Day 29: Queenstown - Te Anau

Today was a bit of a "park and ride" day. I wasn't in any hurry to leave Queenstown this morning and drove all the way, with a coffee stop at about half way, to Te Anau which is kind of a gateway to New Zealand's Fiordland. The scenery on the drive was the most like the Scottish highlands that I've seen on this trip.

Tonight I'm staying for the first time in a homeshare - a couple who have extended their home, added all the facilities that a group of backpackers need and opened it up to tourists. Rosie's place is really cosy and we even have some hens running around in the garden so tomorrow's breakfast is secured.

Once checked in I then quickly got changed and out on the bike for the easy 55 kms round trip to Manapouri, the departure point for the Doubtful Sound day trip which I'm thinking of doing on Friday as I am staying Thursday night in the village.

You get a faint sense for how dramatic the Fiordland scenery is going to be as you ride between Te Anau and Manapouri.

No doubt who the sheep of the day were today - they even had a sign to confirm it.

Once back in Te Anau I took a spin along the lake shore from where the scenic flights and helicopter trips depart.

Then back to the house, where I got my washing done and out to dry, got some good walking tips from Rosie's husband for breaking up my drive to Milford Sound tomorrow, got my Milford Sound kayaking trip booked up for Thursday morning and cooked dinner.

I never cease to be impressed by the diversity of cooking you see in backpackers. From North European teenage boys working out if they can stick their tin of beans in the microwave before sticking them on their burnt toast to the most impressive and complex meals, most often being cooked by Chinese or Indonesians. This evening there's a group of Chinese staying at Rosie's and the colour and smell in the kitchen is fantastic!

On a panoramic note today wasn't an easy day so we'll go for the "bahnorama of the day".