New Zealand - the 2024 Tour - Week 9 - Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Wanaka and Cromwell - 25th to 29th March

The Sounds and Otago

This might just be the Mirror Lake

After spending a week in Queenstown, we bid farewell to our apartment in Remarkables Park and embarked on our journey to Te Anau, the gateway to Milford Sound. The route was quite straightforward. Along the way, we stopped at Bracken Hall in Mossburn, an old-fashioned shop that seemed to sell everything. After purchasing a plush Kiwi, we continued to Te Anau. We had pre-booked at Parklands Motel, where we checked in early before going out for lunch. The owner was incredibly helpful, offering valuable advice for our excursion the following morning, including parking tips at Milford Sound. She also recommended a great spot for lunch, the Sandfly, located in the town center. It was a bustling Kiwi cafe, and although busy, we were content to wait for our vegetarian breakfasts.

Following lunch, we made our way to Lake Manapouri, which is roughly a 20-minute journey. This lake serves as the departure point for the Doubtful Sound Tour. We opted out of the tour, considered challenging for a vertigo sufferer. Originally, we had contemplated staying in Manapouri, but we were pleased with Te Anau and excited about upcoming trip to Milford Sound.

We had booked our Milford Sound Cruise for the 26th of March, necessitating an early start due to the two-hour drive. Accounting for scenic stops, we departed at 8:05 AM for the 11 AM cruise. The highlight en route was Mirror Lakes. We reached the ferry port around 10:30 AM, allowing time for a quick coffee before boarding. Following our motel's advice, we parked in a free car park just outside the town and shuttled to the ferry terminal. Despite the wet and cloudy weather, the waterfalls were spectacular, cascading with full force. The onboard Kiwi commentary was informative; we learned about the 'Milford Sausages' (seals) and experienced a 'Glacial Facial' (getting drenched at the boat's bow as the captain navigated close to the falls).

Getting to Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Heading home to Te Anau

There is not much habitation between Milford Sound and Te Anau and no coffee stops on the way home. There was a coffee caravan at the Mirror Lakes in the morning but it had moved on. So we headed for the very popular Ranch Pub as soon as we hit town. We would have stayed for Dinner but every table was booked. Te Anau is great little Lakeside town, we would quite happily have stayed longer. However, we had a booking in Queenstown at the Hotel I worked in about 40 years ago. We stopped for lunch in a cafe in Athol before driving on to Kingston on Lake Wakatipu to have a look at the steam train.

It's a narrow gauge job. Before the road was built from Queenstown this was an important link as animals were transported on the Earnslaw from Queenstown to Kingston for onward transport. It was not running today.

All aboard

Autumn in Queenstown

A wet morning in Queenstown

Back to Queenstown for one night only. This time we were staying in the town in a Hotel I worked at nearly 50 years ago. We had a superb view of Lake Wakatipu and the Mountains from our room. Bit of an upgrade on our normal Motels or AirBnb.

The traffic out of Queenstown can be quite heavy but we made it to the Crown Range up a steep and winding road. Our first target was the Cadrona Hotel. Its a lovely old place and a perfect lunch spot on the way to Wanaka.

The Crown Range - looking back on Queenstown and the Airport

Staggering out of the Cadrona Hotel

A chilly Autumn morning at the Cadrona Hotel

Our rental car was a bit of a veteran

Fuelling up at the Cadrona Hotel

Cadrona Hotel Gardens

Lake Wanaka

We only had a few hours in Wanaka. we would have stayed but there was a big air show starting the next day and all the rooms were booked. We had a pleasant wander by the lake shore, visited a ski sale and had a coffee at Relish before moving on to Cromwell. 

The Wanaka Tree - bit of a a local celebrity

Lake Wanaka

A coffee at Relish

Cromwell

Cromwell was unrecognisable from my last visit. A big hydro scheme resulted in the old town being drowned. They did keep a few of the old buildings and some reminders of the old place remain in a historical precinct. If my memory is correct the new town looks much better than the previous incarnation. We had a very nice Coffee and Cake at Pinot Junction by the Lake. We didn't want any bottles of Wine but as it was Good Friday we would not have been allowed! Cromwell is a big wine and fruit producing area these days and Lake Dunstan is a popular Holiday destination.

Brings back memories for TW

Lake Dunstan at the junction of 2 rivers

This didn't sink, the ground rose?

Penny Jack

Heritage Shops

We quite enjoyed our short visit to Cromwell and would happily return but we were ready to Enjoy Easter in Alexandra and Clyde. The Hot Cross Buns in NZ are yummy.