Argitaratu: 11.02.2018
The plan for today was originally to drive directly from Dunedin to Te Anau. According to our research beforehand, many travelers mentioned the long distance. However, since we have been traveling through the country for several days now, we could imagine extending the tour a bit and including Nugget Point and Slope Point (southernmost point of NZ) in the south on our tour. On the map you can now see the final route for today.
This morning we started with gray skies and light rain. Even though there are hardly any attractions in Dunedin, we wanted to see one... Baldwin Street. The New Zealanders sell this street as the steepest street in the world... There is some truth to that. The street is so steep that you can't believe you can drive up it by car. Actually, you're not even allowed to drive on it (at least as a tourist), but it was Sunday morning and we just did it. Whee...! The New Zealanders use it as an outdoor studio and train there with weights while running up and down the street. Unbelievable! Then we continued to Nugget Point. Here stands a lighthouse and around it are large rocks (Nuggets) sticking out of the sea. On the way to Slope Point, we made a short stop at Purakaunui Waterfall. After just a 10-minute walk through the forest, we were right at the waterfall. Not very spectacular, but it was on the way. :-) Then we went to Slope Point. After a short walk, we were at the southernmost tip of New Zealand. In just over 10 days, we will be at the northernmost point. From there, we drove to Te Anau. A small, very touristy town with 2000 residents and 3000 guest beds. The town is located on the lake of the same name. This is New Zealand's second largest lake. Our accommodation is a 10-minute walk from the lake. Te Anau is the hub for all tours to the fjord landscapes. That is also the reason for our stay here. Tomorrow morning at 07:00, we will head to Milford Sound.