Lake Te Anau Shoreline Trail

Te Anau is a delightful town on a lake of the same name. It is surrounded by mountains and has a very laid-back feel to it. There are a number of short walks in and around the commercial center. One leads along the shoreline to a bird sanctuary that helps with trying to save some of the native birds that have been devastated by invasive species. Te Anau is the center of Fiordland and has the Fiordland Visitors Center, which houses an interesting series of posters explaining the history, flora and fauna of the region.  There is also a 20-minute video which provides additional information. From Te Anau it is just a few minutes to Manapouri and the Doubtful Sound ferries as well as the Wee Bookshops of The Little Bookshop at the End of the World fame. In the other direction, it is the last place for gas or a meal before Milford Sound, about 2 hours north. Milford Sound is only 120 km away, but the road is windy and there is often a long wait at the one-way tunnel about 4/5ths of the way to the Sound. There are many interesting stops along the way to the Sound, which are often congested with the bus tours from Queenstown heading towards the Milford Sound cruises. Most of these tours pull off at the shorter boardwalk stops, but there are also lots of hikers and campers who go on the longer hikes departing from the road. As this is Fiordland, the weather tends to be wet and windy, and today was no exception.  We did get lucky, though; the rain didn’t start until the afternoon.

Milford Sound from the Lookout

In order to avoid the bus tours, the only stop we made on the way up to Milford Sound was at Mirror Lakes. There is a short boardwalk that is filled with people, so it is difficult to actually see the lakes, which are more like ponds, but they do reflect the surrounding mountains, hence the name.  The ponds are also home to a few native waterbirds, but I think the masses of people scared them off.

Mirror Lakes

We were lucky to have arrived at Milford Sound prior to the rains. The clouds were playing games with the peaks and the mist over the water and summits floated in and out. We were there at low tide and could walk along the estuary. One of the interpretive signs along the short walkway highlighted the essence of the place by saying that estuaries are places “on the edge, where rivers meet sea, they undergo constant physical changes that we can observe from clues around us. The tides, the irregular pounding of storm-strewn driftwood, the continuous flow of fresh mountain water and the gushing rage of silt-laden floods.” The mountains seem timeless and yet all is in constant flux. Another sign states: “The mauri of Milford Sound/Piopiotahi represents the essence that binds the physical and spiritual elements of all things together, generating and upholding all life.  All elements of the natural environment possess a life force, and all forms of life are related.  Mauri is a critical element of the spiritual relationship of Ngāi Tahu Whãnui with this area.”

Milford Sound estuary

There are three short walks in Milford Sound which are worth going on even if not going on a cruise.  The Milford Sound cruises are usually one or two hours and there are a number of providers. We had been on a fabulous Doubtful Sound cruise the day before, so we just did the walks and enjoyed the area. 

Cruise boats on Milford Sound

View from the estuary

On the way back we stopped at the Lake Gunn Nature Trail for a walk through a magical moss-covered forest with interpretive signs. Some of the signs explained the flora of the region, including some that explained about the age of red beech trees, which as a species has been in existence since for millions of years.  New Zealand’s flora and fauna are often unique as they were isolated from outside invaders until the late Middle Ages when the trade winds changed enough to allow the Mãuri to make their way to the islands from Polynesia. A few hundred years later, Europeans arrived on the scene. The forests still have a primordial feel to them and are a perfect place for faires, leprechauns, and other magical creatures.

Lake Gunn Nature Trail

Many of trees in the forest have galls, which are large blobs on the side of the tree. Scientifically, the galls, or burls, are epicormic buds, “clusters of small shoots.” Visually, however, they form images of faces, figures, animals, and spirits. One of the interpretive signs explained a few of the Mãuri stories about the origin of some of the plants:

“When Tane created the forests, Pikiraki was the last plant in his kete (basket). Not wanting to let his youngest offspring lie on the forest floor, Tane planted it up in the trees, close to the sky.  This is why Piriraki (mistletoe) grows high in the trees today.”

“Rehua (the star Antares) mated with Puaka (the star Rigel) and from this union came several offspring including Pikiarero (also known as Puawananga), the beautiful spring-flowering clematis vine, and Toi, the bird.  These children were born during the mahuru season and so their task was to foretell the approach summer warmth.  It was, however, Ruaumoko’ demon-god of earthquakes whose violent shaking had brought on their birth.” (Earthquakes occur on a regular basis in this area.)

“Tama’s wife was stolen by Tu-te-Kopopanga. In his search for them, Tama ran up and down the west coast. His cloak, made of rough undressed harakeke, toetoe, tussocks and grasses shed pieces as he ran.  Where they landed, they grew and spread throughout the land.”

Lake Gunn Nature Trail is magical, as are the stories it inspires. 

Lake Gunn

The last stop of the day was at Te Anau Downs, which is the starting point for the famous Milford Sound hike. It is also the site of the first settler to the Te Anau region and there are interpretive signs about the family directly by the parking lot.  The ferry across the lake to the start of the hike is down the boat ramp.

Te Anau Downs

There is so much to do in Fiordland, that a week wouldn’t be enough. We need to head on to the Catlins, though, for new adventures along the southern coast of the South Island.

Te Anau beach

The Wee Bookshop at the End of the World, Manapouri