Southland and Fiordland

Left Dunedin early on Saturday morning and started our 'Southern Scenic Route' drive to Invercargill in the Southland Region.
Again- fanastic scenery all around us- and lots of sheep!!!
On our way we stopped at the Purakami Falls and Matai Falls. We also made a brief stop at Florence Hill Lookout to admire the fabulous views across Tautuku Beach.
Arrived in Invercargill early evening. Weather gorgeous so we decided to cook ourselves sausages on the barbie for dinner. :-)

Tomorrow we head to the Fiordland Region and a place called Te Anau. Going to use Te Anau as a base to see Milford and Doubtful Sound..........

Milford Sound
After enjoying pancakes for breakfast we set off early on Monday morning so that we could have a leisurely drive to Milford. So gald we did and it enabled us to stop at many places along the way.
Our first stop was 'Lake Mistletoe'. A beautiful glacial lake which we reached by walking through beech forest.
The Mirror Lakes were our second stop. These are famous for their mountain reflections. Beautiful.
We then did a short walk through red beech forest to the shores of Lake Gunn. The mosses here covered the forest like a velvet green carpet.
Finally we made a brief stop at the impressive rock formation known as the Chasm. Quite spectacular to see the Cleddau River rush through these rock formations.
Arrived at Milford and enjoyed a late lunch before boarding our boat- The Milford Sovereign.

A fabulous 2-hour scenic cruise into Milford Sound. Our photos won't do justice to what we saw, experienced, felt and heard- glaciers, waterfalls, coves, mountains, wildlife...
It was awe-inspiring. :-) :-)

Doubtful Sound
Arrived in Manapouri lunchtime on Tuesday 22nd January to board our boat- The Fiordland Navigator. Headed towards Doubtful Sound.
Stunning.
Absolutely stunning.
A lovely spacious boat and comfortable quad-share cabins.
In the afternoon we had a choice of water activities. Ruth decided to be brave and go for the kayaking. I, on the other hand, took the easier option of going on a tender craft to get a bit more up-close and personal with the wildlife, flora and fauna.
Both were really good fun.

After a hot shower we enjoyed some soup before heading towards the Tasman Sea to see some NZ fur seals. The sea here was rather choppy!
A wonderful 3-course dinner and a few bevvies (!) ended the day perfectly. :-)

Up early this morning for a delicious cooked breakfast before heading back into Manapouri. On the way back a pod of 11 bottlenose dolphins joined us. Amazing to see them so close to the boat- leaping, somersaulting and riding the bow waves. Superb!

We then headed to Queenstown...........................