Touring to Te Ana

We had a brisk start again today at 8:30am. 

The area around Dunedin was settled by the Scots and reminded me a bit of some of the Scottish hill we saw one our trip there a few years ago.

They raise mainly sheep, some cattle, and the also raise deer

We stopped in the town of Gore for tea today. This statue was near where we stopped.

As was this building. I am not sure who the guy was on the side of the building or what the company is, but our guide mentioned it as if it and it’s picture we’re well known!??

Dale and I have been sharing snacks and some meals so we don’t overeat. Hot chocolate and a brownie with whipped cream was our choice today. 

We stopped at a park for a photo op and this truck was there. It is full of antlers. I am not sure what they do with them, but I would guess they come from the deer farms when the bucks shed them each year.

Babs got to get out and pose for this picture 

Gore is the country music capital of New Zealand

They are also know for there brown trout fishing 

One of the first things I noticed when we got into Te Anau was this big statue near our hotel

After we got into town we decided to take a walk and look around before our late afternoon tour

They had a bird sanctuary within a mile and a half of our hotel. To get there it was a lovely walk along the lake the town sits by.

This is a New Zealand green parakeet 

I do not remember the name of this bird, but he was very territorial. As we walked by he would loudly squawk at us. He is a ground bird and they had a thick netting on the lower part of his enclosure. As he was scolding me close to the next, this was the best picture I could get of him.

This birds is called a Kaka, and it is an important bird as they help pollination of the plants and flowers

This bird was thought to have been extinct until recently, when it was found in the very wild part of the Milford Sound area of New Zealand.

All the birds in the sanctuary were rescued birds that had been injured and they were trying to help them recover

This statue  is of the first European to explore this area of New Zealand

After our walk we stopped at a pie shop for a late lunch. I am developing a taste for the meat pies they have here.

After a treat to the grocery store to get a few things for our lunch tomorrow as we would not be stopping at a cafe, we headed out on a boat to go to the glow worm cave

The ride down the lake a ways was very relaxing and peaceful with lovely scenery 

We docked on the other side in the National park 

We then headed down to the cave

This was the orientation spot with a couple an signs about the cave

We only went in  about a quarter of a mile or less and then got in some boats to do a about a 10 minute ride in the dark.

Pictures were not allowed, so the next pictures are one I took of ones they had at the visitor center where we went for a explanation of what we say.

The walk was very cool

It was worth it just for they cave itself

These are the webs of the glow worms. They are very sticky and like a spiderweb, they catch insects for the worms to eat

This is what it looked like on the dark boat trip. Afterward when we were in the visitor center, they asked what colors we saw. It was interesting the different colors people saw them as.

This was the picture of the afterglow of the sunset as we returned to our hotel. A very fun and full day