To Te Anau and Milford Sound and on to the Catlins.

It is today the 7th of December and we have just arrived in Dunedin. We are  far behind with our log because there was no internet available or no time to sit down and write! We left Cardrona on Sunday. The first 25 km direction Queenstown was the same road as yesterday. From there we followed a beautiful road along the southern part of lake Wakatipu. Afterwards came a flat part, actually all the way to Te Anau, but at the distance you could see the mountains. During the 190 km journey we did that day you hardly saw a village or house. Te Anau is not very big either, but there is everything you need. It is a village based on the tourism to the Milford Sound. Most people stay overnight here before they start on the trip to the Milford Sound.  We had the possibility to visit the Glowworm caves on the other side of Lake Te Anua on the day of arrival, and so we did. In Te Anua we also met 3 Dutch people in our age group (Wim,Karel and Wietske) we had been together with in Eden's Lodge in Motueka on the West coast.Funny to hear each others experiences. In the evening we had a burger on the terrace of a very locale pub, but the food was good. 

The next day we had to start early, at 7 o'clock, because we had to be at the terminal in Milford at 9.25 for the departure from our tour. Many people take a bus, but for an experienced driver from Norway these 120 km were no problem. The advantage is that you can stop whenever you want to take pictures. Especially the last part of the route into Fiordland is beautiful. On the tour on the Milford Sound we were onboard a smaller boat with a nature guide and in our tour was included a visit to a science centre which was interesting. Being back ashore,  the buses with lots of Chinese passengers/tourists had arrived. They all got on the bigger boats with their own food. It is really like an invasion. With leaving so early you also miss the big buses on the way back again. Milford Sound is quite a tourist machine. If I had the chance again I would go for the Doubtful Sound. We were tired coming "home"  and took a rest, did some laundry and had a bite in an Italian restaurant. 

On Tuesday we continued on our trip farther to the Southland and a part called the Catlins. You pass by a bigger city called Invercargill. Here we visited a local brewery. Only 5/6 people are working here and one of them, called Kelly, gave the perfect tour. There were 2 other couples again in our age group and Kiwi/ Aussies but one of the woman was of Dutch descent. She left Holland at the age of 13 with her mother and other siblings for Auckland. They never spoke one word of Dutch after that. All her Dutch was forgotten! From Invercargiil we continued to the very south where the ferrygoes to Steward Island. From here we had to hurry to get to our B&B in the Catlins. Here you have to call very often to confirm that you are coming and when you will arrive. Here we met our 3 Dutch friends again and decided to go for dinner in the local village, The Lumber Jack. They had just new owners a retired couple in there seventies! Former farmers. We can tell you this is not going to work in the long run. Our host and hostess at Greenwood Farm are also in their seventies and actually all these people are to old. You start feeling sorry for them. Tomorrow more about The Catlins.