Te Anau

On the ferry back from Stewart Island to Bluff I met two girls that were hitchhiking. I'd like to try that at some point! We all wanted to go to Te Anau that evening so they just came along in my car. After a few hours we finally checked in at Lakefront Backpackers but unfortunately had booked different rooms.
Once I had done my grocery shopping for the next few days I went to visit Rosemary's cousin and his wife who lived just outside the city. I could also have stayed with them but we had arranged that too late so I decided to stay in the hostel. I had grown to like having some company in the evenings anyway. The three of us had a long and very interesting conversation about our ancestries and many other topics but most important of all: he worked at Real Journeys so he could actually get me a huge discount for a Doubtful Sound Cruise!
Of course I had to use that opportunity so early the next day I embarked for a full day cruise on Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound. We had some beautiful views and I really enjoyed sitting on the top deck with the wind blowing though my hair! It reminded me of Milford Sound, where I had gone five years ago, but it was much bigger! Still, I think it would be enough to only see one of those...

A hotel in the middle of nowhere...

The best thing was the time we spent in a sidearm, turned the motor off and just enjoyed the quiet and the bird's singing in the distance. They called it the "Sound of Silence". After a whole day on a boat I got a little bored though, having no one my age to talk to. I guess I'm more the adrenaline type...
Another cool thing to do in Te Anau is going to the cinema. It's very cute and small. They screened "Shadowland", a short film with helicopter images of the sounds and lakes. Well worth it! Afterwards I had dinner at a nice German restaurant and then went to bed early. This day tour had been quite exhausting.
The next day I did a fair bit of driving again. First to the Anduin viewpoint at Rainbow Reach, then to the Takaro Peace Resort and finally I reached Mavora Lakes, probably my favourite location of all! On the way there you pass the spot where the Rohirrim burned the Orc horde and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli mourn the supposed death of Merry and Pippin. A nice spot to have lunch...

If you drive further though you reach the beautiful South and North Mavora Lakes. Of course I went to see the exact filming locations but looking out over the lake is far better. Take a stroll across one of the swingbridges and enjoy the sun reflecting off the mountains. This valley has everything, water, snow, forest and hills, perfect!

When I was just about to return, wondering what I could do for the rest of the day, I met BJ who was there hunting with his little son. We got into a conversation and the two of them invited me to share their food and later their campfire. They also had a quad bike with them and when I mentioned I had never been on one we went for a spontaneous tour along the lake shore. It was absolutely thrilling!
Although we had planned to leave far earlier we stayed there till about 9.30pm and only made our way back home when it was already completely dark. I am so glad I got to meet them and that they persuaded me to stay so we could see the stars coming out. It was a magical evening!

The next morning I left Te Anau and continued towards Queenstown, only making a quick stop at Nokomai Road but the LotR location wasn't accessible. Once there I checked in at Haka Lodge and got ready for my next adventures.