Kia Ora!
What did we do in Invercargill, you may ask.
We planned to visit the totara trees near Oreti Beach where Burt Munro developed the World's Fastest Indian, famously depicted in a movie of the same name. Certainly KC and I would hike our familiar beloved tracks near the beach. Maybe we would taste some whitebait, which is in season right now. Whitebait are tiny fish that swim up the rivers to spawn each spring. Kiwis (the human kind) jockey for good whitebait sites and dip their nets to haul in buckets of these creatures. Food with whitebait is available in most restaurants in spring.
Embarrassing to admit, we did none of it. We visited the i-Site to plan the rest of our journey. NZ towns of any size support an i-Site. These sites function as tour agents for activities, transport, hotels, and restaurants in their district. Some charge a modest booking fee and others do not. Sarah and Sue in consultation with Barbara and me planned most of the rest of our trip. By 3 PM the four of us were on the Intercity bus heading out of town. (Not before I did a major shopping at the store for Glowing Sky merino wool ware. I had a list prepared and got that shopping done in 30 minutes.)
Because this museum maintains a breeding program for the rare tuatara, we took the opportunity to visit the tuatara room as well as other cultural displays. A tuatara is an endangered lizard-like creature that survived when the dinosaurs died out. The museum has been successful in breeding them in captivity and the Department of Conservation is releasing them on islands without predators.
After a quick lunch, we packed up and headed for Te Anau on an Intercity bus. KC was left by himself in Invercargill as we four tourists carried on.
Te Anau is the starting point for exploring Fiordland. I had an express wish to visit the glowworm caves in Te Anau. KC and I had reservations to do so a couple years ago but heavy rain flooded the caves and that tour was cancelled. I thought glow worms were the same as lightening bugs. Wrong! They are threadlike creatures that hang web lines from the roof of the cave to attract insects for dinner. Sue thought the whole thing was Disneyesque. I thought the patterns on the roof of the caves looked like star constellations. No photos allowed.
More will follow ....... in due time. We did so much, moved so fast, enjoyed ourselves to the max, and I did not have time to share these experiences in a more timely way. The visitors have already returned home to the USA.
Cheers,
Kiwi Traveler
What did we do in Invercargill, you may ask.
We planned to visit the totara trees near Oreti Beach where Burt Munro developed the World's Fastest Indian, famously depicted in a movie of the same name. Certainly KC and I would hike our familiar beloved tracks near the beach. Maybe we would taste some whitebait, which is in season right now. Whitebait are tiny fish that swim up the rivers to spawn each spring. Kiwis (the human kind) jockey for good whitebait sites and dip their nets to haul in buckets of these creatures. Food with whitebait is available in most restaurants in spring.
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| Four Women on an Adventure |
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| This tuatara is over 100 years old |
Because this museum maintains a breeding program for the rare tuatara, we took the opportunity to visit the tuatara room as well as other cultural displays. A tuatara is an endangered lizard-like creature that survived when the dinosaurs died out. The museum has been successful in breeding them in captivity and the Department of Conservation is releasing them on islands without predators.
After a quick lunch, we packed up and headed for Te Anau on an Intercity bus. KC was left by himself in Invercargill as we four tourists carried on.
Te Anau is the starting point for exploring Fiordland. I had an express wish to visit the glowworm caves in Te Anau. KC and I had reservations to do so a couple years ago but heavy rain flooded the caves and that tour was cancelled. I thought glow worms were the same as lightening bugs. Wrong! They are threadlike creatures that hang web lines from the roof of the cave to attract insects for dinner. Sue thought the whole thing was Disneyesque. I thought the patterns on the roof of the caves looked like star constellations. No photos allowed.
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| Posted in tour meeting room. Description is NOT accurate. |
Cheers,
Kiwi Traveler
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