We awoke to that familiar pitter patter of rain on the roof of the van, which was contrary to the forecast as it was predicted to be a good weather day today. We opted for having a lie in as it was not only raining, but also the coldest that it’s been since we arrived in NZ, plus the fact that it’s Sunday! By 08.30 we were up and about and whilst we may have liked a little longer in bed, we had to vacate the site by 10.00. The commando troop must have also left the site as there were no surplus undergarments in the showers today, just a very large, dead cockroach. One on its own doesn’t make much of a breakfast, but that’s all that was available.
A quick dump of waste water and we were on our way, with the rain easing off as we departed Queenstown. The road to Te Anau runs beside the banks of Lake Wakatipu and had there not been such low clouds hiding the mountains, the scenery would have been even more special than it already was. As we approached the end of the lake, the clouds lifted a little and the mountains became more visible making the journey that much more enjoyable.
By the time we turned off highway 6 at Five Rivers, the sun was pushing through the thinning cloud and it was turning into a pleasant day. By Mossburn it was time for a brewup and a dunk, so we pulled into a picnic area and brewed. We were making good time and arrived in Te Anau around 12.30. The campsite is probably the best one to date; even better than Franz Joseph. The facilities are spotless, with a modern kitchen area and shower room floor and wall tiles that would not look out of place in your own home.
We’re here for three nights, with the intention of visiting Milford Sound and Doubtless Sound. Having discussed the options with the very obliging reception staff, we have elected to do a tour of Milford Sound tomorrow, Doubtless on Tuesday and the weather is supposed to be good on both days, so fingers crossed. One of the other things the receptionist suggested that we do was to go to the local cinema and watch a film about the Fijordland area of New Zealand. After Maureen hit the laundry room and I went to fill up some more space on the memory card in my camera, we left the campsite and headed for the pictures. Considering it’s still summer and it’s Sunday, there doesn’t seem to be anyone around and more especially, there was nobody sailing or boating on Lake Te Anau. This is strange as the campsite is pretty full and not just with foreign tourists.
Just like the cinemas at home, you can order a drink and take it with you to your seat. Speaking of which, they were absolutely huge and very comfortable. Apparently, the local guy who made the film was a helicopter pilot and it took him 10 years to put it all together. The big problem was that when he finished the film, there was no cinema to show his work. Naturally the simple answer was to build his own cinema, so he did. The film and soundtrack was excellent, gave a really good representation of Fijordland and set our expectations for the next couple of days.
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