Te Anau

The drive to the Nelson airport was short, as we could see it from our hotel. Our boarding passes and luggage tags were spit out by self-service kiosks. The screens asked us if we were carrying any dangerous items, and we checked “No.” That was the extent of the security screening. We walked onto the twin engine turbo-prop and landed in Christchurch less than an hour later. On board service was a glass of water and a pre-packaged cookie, but the view out the window was spectacular.

We did actually have to go through security at Christchurch — bigger city, bigger airport, bigger plane — but it was pretty cursory and very friendly. Empty your pockets, put your bag on the X-ray belt, and walk through the metal detector. No stripping off shoes or belts, etc. The jet to Queenstown was a similar length flight, with similar service and similar scenery (though we didn’t have a window seat for that leg).

A different driver and bigger bus picked us up. We went only a few blocks before stopping for an hour for lunch. We used most of the time to walk. Then it was 2.5 hours of non-stop driving through amazing scenery. The topography was reminiscent of Wyoming or Montana, but much more lush and green. We passed many deer farms — they are raised as domestic animals here. There were lots of sheep, as well. This is the first time that haze from Australian fires has been visible at groud level.

Air New Zealand even adds humor to airsick bags

The bus pulled into the town of Te Anau about 3 p.m. We had an hour or so to get settled in our rooms (which were VERY hot and stuffy — no AC here, and today’s weather in the upper 70s is considered a heat wave here). Then we walked to the shore of Lake Te Anau (New Zealand’s second largest lake by surface area, but because of its great depth, the largest in terms of water volume).

A motor catamaran carried us across the pristine water, with snow-capped peaks all around us. Our destination was a glow worm cave. We got a complete explanation about the life cycle of glow worms, which was actually more interesting than we anticipated. Then we took a short walk through the dense rain forest to the cave entrance, where we had to stoop very low and sort of duck walk through the cave opening. Once inside, however, we could stand normally.

Over the loud sound of rushing water, our cave guide gave us some background on the geology, and introduced us to a few scattered glow worms clinging to the ceiling above us. Then we walked farther into the cave, until we came to a sort of boat dock. A group ahead of us was just landing and getting out of the boat, and we took their place.

As the motorless aluminum boat pushed off from the dock, the lights faded down to total darkness. But our guide poled the boat around a bend and into a chamber where the ceiling was studded with thousands of tiny glow worm lights. It was pretty amazing, but sadly, no photos allowed. By the time we got back to the dock, the next group was just arriving. The logistics were very well planned, and about 100 tourists an hour were being moved in and out of the cave.

After the return trip across the lake, we had a buffet dinner with a couple hundred of our closest friends — most of them from China or India. The food wasn’t great, but we were fed.

After dinner, the two of us took a walk along the lakeshore. The scenery here is pretty spectacular, but it was too cloudy for a good sunset.