Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(lunch $6-18, dinner $16-27; cafe 8.30am-4.30pm, bar 4pm-late)
Catering to a captive audi-
ence, this unpredictable cafe serves pies, sandwiches and suchlike during the day, then
turns the tables for evenings of pizza and beer in the bar. You'll find the Blue Duck on
the edge of the main Milford car park; activity booking office on site.
Getting There & Away
BUS
from Te Anau (three hours) and Queenstown (six hours) on to which you can add a
sound.
Sound services, with connections south from Invercargill, and north from Queenstown.
day tours and transport taking in Milford (with cruise) as well as the Hollyford.
All these buses pass the Divide and the start/end of the Routeburn, Greenstone and
Caples Tracks.
CAR
Fill up with petrol in Te Anau before setting off. Chains must be carried on avalanche-
risk days from May to November (there will be signs on the road), and can be hired from
service stations in Te Anau.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Manapouri
POP 230
Manapouri is the jumping-off point for cruises to Doubtful Sound, with most visitors
heading straight to the boat harbour for the ferry to West Arm. This leaves the town
sleepy and somewhat underrated, for not only is Lake Manapouri one of NZ's most beau-
tiful, with a backdrop rivalling Te Anau, there are ample interesting things to do and loc-
al people to do them with.
In 1969 Manapouri was the site of NZ's first major environmental campaign. The ori-
ginal plan for the West Arm hydroelectric power station, built to supply electricity for the
aluminium smelter near Invercargill, required raising the level of the lake by 30m. A pe-
tition gathered a staggering 265,000 signatures (17% of voting-age New Zealanders at
