Sharon and Andy's World Tour 2006

Saturday 27 - Sunday 28 May

From Dunedin we needed to make the 440 kilometre journey to Te Anau, gateway to the famous Milford Sound, another destination on our ´must see´ list.

Spreading the journey along New Zealand´s famous Southern Scenic Route with a convenient overnight stop at Invercargill gave us the best opportunity to see some of the sights along the way despite our limited timescale.

First stop was the rugged coast of Nugget Point and a gentle but picturesque walk to the lighthouse, from which vantage point all manner of sea birds, seals and occasionally penguins can be seen.

No penguins in sight today, but a number of Fur Seals lazed on the rocks below.

Many of the attractions along this first leg of the Southern Scenic Route require more time to explore than we had available to us, and so we made a conscious decision not to deviate from the main road itself. Thus we didn't stop again until we reached the short but enjoyable walk through lush forest which leads to the impressive Purakaunui Falls

By now the afternoon was wearing on, and darkness had fallen by the time we reached Invercargill, a sizeable city around two-thirds of the way through our journey. Once checked into our hostel, we headed into the city in search of entertainment. Tonight was special for New Zealand rugby fans; the highly anticipated 'Super-14' final between the Crusaders (Christchurch) and the Hurricanes (Wellington).
A fairly lengthy search led us to a decent pub called the 'Frog and Firkin', where the match was being shown on a giant screen. We settled down with a pint to witness the spectacle of... a grey screen! The whole match was totally fog-bound with virtually zero visibility, but -bizzarely- the officials let play continue and eventually the Crusaders emerged victorious.

Heading out from Invercargill on Sunday morning, we stopped first at Riverton Rocks for a stroll on the beach.

and then on to the adjoining Mores Reserve for a gently climbing walk through ancient forest to sweeping views over Stewart Island, Riverton Bay and Riverton itself

Further along the route, a signpost to Monkey Island proved irresistable to our curiosity. Alas, the reality wasn't quite as exotic as we'd hoped;

Apparently, the island is named after the 'monkey-winches' which hauled supply boats ashore here.

After a brief lunch stop at a hotel in sleepy Tuatapere we visited the nearby Clifden Suspension Bridge which crosses the Waiau River and has the longest span of any suspension bridge in New Zealand.

'Are you Jake or Elwood?'

And so, after our two days on the Southern Scenic Route, we rolled into Te Anau, a resort gradually closing down at the end of the tourist season. In fact, we'd made it with just two days to spare to ensure a trip along the famous and unmissable Milford Sound. For today, we were content to take in the beauty of Lake Te Anau just across the way from our accommodation here.