Open Writing

"Why are you so quiet?" I asked a friend, as he sat looking out over Lake Te Anau.

"I have never seen anything so beautiful," he replied.

Praise indeed from a Yorkshireman, familiar with the Dales and Lake District. For we all know how sparing North of Englanders can be with their praise.

So what was he looking at. Te Anau, Maori for "the place of swirling waters," named after the network of limestone caves, full of swirling waters, on the western side of the lake. Caves lit by glow worms and now a tourist attraction.

Te Anau is in the south west corner of New Zealand, in Fiordland, a World Heritage park. Here the Southern Alps, that mighty spine of New Zealand, begin, with mountains rising straight from the sea. Their almost impenetrable, bush clad slopes give way to high alpine meadows, higher rocky crags and snow clad peaks, standing stark against the sky. They hold back the rain which turns Fiordland into such a magical place, making Te Anau and it’s lake, the third largest in New Zealand, a dry and sunny oasis.

On such a scene our friend gazed.

The lake is like an inland sea, with it’s three long arms snaking in amongst the mountains. Hire a boat and you can spend weeks away from civilisation, cruising up and down the arms and mooring in out of the way spots, for all places are out of the way on this far side of the lake.

Armed with a fishing line and a supply of good books, plus plenty of food, you can forget the world exists. But you will need lots of insect repellant, as the Fiordland sand fly leaves the Scottish midge for dead. It is rumoured that they are assembled in large hangers in Milford Sound!

But, for now, we will just take a bit of a look at this area. Unlike the tourists from Queenstown, we will not board a bus at crack of dawn, drive with speed to Milford Sound, leap on a boat and take a quick look at the Tasman, then sleep on the bus back to Queenstown.

One of the 400,000, who head along this road in the season. We will take our time and find out what the place is really like.

We are off. Driving along the north-east side of the lake with the high hills guarding the south- west. We will pause at Te Anau Downs, where the road leaves the lake, and look down the North Arm, stretching out of sight. Here lies the jetty, with it’s boats waiting to take trampers to the start of the Milford Track, at the top of the arm.

A four day trek over the MacKinnon pass, will bring you to Milford Sound, where a boat will take you across the water to the road. This track is rumoured to be one of the finest in the world. So we will just look up the arm and think of the day when we will come back for a little a walk.

We are on our way again, following the Eglinton river to it’s source. We are climbing all the way and have entered Fiordland National Park. We are on the dry side of the mountains and among the beech forests.

Immediately your mind will have turned to copper beech and the like. This is native beech, a different species, found only in South America and New Zealand It is an evergreen. A huge tree with tiny green leaves, which turn yellow and red as they are shed throughout the year, creating a many coloured carpet beneath it’s canopy and a home for birds within it.

The beech forest gives way, in places to large grassy flats beside the river. Wild lupins grow here, painting a rainbow of colour, and anglers fish for trout. Small lakes appear at intervals in the bush and reflect the snow clad peaks with their lupin coloured skirts.

And at Mirror Lakes our "bus trapped" tourists are let out to photograph, providing the
resident ducks and coots haven’t disturbed the water.

But we are in no rush. We can stop and listen to the native birds and smell the damp, clean air in these mossy glades. We can wander along the banks of streams and look at the view as we sip the odd cup of coffee from our flasks. "Leaving nothing but footprints and taking nothing but photographs," the motto of the National Parks.

By now we are fairly high up and the mountains are closing in on either side. The flats are gone and we are deep in the beech forest. Scars, left by winter avalanches, create mock, grey rivers of scree among the trees, but, by autumn, the green will have returned, for nature wastes no time in this terrain.

Tummies are beginning to rumble, so we will head along this side road. It’s a bit of a rough ride, over potholes and roots, but there, at the end, is Lake Gunn.

Many happy hours we have spent here, camping by the shores of the lake. It’s a lovely place, surrounded by forest, with mountains towering above it at the far end, catching the after glow of sunset and setting the scene for those jet black skies, brilliant stars and full moon, bright enough to read by.

We would pitch our tent, light a campfire and settle in for the night. The moss, under the trees, ranges from palest yellow, through all the shades of green, to deepest red. Lichen hangs in curtains from branches and you think of trolls and goblins and hobbits. It’s a special, secret place.

Paradise ducks call to each other. The bell bird rings out his chime and the tui answers, with the croak at the end, suggesting the need of an oil can. The cheeky black robin comes to investigate and the fantail flutters around, showing off.

Let’s sit back, enjoy our picnic and watch the fish jump. Listen to the "Sound of Silence," the lapping of the waves, the song of the birds and the sigh of the breeze in the trees.

Is that the time? We had better get a move on. Just time to reach the Divide before we head back to Te Anau. The Divide? Yes, this is where the rivers divide, the Eglinton flowing south to Te Anau and the rest, west, down the Hollyford valley. We are almost at the pass, where we cross over the range.

But what’s this? A bus shelter! Loads of cars! Ah, that’s a secret and here we will stop.

We are at the start of the Routeburn, which I consider to be the most beautiful walk in the world. But, for now, we will turn round. We will complete our journey to Milford Sound and sail out to the Tasman next time.

For now, goodbye, from "Godzone."