Dunedin, Invercargill, and Fiordlands

My next stay was in Dunedin. This town is know for its Scottish background; Dunedin is Gallic for Edinburgh. I came to Dunedin specifically because its home to the only mainland breeding colony of Albatross in the world. Instead of taking the tour of the Albatross Center, I opted for a boat ride. Sometimes I think I’m too cheap, but at the time, I just couldn’t see spending $100 to look at some birds behind a glass enclosed viewing platform. I’m not opposed to spending money, I just want to get my money’s worth. The boat trip was great, we saw plenty of albatross, some flying pretty close to the boat, and some sitting on the water. The problem was, it was too choppy to get the great pictures I was hoping for. In retrospect, I think I would have enjoyed the tour at the center because you can see the adults feeding their chicks, but I also am pretty sure I would have been disappointed because there is a glass wall between the viewing gallery and the birds. Interesting facts I learned though, the albatross raise their young for about a year. They lay a single egg and when it hatches, both parents feed it for up to 10 months. At one point, the baby weighs far more then the adults. Once the baby leaves the nest, it won’t touch ground for 5 to 10 years, depending on the species. They only come to land for breeding and except for this mainland colony, breeding grounds are on remote islands far out to sea. It was interesting to watch them fly; unlike most birds, they hardly flap their wings. They can soar for long periods of time because their wing span is over 6 ft. They just glide along using wind currents, thus are much more efficient.

There was a farmer’s market in Dunedin so I went to check it out. It was small but had a nice variety of fresh produce and food trucks. I wandered around town a bit and stumbled upon a procession of bagpiper groups, all decked out in their finest kilts. No one seemed to know what they were doing or celebrating, but they had closed two downtown streets and put on a parade for a pretty good crowd of surprised onlookers.

Invercargill was my next destination. I had another beautiful drive down the coast on the Southern Scenic Route, which starts in Dunedin and heads south, around the southern tip, up through Fiordland National Park and on to Queenstown. I had several stops planned along the way in the Catlins Forest Park, including Purakaunui falls. This popular spot is a very short hike from a well-marked parking lot. It’s a 3-tiered waterfall that was on a NZ postage stamp. There were plenty of stops with interesting beaches and scenic overlooks. The drive from Dunedin should have taken about 2.5 hours, but with all the stops, it was an all-day adventure.

I found a walk along an estuary and enjoyed a nice easy stroll with plenty of bird life. There were lots of stilts and ducks digging in the muck for their lunch. The walk started at a wharf and I was hoping for a nice seaside hub with boat trips and seafood places, but it was nothing but an abandoned boat ramp.

After my short walk, I visited a quirky place I heard about called Demolition World. It’s basically a combination junk yard and museum. Their website describes it thus “this hidden Invercargill gem will take you on a journey back through time into a world entirely constructed from demolished buildings and recycled items.” There are a few rooms set up with themes; for example, one is filled with toys, another had a wide assortment of tools, yet another had what I guess was a variety of items you find on a farm. They aren’t necessarily set up as a display with any explanation, rather just tossed in the room and forgotten; to be taken over by dust and spider webs. There were dozens of chickens, ducks, geese, and peacocks running around, so aside from all the dust and dirt, you also had to watch where you step. The friendly owner told me to follow a path around the back for more and what I found were tiny shacks and a dilapidated covered wagon. The whole place was bizarre; like stepping back in time, to a big junk yard. The admission was just a donation and I found it interesting enough for a few dollars. The fact that it’s rated in the top 10 things to do in Invercargill should give you an idea of the size of the town.

I had a bit of downtime as it rained for 2 days, so I was more than ready when it was time to head to Manapouri and Fiordland National Park. I continued on the Southern Scenic Route and stopped at places like Cozy Nook, a picturesque cove; Gemstone Beach, I didn’t find any gemstones; and a beautiful Mores Scenic Reserve. This was another nature walk, this time through Beech trees in an old growth native forest with plenty of birdlife. The short walk ends at a lookout that emerges from deep in a forest with a stunning view of the sea. There was a field with a flock of sheep grazing; I’m sure they didn’t appreciate their stunning seaside dining experience.

Fiordland National Park is one place that was high on my list. It is one of the southern hemisphere’s great wilderness region; most of it is inaccessible except by boat, plane, or helicopter. I stayed in Manapouri because this is one of the worlds best hiking areas. There are several multiday hikes (totaling 500 KM) that get you into the wilderness; all over town you see hikers walking around with huge backpacks. I hiked several of the trails, sadly I couldn’t manage more than a few hours. What I wouldn’t give to be able to hike for 5-7 days and see some of the incredible sights! On one such day hike I ran into several people at the end of their journey. One couple were almost 70 years old and did the 5-day circuit. I was so impressed and a bit embarrassed. Here I am at 57 and 4 hours of hiking has my knees so locked up I can barely move afterwards. A bit later down the trail I came upon a young lady about 25. She was sprawled out across the trail, laying on her back, with her backpack tossed next to her. She assured me she was OK, just very tired. She perked up quite a bit when I told her she was less than an hour from the end. 20 minutes later she blew by me like I was standing still. Pace yourself my friend!

