Last night we had an ongoing gale which is still with us 24 hours later!

We set off early and drove straight to Te Anau with no stops. The road went North  and then West before Lumsden to Te Anau. The area has lush rolling green hills, mostly farm lands. The road was easy and pleasant to drive along. We saw lots of birds of prey, even one feeding on a possum at the side of the road.

At the Te Anau information centre, we arranged a trip via “a jucy van” combined with a boat trip from the centre to travel down Milton Sound fjord next Tuesday…so excited! It will be better for Vince as not driving, he can enjoy the scenery more and take photos as the van stops at all the view points.

We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon around Lake Te Anau and then Lake Manapouri. They are both backed by the huge mountains of fjord land. Felt like the beginnings of Middle Earth!

It was a very hot and clear day but very windy. The lakes had waves on them and it looked like the sea.

We took the Southern scenic route back and really saw the huge surf waves. They were like the ones we saw in California!

We stopped at Cliftden Suspension bridge. It was at one time the largest suspension bridge in NZ

Hope you like my photos. XXXX love to you all xxGrandad caught a fish!!!