Te Anau

 

 

Our next stop and B&B was in Te Anau, closer to the South Island's western coast and a jumping off point for several adventures. 

 

 

 

The first, boating to the amazing Glowworm Caves.

No photos were allowed but we entered the through a small opening in the rock, walked on a metal walkway over a rushing river to a large pool of water.  We boarded a small boat which circled the pool and where we could see thousands of pinpoints of light on the ceiling--the tiny glowworms attracting prey with their lights--but it looked like an immense universe with twinkling stars to me.

This was my very favorite, incredible thing we did in NZ!

 

The "official" photo as we went in.

 

 

 

 

The next day we drove to Milford Sound and boarded a boat

 

 that slowly took us down the Sound (which is actually a fiord, not a sound),

 

 

 

 

a gorgeous waterway with steep waterfalls,

 

 

 

dolphins, seals, even one lone penguin,

 

 

 

 

intrepid photographers,

 

 

 

 

 

and family shots.