There are 2 popular sounds in the area, Milford and Doubtful. To be fair, there are 14 in total, all named ‘sound’ by the early Europeans. They are in fact, fiords not sounds. What’s the difference? A sound is a river valley that was flooded when the land sank below sea level. Fiords, on the other hand, are created by glaciers. They carve u-shaped valleys with steep cliffs on either side. Whatever they are called, the scenery is breathtaking!

The best way to see the area is by plane or helicopter. Since I’m too cheap to spend $400 for a one-hour flight, I opted for the longer, slower, cheaper boat trip around Milford Sound. Even better when I got a half price deal using www.bookme.co.nz my favorite website for travel deals, but sadly no deals for the flights. One reason I have loved staying in hostels on this trip were the many tips I’ve picked up from my fellow travelers. Wish I had known about this site in Australia! Sadly, it’s only these two countries and Fiji. I found a combo bus-boat-bus trip that drives up to Milford Sound, a 2-hour boat trip, then a slow drive back, stopping off at various spots for pictures and short hikes. It was a great way to get the most out of a one-day trip.

The fiords really are breathtaking; the high cliffs that surround the waterways are covered in trees growing on the near vertical walls. The drive along Te Anau Milford Highway was equally impressive. Fun fact - Homer Tunnel cuts through a mountain along the way. It took 20 years to build; they started out in 1933 with nothing more than picks and shovels to cut through sheer granite. There is no cement in the tunnel, it would have weakened the granite, which has survived countless earthquakes. Fun fact 2 – there is a local fun run through the tunnel once a year. The runners are all naked (they can wear shoes and socks). Our bus driver did it several years in a row. I also just found out there is a place to go bungee jumping for free in Hamner Springs; but only if you do it naked. The owner of the hostel I’m staying in just told us about it, he said when he was a tourist bus driver, he jumped on every trip. Makes me wonder about the number of bus drivers who like to get naked in public!

Among the stops on the way back was a short walk out to Mirror Lake, where the water was so calm you could see the mountains in a perfect reflection. Another stop at the Chasm offered a short hike next to a raging river that cut a path through huge boulders. Knobs Flat offers a dramatic view of a long grass covered valley with steep mountains behind it.

My hotel was right across from Lake Manapouri and every day the view was a bit different. Most of the time it was shrouded in varying degrees of fog until late morning. There is another lake in nearby Te Anau that offers boat trips, so I hopped on the ‘historic sailing ship’ Faith and spent a very nice morning, cruising around the lake. We docked on the far side for a short hike through the forest. It’s really amazing, hiking around out here knowing this wilderness is basically untouched by man. Except for the hiking trails the forest has looked this way for thousands of years.

Fiordland is a pretty wet place; the average rainfall is measured in feet not inches. As a result, the forest is carpeted in a lush green spongy moss. There are an interesting variety of mushrooms growing out of dead trees, the ground, and on the side of living trees. There are many birds out here but the most common were the New Zealand robin and the fantail. Both birds are incredibly friendly and will come right up to you as if to say hi. The fantail will literally flit around right in front of your face to get a good look at you. In reality, they are looking for insects that your presence has stirred up. The robin will sit on the ground as you approach, and I’ve almost stepped on several of them. If you sit down to eat lunch, you are almost guaranteed to have a robin come up to you and watch/beg. They like apple pieces, in case you were wondering…

After our short hike, the boat remained tied up to the dock and we were served a snack. As soon as I sat down, I was attacked by a squadron of sand flies. There were literally more on me than I could swat away.

The captain of the boat and the owner, who served as his first mate, were very friendly and made sure to chat with everyone. Turns out, they had a general from the US military on their boat a few months ago and we spent a bit of time trying to determine if it was someone I worked for at the Pentagon. Nope, different guy, similar name. Then I got to thinking, I worked at the Pentagon almost 10 years ago and retired 7 years ago, has it really been that long? It sure didn’t feel like it!

On the way home the captain serenaded us with the bagpipes. He said it felt appropriate since the boat was built in Scotland. The boat had quite the history; the original owner was good friends with Winston Churchill, meaning it was likely that he had been on the boat. It was used during WWII to ferry Scottish troops. Another interesting fact - a sister ship, also used to ferry troops, had made its way to New Zealand, bought by a different person, and was just on the next lake.

I really enjoyed hiking around the area, I did a few day hikes on different trails and they were all beautiful. The last day in town it poured rain and I was trapped indoors. This area is most definitely set up for outdoors as there wasn’t much to do in inclement weather. I used my time to scratch at the dozens of bites I got from the boat trip. I guess the people I house sat for were right; I didn’t get bit by bed bugs, they were sand flies. They were horrible and I had bites on my legs, arms, fingers, and even on my face; I guess it was OK not to go out in public as I know I looked pretty ghastly. Everything was red and swollen, and the unbearable itch lasted almost a week. Guess I finally found something I’m allergic to. I used almost a whole tube of antihistamine cream the pharmacist gave me, but it did seem to help.