cascading whitewater

The road is now gradually winding downwards and every corner seemed to store some surprises. And it was to our utmost delight that we finally chanced upon snow-capped peaks! It was pretty cool to drive along, and witness the landscape unfurl into something dramatic.

yay!

The theatrical black granite backdrop.

To get into Milford Sound, you would have to go through Homer Tunnel. It appears to us that it is a 1-way crossing as there was a set of traffic lights & we have to wait for the green light to pass. While waiting, we explored this gigantic chunk of white mass next to the road leading into the tunnel.

suspected glacier

I couldn't remember but I think this is a glacier. Apart from a sign saying, "Do not climb ice. Ice may break" I couldn't recall any other descriptions - how it was formed, what is its age, etc. A bunch of mainland chinese people were clambering all over it anyway. I was more interested with this little creature that is poking its nose around us.

Introducing the Kea

This is our very first sighting of the highly intelligent & sociable NZ wildlife, the very rare & very curious Kea. It is an alpine parrot, and therefore exhibits parrot-like behavior. The Kea is fearless around humans and this one here, like many others are foraging around for human food. We were forbidden to feed them of course. Like many wild animals, they are discouraged to be dependant on humans.

At first glance, I thought the Kea unattractive & funny in an eccentric way. At a closer look, its feathers are actually olive-gold and gives off a subtle metallic sheen. How strange. Too close the proximity causes it to fly off and displays striking orange-vermillion feathers beneath its wings.

image courtesy of Ian McHenry

Isn't it gorgeous? Looks like the Kea is full of surprises.