Within minutes of writing the last blog we changed our minds and decided to head to Te Anau today. That meant packing the tent and leaving which we’re getting pretty efficient at doing now. Of the two hikes we had planned we decided on still doing the shorter one from the top of the road that goes up to the Remarkables Ski area. The road climbed nearly a mile vertically (though not all at once) from the lake offering us the most fantastic views. From the top we could see over the nearby mountains all the way to Mt Cook/Tasman and the various glaciers. We hiked to find Lake Alta but ended up going the wrong way but still ended up somewhere pretty cool. The only downside was that there was a lot of construction going on up there so the noise spoiled the ambiance a little.
The drive to Te Anau was superb – I keep using these superlatives but they’re necessary. For a while we were in flattish land which surprised us but towards the end we were back in the mountains. We checked out one out of town campsite before checking into the Top 10 in town. We weren’t overly happy with it but we wanted at least somewhere to settle down to make up our minds what to do next. The weather forecasts for the weekend continue to show a deteriorating picture. We walked around town a little and checked out a few alternative motels. In the end we called up then checked out a backpacker place about 6km outside of town. Log cabins overlooking the mountains. The shared kitchen is a bit of a walk away but it all looked cosy. We’re booked in from tomorrow night to wait out the weather.
Tomorrow we’re going to get up early, pack the tent and drive down Milford Sound and take a short nature cruise. If the weather holds we’ll hike the end of the Routeburn Trail which is supposed to be pretty good.
Wow awe some views on your pictures.