Another early start on a cold frosty morning to drive back down Highway 94 and then over to Queenstown. Milford Sound is a good place for dark skies as there is very little light pollution. Although I have been in the southern hemisphere numerous times, I always find the stars in the southern sky a little disorientating. The car thermometer read zero for most of the icy road down to Te Anau where we were accompanied by misty mountains and frosty leaves.
We had to drive carefully in order not to end up in in a ditch like one vehicle we passed with emergency services in attendance. We had stopped at one layby to look at the view and noticed two Kea on another car. They appeared to be trying to eat the rubber seals. I told the two women in the car that our squirrels chew the lead flashing on the roof for no obvious reason. I was quite pleased to get a shot of them as we had seen several Kea but they had all disappeared very quickly. I am still trying to identify all the raptors we have seen feeding on road kill.
At Te Anau we stopped for a coffee and then turned towards Queenstown. The sun had at last come out and the thermometer started to rise a little.
Our picnic lunch was eaten by Lake Wakatipu and then we endured the major roadworks around the construction of a new bridge into Queenstown. It was quite strange to be back among the crowds on a Friday afternoon in this busy town. It is a major base for winter sports and there were a lot of young people around. There are numerous outdoor retailers and obviously some wealth around as there is also a Louis Vuitton store. Needless to say we did not need to do any shopping but chose a walk around the garden peninsula instead. There we discovered a new sport. We had spotted a few people throwing frisbees and coming across one in the undergrowth, had assumed it was lost. We shouted over to the nearest family who told us to leave it which was a bit mystifying. We saw a few more lying on the ground, seemingly abandoned further on, but it was not until we left the park that I saw a notice saying that Disc Golf had been played there since the 1990s.
Some people thought it was warm enough to sit on the beach but it was not warm enough for me.
Fortunately our hotel is out of town a bit and fairly quiet for relaxing in before tomorrow’s journey.
Beautiful photos!
Every day when I take Lucy for her walk in the redwoods, we pass an elaborate disc golf course that covers the hills sides bordering our trail.
I’ve never played it, but the people who do play it seem like they love it and the majority of them are (and I mean no disrespect) nerdy. Some of my best friends admit they’re nerds or geeks – it’s not a bad thing!
Anyway, sometimes Lucy and I go on the disc golf course when we’re running away from idiot dog owners whose unleashed dogs charge at us. The disc golfers have been very jolly and understanding when we trespass.
p.s. I love the photo of the keas and the “Do Not Feed The Kea” sign! Those creatures definitely look like they belong in the film “Jurassic Park”