November 5, Monday

November 5, Monday

I did not have to get up early today, so I lazed around the apartment until about 11 am and then went out with the intention of walking downtown to see the Fjordland Film and then take the cruise to the Glow-worm caves on Lake Te Anau (which is actually Te Anaua but the Kiwis have reduced it).  I had only walked half way down Quintin Drive when I decided it was too cold for a walk and went back to get the car.

After driving around getting the lay of the land and finding a parking stop close to the theatre, I went it to see “Fjordland on Fim”, which plays every hour on the hour.  I was the only person in the small theater, so I could OOH and AAH as much as I pleased without disturbing anyone.   “Filmed by award winning cinematographers” there is no voice over, just beautiful scenes and a musical composition playing in the background.  “The creators of ‘Ata Whenua – Shadowland’ have lived and worked in the area for over 25 years.  Their wish is that Fiordland remains as wild and pristine as it is today.”  The film takes us through the seasons over the fjordlands, showing ice covered mountains, clear water falls, mountain forests covered in moss, sheer granite cliffs, the fjords of course as well as the coast.  Everything has been filmed from helicopters and you feel like the passenger flying over all of these amazing spaces. 

The film is about 35 minutes long, so I had plenty of time to get back in the car for the short drive to the lakeshore marina to pay for my pre-booked cruise.  The cruise left on time with quite a few passengers on board, but it was almost impossible to take pictures through the thick windows.  At one point the ship did slow down for a shallow portion and we were able to go outside to snap some photos.

 Lake Te Anau and the cruise ship to the Glow worm caves
Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island and the second biggest lake in New Zealand (after Lake Taupo on the North Island).

Paua Shells:    I purchased some earrings made of Paua Shells before arriving in Dunedin, as well as a cute little ring with a paua shell mounted in a silver square. Yesterday evening, as I was taking the ring off I was surprised to see something strange on the ring and wondered why the middle section was thicker. Today I finally realized that I had lost the square silver mounted Paua shell and what was left on the ring was the welding mark. CRAP ! Oh Well…. At least I still have the earings.

Views from the cruise on Lake Te Anau

 It is a very gloomy day so it makes for grey photos

 As we approach the landing area I get a better view of the surrounding forests.  Looks a lot like ours.

Landing on the western shore of Lake Te Anau to visit the Glow-worm caves:  They are famous for their beautiful water-formed rock sculptures and formations, their rushing white water and whirlpools and their magical glow-worms.   

 “The caves are part of a 6.7 km, four-level limestone labyrinth known as the Aurora Caves system. They are about 12,000 years old, which is young in geological terms, but the limestone they carve through is ancient, up to 35 million years old.  Unlike many dry cave systems, Te Anau Glowworm Caves are still increasing in size.  The “tunnel burn” that flows through the caves is mildly acidic, which helps the water dissolve the rock and create passages.” 

We entered the caves through a narrow low opening, requiring that we crouch down to get in.  The lighting was very poor and my night vision is not the best so I had to keep hold of the handrails all the way through.  When we were not walking on a cave floor, we were on an elevated metal walkway with roaring waters under our feet.  There was water dripping from the walls and ceilings and I was glad I had thought of wearing my gloves and my rain cape.  We walked a good distance within the cave, up and down staircases until we reached a boat in calmer waters, and got in almost in total darkness.  The boat is moored to some type of pully system and our guide pulled us through the waters until we reached an area where we could see the glow worms.

We were not allowed to take pictures within the cave, and in any case most of the time it was much too dark anyway.   Here is a picture I took later on during my trip, in a museum, where they had simulated what it looked like.

  Tiny pin-pricks of light on the cave ceilings.   Kind of looks like a "starry, starry night"

After the tour of the caves we had a few minutes to walk along a nearby trail and see the surrounding woods.

Snug in my "I walked the Great Wall of China" fleece.

We were then given access to tea, coffee or hot chocolate while we watched a film that explained the short life span of a glow-worm.  Industrious little buggers.

When we got back to Te Anau I decided to find a restaurant for dinner even though it was not yet 5 pm.  I decided I was in the mood for some Italian food and there were two advertised on the tourist map I was using.  The first one I located was a pizzeria called “La Toscana”, which was closed; the second one just down the street “Café La Dolce Vita” was closed as well, but they at least had a sign indicating that they did not open until 6 pm.  Since I was really hungry (breakfast had been at 9 am and I had not eaten since) I decided to try my luck with ANY open restaurant.  Well they must have some type of deal with each other because every single restaurant I passed was closed.  Either that or they have day jobs and a separate business to run in the evening.  I had seen a grocery store near the Theatre, so I headed for that thinking of just buying a few supplies for the motel room and my little cooler, killing time before the restaurants opened.  Turns out they had a really nice selection of ready-made food, including some “chicken & cashew” tortellini.  Back to the Italian option as you can see.  I found some nice 3-cheese sauce to go with that and a “pesto and cashew” dip that I could incorporate into the sauce for some additional flavour.  Grab a bottle of wine and a few buns and my meal was almost ready.  I returned to the car, drove back to the motel and fixed myself a DELICIOUS meal, if I do say so myself.  That glass of Sauvignon Blanc was just perfect to go with my meal.