Lake Wakatipu. We didn't actually stop here, but we did drive along it forever b/c it's HUGE! Third largest lake in the country, and there are two stories about how it came to be...
Scientists believe that it formed after a glacier passed through the area, and once it left, the rain and runoff created the lake.
The Maori, however, claim a demon once lived in this area, and it would kidnap all the "merry maidens" in the land and hold them prisoner. He took the village chief's daughter, though, and all hell broke loose in the village. The Chief promised the daughter's hand in marriage to the warrior who could return the maiden to the village. So they all went out to save her, and when they found her, the shackles were unbreakable. She cried, and then when the tears hit the locks, they broke and the spell was broken... The warriors then decided to kill the demon by lighting him on fire - he burnt for days and days, and the only thing left was his beating heart.So... what does this have to do with the lake? Well... the Maori believe that when he was burning, he lay down in the shape of what we know the lake to be now, and when the rains and mountain runoff came through the area, it filled the gaping hole that he left and covered his heart. His head would be where Glenorchy is, and his feet at Kinston, with his knees at Queenstown.
As the bus driver told us - "believe what you will, but one more thing: the lake rises and falls by 3-4 inches every 3 minutes. Scientists cannot explain this phenomenon - could it be the beating of the demon's heart? You decide..."
Lake Te Anau. This is the second largest lake in New Zealand. This town is also the home of the glow worm caves, which are these caves that have these... glow worms. I can't really explain them, sorry! Just think caves, and rock/cave thingees hanging from the ceiling with little natural bulbs at the end of them:
The other notable thing about Te Anua - I bought a hat, gloves and vest here b/c it was FREEZING, whoops! Too bad my hat says "Made in China" though...
Earl Mountains. Gorgeous lookout point:
The Mirror Lakes. This was a really pretty World Heritage Site:
Pure Stream. I'm not sure if this place had a name, but the water is 99.8% pure here - completely drinkable! You could fill up your water bottle and it was delicious! I just tried not to think about the other .2%: "animal biproduct"? Um...
We also saw a Kea bird here, it was sitting on top of our bus! These are parrot-like birds who like to take human stuff like shoes and camera lenses - quite a menace for unknowing tourists...
The Chasm. "The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time." - Henry David Thoreau
Milford Sound. Wikipedia defines a fiord as:
"a long, narrow estuary with steep sides, made when a glacial valley is filled by rising sea water levels. The seeds of a fjord are laid when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley through abrasion of the surrounding bedrock by the sediment it carries. Many such valleys were formed during recent ice age when the sea was at a much lower level than it is today. At the end of the ice age, the climate warmed up again and glaciers retreated. Sea level rose due to an influx of water from melting ice sheets and glaciers around the world (it rose over 100 m after the last ice age), inundating the vacated valleys with seawater to form fjords."
Cat defines it as: purdy.
We saw seals, too!
Unreal.
I also met two girls from California - Faith and Caity, two sisters traveling together - very cool girls. We had a lot of fun together, and we also ate at FergBurger that evening - delicious!More about today, when I have a chance to post, tomorrow... if that makes sense. Miss you all loads!
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