Fortunately, it stopped raining during the night. I was awake by 0545 and started to get ready immediately. My boots weren’t totally dry so I spent extra time blowing them with a hair dryer in the shared bathroom. It was still dark while I was packing up the car but I was soon on my way without any other issue. I tried again to find the Sand Fly (recommended by the Tasman Holiday Park) and was successful this time. However, the place packed with people (tour bus?) so I decided to go back to the Freshchoice to get some food (0730). After that, I filled up the gas tank of my little car at a nearby Mobil (0735). Just as the sun rose, I headed out of Te Anau and drove to the Rainbow Reach trailhead for the Kepler Track, another of New Zealand’s Great Walks (west of town). By 0800, I was geared up and ready to go for a walk in the woods. I ignored some ominous signs about frequent break-ins. I had to cross a long suspension bridge to get on the actual trail - the Waiau River below me was raging! I didn’t go looking for the actual views but there were several vistas in the area where Peter Jackson filmed LOTR scenes and the whole place looked liked something out of a fantasy world. The forest was lush, with creeks and moss at nearly every turn. The trail conditions were quite good, despite the recent rain, and it was clear that someone takes great pride in maintaining the Track. Along the way, I got views of several rivers, some snow-capped mountains in the distance and some large bogs. Seemingly following me on my journey, several local version of a Robin (grey with a white belly) curiously watched me (from very close!) passing - I learned later that they like to eat bugs that are exposed as hiker boots make tracks. Near each of the (two) suspension bridges, I saw groups of Fantail birds soaring and alighting on the suspension cables. My outbound walk was advertised at about 90 minutes but I reached my turnaround point, Moturau Hut, a bit quicker. Just before I saw the building, I encountered a young couple (from the Netherlands?) who were finishing up their full circuit of the Kepler Track. Despite all the rain they’d seen, they had smiles on their faces... Near the Hut (a spectacularly nice building), I got some good views of Lake Manapouri. Inside, I found more smiling young people who’d almost completed their multi day walk in the South Island wilderness. Other than talking to them briefly, I didn’t tarry. On the way back, I kept up a much brisker pace so I’d have more time for the next leg of my day and arrived at my car by 1100 (after nearly 8 miles). Today’s hike was nearly perfect - good weather, nice solitude and healthy exercise! After packing up, I realized I'd forgotten my water bottle at the Tasman Holiday Park. Heading back to Te Anau in hopes of retrieving it, I was fortunately able to find it. I then ate my lunch and posted on social media before departing for Queenstown (1200). I used Routes 95, 97 and 6 as I headed south and east. The weather was intermittently cloudy, sunny and rainy during the entire route - that was apparently due to the different types of ecosystems I was passing through. I stopped in the little towns of Garsten (population 140) and Kingston (beautiful waterfront views of Lake Wakatipu). While driving along the cliff edges on Route 6, I stopped several times to check out the snow covered peaks that kept making appearances through the clouds. I got stopped for a while at one point because road crews were clearing big rocks that had fallen into the road - yikes! After reaching Queenstown, I stopped at the airport to convert $100 USD (cash) to NZD (1415) - parking was free for less than 30 minutes so that helped. I also stopped at the Mode rental car office to report the scratches I’d gotten on the Milford Highway (I also reported the damage to my credit card company (in hopes of recouping some of the overall cost). It was still a little while before I could check into my hotel so I decided to check out the Queenstown commercial district. I’d earlier considered the option of hiking a big hill that overlooked the town but changed the plan to visiting the Kiwi Park (since I was convinced it was probably the only way I’d see one). This decision ended up taking me into a busy, frustrating sea of humanity. Oh - and there was also lots of construction and closed roads. If you’ve ever been to North Conway, Vail, Aspen or any other ski town, you can probably imagine what I experienced this afternoon. By the time I actually was able to find the wildlife park, my interest in remaining downtown had almost dwindled to zero. Parking was tough to find (or expensive), the park was not going to be open much longer and the price for 30 minutes inside didn’t seem worth it. So I skipped the venue and took a quick look around in the crowded shopping and tourism markets. The city boasts that it is the "Adventure Capital of the World" and I believe it. The number of outdoor stores, tour companies and excursion options was amazing. In the back of my mind, though, I was relieved that I didn't have to use up two valuable days of a 14 day adventure trip in Queenstown itself. Just too much civilization for me... At 1530, I stumbled across a “sushi-go-round” (Soki Sushi Train) restaurant that didn’t look busy and ate there while I built up the mental energy needed to drive around again. The regular menu items were mostly automated and a little train brought special orders. Once back on the road, I drove through town again (trying to reach Route 6) and then started looking for my hotel. It was getting exhausting to have to pay so much attention to the road rules all the way... When I found the a La Quinta, I was amazed at my luck - the location on the far eastern edge of Queenstown gave it an amazing mountain view! When I reached my room (1615), I was blown away even more by the stunning sights from my window. I spent the rest of the night resting, reading, sorting clothes, doing Duolingo, shaving and planning for my next day of exploring. Went to bed at 2215. Glad I was able to see Queenstown proper - its an interesting place - but also glad I’m leaving the tourist madhouse in the morning!
