This one is a two day essay….sorry!

After acquiring a tubigrip for my knee this morning the world seems a better place and I am less fed up. I also acquired a walking stick and some new sunglasses and a superccol compressable pillow which I am really quite excited about as the pillows so far have been ruuuuuuuuuuubbbbbiiiiisssshhh. I have capped my day off with a dinner that is highly nutritional and while not quite pom bears in soup I think Tzaneen would approve!




I am not sure I blogged yesterday mainly because I was feeling sorry for myself because it is not as though I didn’t do anything – just means you get double the value in one you lucky people.
 I travelled many hundreds (maybe only 2) of kilometres to Te Anau (flowing waters ). The largest lake in the south island, the largest glacial lake in New Zealand and it has the greatest surface area- but Lake Taupo is the largest (calculate that one! I am thinking it must be volume related)

Having arrived at 0930 I checked into my Youth Hostel. With every hostel I go to there is always something a little different. I thought I would share with you some of the joys of living in a shared dorm, I have been in both single sex and mixed dorms.
·         Generally as soon as you get over 4 people the room takes on a special aroma
·         Girls are messy- one dorm I stayed in on a bottom bunk and the girl above was already staying there and had the entire contents of her bag on the floor in front of my bed- did she attempt to tidy it – no- I was expected to step over it to reach my bed
·         In one dorm room- despite everyone else being in bed asleep (well trying to sleep) and it being gone midnight,  one guy insisted on staying up watching a movie on his laptop – while he was using headphones it amazing how loud a laptop can be and how bright the screen is!
·         Last night I was in a 6 person room of which there was a couple who couldn’t decide whether they wanted to be in the same bed (awkward) or in their separate bunks- cue covers over the head and earplugs in
It is amazing how unaware people are of their space and everyone elses.

Obviously you get the snorers ( I am probably a culprit) the late comers and the tossing and turners – thank you Sharon for the travel washbag- ear plugs have been great!
Anyway that is all by the by . Yesterday I went to the Glow Worm caves which I never managed to do on the north island last time I was here. While I can not show you pictures of the glowworms because cameras weren’t allowed and not sure mine would have captured anything, it was well worth it. Not only did we walk along a very small section of the extremely large caves that have been carved out by flowing water, we then floated silently on a boat with the glorm worms as our stars, along with a trip around a bit of Te Anau. I loved it.
Today, has been a lovely sunny day and  meant Milford Sound showed itself in its glory. Milford Sound, isn’t actually a sound it is a Fjiord – it was created by a glacier not by river and that is the difference apparently. Also, so named Milford by a Welshman who came there and he was from Milford Haven! It does look kind of similar

Carcolepsy failed me and while I managed to step out of the bus for the photostops the scenery otherwise failed to penetrate through my eyelids either on my way there or on my way back! Once there we were on a relatively (!!) small boat and cruised around the Sound getting very close to the edges and even under the waterfalls. One of which is higher than Niagra falls- but has considerably less water and still looks dwarfed by the surroundings.  Enjoy the pictures for yourselves.

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