Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre to Dock Bay Walk

Tuesday 10th Feb 2009

Our first full day in the Fiordland after a lovely night at our accommodation in nearby Manapouri. The weather had improved ten-fold with clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine. There are numerous walks in the area and we decided to opt for a 3-hour return walk which followed the shoreline of Lake Te Anau.

We started out at the Visitor Centre and followed the track which takes in views of the Jackson Peaks and the Kepler Mountains then briefly enters a tea-tree grove before the Te Anau Wildlife Centre. We took some time out of our walk to witness, at close quarters, a selection of New Zealand’s rare and endangered birds. There were Kea, Kaka, Takahe (a flightless bird and thought to be extinct), Antipodes Islands parakeets, yellow and orange-fronted parakeets, kereru, weka, moreporks and New Zealand wood pigeons. Many of these species would not normally be encountered in the wild.

We continued along the track where we could see the snow-capped peaks oft he Earl Mountains in the far distance. We continued along the shore stopping for our picnic lunch at a secluded little cove overlooking the calm waters of Lake Te Anau.

The walk continued to the Control Gates which regulate the flow between the two lakes (Manapouri and Te Anau), and ensure that lake levels are managed in accordance with limits based on natural fluctuations.

The track then continued in the shade of the silver and mountain beech forest, we had occasional glimpses of Lake Te Anau to the north. The vista stretches past Centre Island, the distant Fiordland peaks at the far end which include Mt Anau. Needless to say, the views were breathtaking.

The track through the forest was very pretty with plenty of ferns either side, small and large with beautiful uncurling ferns in their centres. After about 30 minutes we took a detour to Dock Bay for a rest. We had simply the best views of the lake and surrounding mountains and we stopped for a while relaxing on the fine sand before the notorious sandflies became so irritating we were compelled to leave!!!

Our return to Te Anau followed the same route in reverse - we stopped a while at the shore edge to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine before heading back to our little cottage in Manapouri.

Lovely day.