Week 29 - Fiordland

The joy of spotting the Yellow-eyed Penguins continued into Monday. Our journey took us further along the coast. First, we stopped at Slope Point - the southernmost point of the South Island. We are very grateful that our van brought us from the northernmost point of the North Island to here. A lighthouse was also a must today, so we stopped at the Waipapa Lighthouse. Our destination was Bluff. Since there are no camping spots there, we could park and stay overnight at the local hostel for 30 NZD in the backyard. Not the prettiest camping spot, but the hot shower was a blessing.
On Tuesday, we walked around Bluff Hill and then continued on to Gemstone Beach. Here you can find semi-precious stones, so of course, we went searching. We also collected a few stones, although we don’t know if they are semi-precious or just colorful pebbles. The camping spot by the beach was really nice. However, the smell of a half-rotting whale on the beach somewhat dampened our enjoyment.
From Wednesday to Friday, we spent time off the beaten path at North Mavora Lake. The 36-kilometer gravel road took us an hour to traverse. For the first time, we looked at high mountains, some covered in snow. The view from the van was magnificent. The camping spot there can accommodate up to 1000 people and is a huge area. According to the booking site, there were 40 people there, but we only saw a handful of cars. So everything spread out nicely.
On Friday, it poured rain like from buckets. Therefore, we treated ourselves to a coffee in Te Anau before heading to our camping spot in Manapouri. From there, the ferry for our excursion: Doubtful Sound Cruise, departed the next morning at 7:30 AM. The sound (which is essentially a fjord, just formed differently) isn’t directly accessible; first, you take a ferry across Lake Manapouri, then ride a bus for 20 kilometers to board the final ship. The 2.5-hour cruise in the fjord was really fantastic. We saw dolphins, sea lions, and even the Fiordland Crested Penguins. These penguins have a distinctive yellow eyebrow. With the ship, of course, you can’t get too close, so we hope to observe these penguins again. But it was a great experience as a penguin often swam alongside us. The cruise was definitely considerate of the animals, turning off the engine immediately at each sighting to avoid disturbing them.
Since we had blue skies and pure sunshine, we drove back to Te Anau to enjoy the view of the lake. It is just so beautiful when the tall mountains rise behind the lake.
We look forward to enjoying this view in the coming weeks in Fiordland and the New Zealand Alps!

On Sunday, we headed towards the ultimate tourist hotspot: Milford Sound. Before we arrive there on Monday, we took a great hike to Key Summit today. The view was unbelievably good. Snow-covered mountains all around and a blue sky. Here, you can also find the well-known Kea birds. They are very cheeky, clever, and not shy. They are known for rummaging through open cars and removing the rubber seals from cars. Luckily, we only saw one in a tree, and our car is safe.
We clearly notice that there are many more tourists around here. The parking lots are full and the camping spots are well occupied. The high season has started, although it is still quite cold at night, in the lower single digits. We even unpacked some of our winter gear again. The days are warm, and it stays light for a long time.