Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The trip takes two to 2½ hours if you drive straight through, but take time to stop and
experience the majestic landscape. Pull off the road and explore the many viewpoints and
nature walks en route. Pick up DOC'S
Fiordland National Park Day Walks
brochure ($2)
from Te Anau i-SITE or Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre or download it at
www.doc.govt.nz
.
The brochure also details the 10 basic DOC campsites ($6 per person)
along the highway. All are scenic but also popular with sandflies.
The first part of the road meanders through rolling farmland atop the lateral moraine of
the glacier that once gouged out Lake Te Anau. At the 29km mark the road passes
Te Anau
Downs
, where an easy 45-minute return walk leads through forest to
Lake Mistletoe
, a small
glacier-formed lake.
The road then heads into the Eglinton Valley, at first pocketed with sheepy pasture, then
reaching deeper wilderness immersion as it crosses the boundary into Fiordland National
Park. The knobby peaks, thick beech forest, lupin-lined river banks and grassy meadows
are a grand sight indeed.
Just past the
Mackay Creek
campsite (at 51km) are great views to Pyramid Peak (2295m)
and Ngatimamoe Peak (2164m) ahead. The boardwalk at
Mirror Lakes
(at 58km) takes you
through beech forest and wetlands, and on a calm day the lakes reflect the mountains
across the valley.
At 63km is
Knob's Flat
( 03-249 9122;
www.knobsflat.co.nz
; sites per person $15, d $130-150)
, which
has six self-contained units catering to trampers and anglers but perfect for those who ap-
preciate the simple things in life such a cosy room with a view. And boy, do these units
have views. Unpowered sites cater to those who want back-to-nature camping with the re-
lative luxuries of hot showers and a kitchen with a fridge and gas cookers.
At the 77km mark is
Cascade Creek
and
Lake Gunn
. This area was known to Maori as O Ta-
para, and a stopover for parties heading to Anita Bay in search of
pounamu
(greenstone).
The
Lake Gunn Nature Walk
(45 minutes return) loops through tall red beech forest ringing
with bird calls, with side trails leading to quiet lakeside beaches.
At 84km the vegetation changes as you pass across the
Divide
, the lowest east-west pass
in the Southern Alps. The roadside shelter here is used by trampers either finishing or
starting the Routeburn, Greenstone or Caples Tracks, with bus services pulling in and out
with regularity. From here you can embark on a marvellous two-hour return walk along
the the start of the Routeburn, climbing up through beech forest to the alpine tussockland
of
Key Summit
. On a good day the views of the Humboldt and Darran mountains are sure to
