A rainy day in our New Zealand adventure today. We end it at a very coze lodge in Te Anau.

Today, we were ready for new adventures, after the lazy day we had in Queenstown. At breakfast we met a family of three siblings, traveling with their dad. Nice folks from the USA, too bad we did not stay any longer as I would loved to get to know them better. But that’s what happens when we travel, we don’t always have the time.

Our Toyota brought us first to Te Anau, and later to Milford Sound. The weather there was soo bad that we drove back without actually seeing the sound (or better said: Fjord).These Fjords have been created by glaciers, but misnamed to sounds.

The drive in the mountains shows us how the rain can change these areas to a wall of thousands of waterfalls in no time. The plains leading to the fjords are spectacular by themself. Driving through these was spectacular every time.

Te Anau

The Lake of Te Anau is the center of the wide region. It is also the start of 2 of New Zealand’s great walks.The world famous Milford Track has its start at the northern tip. The Kepler Track begins and ends at the lake’s south end.

The fog over the lake and the fields gives the whole area a very nice aspect, as living in a fairytale.

We drove back to Te Anau, where we checked in at the Fiordland Lodge, where a great bunch of people greeted us with genuine warmth and interest. A hot coco made us forget the rainy day and the joined effort of Andy, Jonathan, Monique and Delphine at the lodge made it a great evening. The diner was superb, and we had a great night of sleep in a room overlooking the Te Anau lake.