Send me on my way!

Hello, there! I haven’t had internet for a few days, so I thought I would catch you up on my travels…

Sunday, November 17

After an exceptionally early rise, a quick stop at Fergbaker for breakfast, and a beautifully scenic bus ride, I arrived safely to Te Anau. And I would like to take this time to give myself a pat on the back for figuring out the bus system and finding my way to my next hostel all by myself. I had forgotten what a terrifying thought it is to be dropped in a new foreign place and not know what or where to go next. Luckily Te Anau is a very small town, so wandering to the YHA hostel with my nearly 30 pound backpack was no sweat. I also cannot believe how much I already miss my Queenstown friends. Major shout out to Adventure Queenstown Hostel for rocking my socks off and having such a welcoming staff. I already can’t wait to be back “home” for Christmas and New Year’s! If you are traveling to the adrenaline capital of the world anytime soon, I highly, highly recommend staying at AQ. Check them out here: http://www.aqhostel.co.nz/

In comparison to Queenstown, Te Anau is far less boisterous. It’s pretty much a small “hub” for hikers coming in and out of one of the great walks such as the Milford Trek, the Kepler Trek and the Routeburn Trek. I am using this town as a layover to get to Milford. The lake is without a doubt the center of Te Anau’s glory. I walked around Lake Te Anau and eventually found myself at the start of the Kepler Trek. The scenery changed drastically and I found myself in what felt like a jungle with a quaint pebble beach to my right. There were small traps planted throughout the forest, and I later found out they are there to catch the New Zealand equivalent of a mink that are deadly to the nation’s kiwi bird, a slowly dying species. These pictures were taken along my journey.