The treasures of the South Island (4Part I)–Magnificent landscapes
From the village of Twizel we reach the coast by making a few stops "tourist along the coast. Then we continue to the west coast in regions with the highest rainfall in the world. So we will have to deal with the weather and acclimatize.
Our route
Otago Region
The Moeraki Boulders
We couldn't walk along the coastline without stopping at the Moeraki Boulders. The smooth, perfectly round rocks are visible at low tide and stretch for miles. What are its origins? According to Maori culture millions of years ago a canoe washed up and the debris turned to stone.. An intriguing legend! The other version is to say that these rocks would have formed at the bottom of the sea by accumulation of limestone deposits around a core!
Okia Reserve
C’est dans la bay de Wickliffe sur la plage de Victory que nous observons des lions de mer affalés sur le sable.
Short walk to the Sandymount viewpoint and then go down the trail in the middle of the dunes to Sandyfly beach where groups of sea lions and sea lions relax "with family"!
Sandwich pose at the foot of the dunes before taking the same path.
The Catlins Region
The Catlins located in the extreme south-east of the island is sparsely inhabited with about 1600 inhabitants who live from renting and fishing. The landscapes are varied with waterfalls, lakes, Petrified forests. The climate is harsh and when the ocean is unleashed the rollers all along the coast are formidable.
Le phare de Nuggets point
Small walk north of the Catlins to the lighthouse. The Promontory overlooking the ocean is vertiginous with the rocks offshore.
McLean Falls
Despite the cold and rainy weather we walk through the forest to the waterfall.
Curio bay
It's the storm when we arrive at the campsite and the whole area has no electricity anymore.. We hesitate to stay but it is late to continue our journey. The wind is strong and fortunately the campsite pitches are protected by hedges high enough so that the wind does not rush too much. We who thought we were taking a good hot shower missed! Bundled up as it should we walk where we can cross colonies of penguins with yellow eyes. With this bad weather they were not there!
Fjordland National Park
Lake Manapouri
Located on the edge of the Fjordland National Park we do not linger because it is a cold duck forcing us to finish our lunch in the car!
Lake Te Anau
Milford Road (120kms to Milford Fjord ) passes through Te Anau and Mirror Lake.
Mirror Lake
This lake has the particularity of reflecting the "Earl Mountains" that surround it.
Milford Sound Fiord
We arrive on the west coast the rainiest region of the country with beautiful fjord landscapes, Rivers, Waterfalls.
We sleep at the campsite "Cascade Creek" to make our cruise in the fjord the next day. We do not remain inactive because it is frankly cold and we will walk in the forest that borders the shore of Lake Gunn.
The next day we leave at daybreak and surprise...The exterior and interior windows of the car are icy it is – 3 degrees. It will take us a good quarter of an hour to defrost everything, warm up and hit the road to Milford Sound!
Cruise lines are waiting for tourists to board and we are one of them . We travel in 3h30 the meanders of the fjord to the mouth of the Tasman Sea. The light is beautiful and despite the cold we stay on deck. We make a stop at the floating underwater observatory. It is a room with bay windows to 10 m below the surface of the fjord where you can observe fish and coral. Too bad the water is so cloudy for photos.
Stirling Waterfall the highest in the fjord.
Marian Lake
One last walk to Marian Lake before leaving Fjordland National Park and heading to the "Fox Glacier".