Mount Belle

Kia ora,

This was our longest driving day on the trip, but there was no shortage of spectacular scenery as we ventured into Fiordland National Park.

Everyone on the bus has been sitting in the same seat during the tour, so I have been sitting on the back bench seats with four girls from England. We decided to make the most of the long drive by playing a few card games. I even taught them how to play Euchre, which no one else on the bus had heard of.

Our main stops were in Gore and Te Anau. I enjoyed fish and chips in Gore (I have lost track of how many times I have ate that on this trip). Te Anau was our last stop to get supplies for the multiday Routeburn Track hike. I have everything I need for it now. Unfortunately, the weather forecast appears to be quite rainy.

We made a couple stops for some scenic photos on our way to camp. We even had a forced stop to allow a sheep herd to cross the road, which was really fun to witness. The camp was one of the coolest ones yet. They even had a hydrogen bomb on display that the US had given them. The New Zealand prime minister then decided to deactivate it. (One of the museums I went to showed there have been a lot of nuclear weapon tests in the Pacific by the US and France; and I think a lot of the island nations feel they are a little too close to home.)

I made the decision to upgrade to a cabin over a tent for only $13. I shared the cabin with a couple others on the trip, but got to have my own room.

Late at night, one of the couples (who are from south of Boston) on the trip made a walk to see glow worms. They told us about it, and a few of us wandered to the area to check them out. I had never seen glow worms before, so this was another first for the trip.Read more