We spend most of the day on the highway 1 south to Te Anau, a small town on the banks of Lake Te Anau, gateway to the most magnificent scenery in Southland, the Fiordlands of Doubtful and Milford Sounds. Most of this spectacular area of mountain ranges and sea inlets is only accessible by foot, crossing the peaks and valleys via the popular Milford, Kepler and Routeburn tracks. When we enquire about the Milford Track we find the hut accommodation provided by the Department of Conservation has been booked up solid til March next year- it's supposedly the best tramp in New Zealand. We attempt a day walk on the Kepler Track however, leaving from our campsite in Te Anau at 7.30am. The first few hours are fine and sunny and while we ascend towards the first hut enroute we enjoy the beech forest and impressive limestone bluffs. However, approaching the top of the climb, rain starts to fall and by the time we're crossing the exposed tussockland where, on a good day a fabulous view across Lake Te Anau and beyond can be appreciated, the rain has turned to driving sleet hitting our faces with the force of gale force winds behind it, and we decide we've done enough. Coming back down the increasing rainfall has turned the path into a river and our lack of waterproof trousers causes us to be continually uncomfortable. We're satisfied with ourselves that we managed to clock up 36km today but, by the time we arrive back at the campsite even our so-called 'waterproof' hiking boots are full of water. Not very pleasant. However, a hot shower, cup of tea and some dry clothes later, we feel 100% better. The Fiordland National Park can experience up to 6m of rain each year which does help to contribute to the lush rainforest type vegetation but does also mean you must expect at least one heavy deluge during your trip.
The following morning is a different story thankfully. We take the sunny drive down to nearby Lake Manapouri, a stopping off point for cruises on the Doubtful Sound.
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We catch a boat ride out across the lake to see the largest underground hydro electric power station in New Zealand, which harnesses the force created from the lake water gushing through metres of underground tunnels. To build it was a controversial proposal back in the 1960s, due to it's unsightly structure in the midst of the beautiful fiordlands, but the unique position between Lake Manapouri and the sea waters of Doubtful Sound convinced objectors (the level of the lake sits at 180m above sea level so the difference allows for a massive drop to create the energy). We're bussed underground down through an access tunnel 200m below the surface to view the huge generator hall,
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where we're also given an explanation of how the station was gouged out of the mountain by hand using an immense workforce drafted in from around the world. The station now produces the most energy from any hydro plant in the country. We exit into the mountain air again and are driven to the mouth of the Doubtful Sound visible from the only road in the entire area, built purely for connections from Lake Manapouri to Doubtful. It has no link to the other side of the lake other than by boat.
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Later, back on dry land, we make a small detour to the Wairau River and the opposite end of the Kepler Track, primarily because this is where they filmed the River Anduin scene in Lord of the Rings (where Arwen conjures up the white horses to defeat the Nazgul) and the Dead Marshes..JPG)
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the 'Dead Marshes'
The evening itself is very pleasant so I enjoy the tramp up to the viewpoint across the wetlands (they don't seem as spooky as in the film) and back again.
