To Invercargill

Beach at Blue Cliffs

We packed up and left Te Anau Wednesday. It has beeen our base of operations for all three major tramps on the lower part of the island, and we have gotten to know it fairly well, especially the downtown strip, the supermarket, Fiordlands Cinema, and the small but wonderful Te Anau public library.

From Te Anau we took the “Southern Scenic Route” south. It is the only road, but it is generally scenic, especially if you like hills, grass and sheep. En route we viewed Lake Manipouri, Te Anau's big neighbor, saw Tuatapere, from which the cruises to Doubtful Sound depart (next time!), and stopped briefly at Blue Cliff Beach, from which the brand new Hump Ridge Tramp departs into the more inaccessible regions of Fiordlands. The beach at Blue Cliffs featured views of distant Stewart Island as well as the largest beach pebbles I have ever seen.

We drove on, finally reaching the south coast, and camped at a crummy holiday park near Invercargill beach. At least it was cheap.