Day 30 - Southern Scenic Road to Fiordland

01/13/2015

The alarm goes off at 7:00 am because I might want to take a detour to Te Anau if the road isn't too bad. So I get in the car at 9:00 am and head to Balclutha and from there to Gore via Highway 1. Interestingly, the highway initially passes through a town called Clinton and from there to Gore, and it is marked with a sign saying Presidential Highway. Although I am sure that the towns had these names before the US President and Vice President came along. Somewhere around Lumsden, the first snow-capped peaks become clearly visible. Twenty kilometers later, at Mossburn, I now turn south for my detour and find myself surrounded by an incredible scenery of mountains, hills, and still the largest flocks of sheep I have seen in New Zealand so far. Beautiful wildflowers grow along the roadside, the sun is shining, and yes, it's even 20 degrees warm now and not as windy as yesterday. I drive through Ohai to Clifden, where I visit and cross a more than 100-year-old suspension bridge as the cultural highlight of the day.

Clifden Suspension Bridge

Just a moment ago, I was completely alone here and walking on the half of the bridge, but it gets noisy behind me - a small group of Japanese people approaches. They always come in groups, usually traveling in minibusses. So I leave New Zealand's once longest suspension bridge and continue driving.

The road now runs pretty straight to the north, and at 3:00 pm, I reach Manapouri, which is set against the incredible backdrop of the Hunter Mountains, the Kepler Mountains, and of course the beautiful Lake Manapouri. Wonderful!

Only 20 kilometers further, I'm already in Te Anau. I find my hotel, which is built like a small western town. The room is nice and spacious and has a patio door leading to a small garden. I can park my car right in front of the door, so I can finally unload the big bag - the first time since Wellington.

I walk down to the lake, get a coffee, sit by the shore, and just watch what's going on there. Every 20 minutes, a helicopter lands, offering scenic flights and boat tours on Lake Te Anau.

Lake Te Anau

But I don't do that now. Instead, I enjoy the sun, which is not burning as strong anymore. I stroll down the main street and decide to have dinner in the pizzeria a few minutes before 6:00 pm, where I ate last year as well. Today, I can sit outside, and the sun warms my back. Last year, it was really cold and foggy here.

Te Anau

In the hotel, I enjoy the evening because it immediately gets cold when the sun is gone. Night temperature: 9 degrees!

Daily mileage: 349km