Inclement weather - Blogabond

Te Anau is a sleepy little town on the shore of Lake Te Anau, with a permanent population of just 2500. But that more than doubles during high tourist season, because it's the entry point to Fiordland, home of the Milford Track and Milford Sound. Milford Sounds is one of a number of fiords along the south-west coast, but is the most spectacular. It was uncharacteristically missed twice by Captain Cook when he circumnavigated New Zealand in 1770 and 1773, and was only discovered in the early 1800s by a Welsh sealer who named it after his (and my dad's) home town of Milford Haven.

Sadly it was a very English day weather-wise when I went out on a cruise there - grey skies, mist and persistent rain. It did mean there were a lot more waterfalls in full flow, and you still got a sense of the scale of the towering mountains all around it, but I imagine it would look stunning on a sunnier day. The mountains rise straight up by between 5500 and 6500 feet on either side of the water, and descend for 1000 feet below it, but you have to see it to get a sense of the scale of the place - photos don't really do it justice.

This part of the world is also famous for the Milford Track, a 56km path from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound that takes 4 days to walk. I didn't have time for that, so just did a day trek along the first section. It's mainly a bush walk through rainforest, and is beautiful. The forest is really dense, and about 10 people a year wander off the track and are never seen again. All a bit Blair Witch.

Also received the splendid news yesterday that I'm an uncle for the third time, to Oliver Walter Jones.

written by

phileasdogg on December 3, 2008 from Te Anau, New Zealand

from the travel blog: Planes, Trains & Taxiwallahs

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