Te Anau

Took a side trip to an old gold mining town near Queenstown on our last day here. The town of Bendigo was up in the foothills above Wanaka - about an hour from here - and was as desolate as anything we've ever seen in Australia. Wouldn't have believed that New Zealand had places like this. Anyway, here's a photo of what's left of the town.


Drove over to Te Anau for a week from the 8th to the 15th. Another one of the pretty little places we visited briefly before but wanted to go back to. The weather was a little dodgy at first - rainy and cold - but it finally cleared up enough to go on some walks. Stayed cold though - lows down to 32 deg (F) at night although warming up to the 50's and 60's during the day.
Here's a picture of sunset on the first night.


Te Anau is the gateway for several terrific walks, and we tried to do them justice. Some of the prettiest trails we've seen and some great scenery along the way. Numerous LOTR film locations on the particular walk above.

It's also the gateway to Milford Sound - one of the World Heritage areas and famous for its beauty. The postcard photo is of Mitre Peak. Here's Rita standing in front of it. Not as spectacular as it would be on a sunny day, but sensational nevertheless.


Went on one of the long walks thru the mountains and eventually emerged at a trampers hut about 3 hours in. Here's the view from our lunch spot.

Heading back to Queenstown now for our last few days in this beautiful country. We're there until the 20th when we fly up to Auckland for one night, then connect with our return flight to Honolulu. Should be back home in Vancouver a week from today - or the evening of the 23rd.