Real Journeys

Invercargill > Riverton > Colac Bay > Lake Monowai > Te Anau

Invercargill was absolutely dead. It was like the entire town was on vacation with exception to Hell Pizza and the liquor store. We headed out straight away towards Te Anau, the gateway city to Milford Sound.

Riverton Rocks

We stopped by the next town Riverton, known for its rocky beaches where we had an unusual breakfast. I ordered an omelet with salmon, cream cheese and capers. It was strange sounding, but absolutely delicious. I’m a big fan of eggs and and a big fan of salmon with cream cheese and capers, so I told myself if I’m going to order a $18+ breakfast, so why not?

Huge Rock Formations in Riverton

That's A Lot of Rocks

View of Riverton

The Southlands Bays Are Cold & Windy!

After breakfast we stopped by Colac Bay, but it was entirely too cold to stay any longer than for a photo opportunity. We had so much coastline action yesterday. Today we bypassed the bays in favour of more forest and lakes. We stopped only once after the cold beach before reaching Te Anau.

Open Fields to Tree Covered Roads

Rule of thumb when driving around the South Island: If you see a brown sign eg. 'Lookout 300m' and another sign about that lookout after it, then you should stop.


We have been following this rule and it has paid off. Every lookout or nature walk has been worth it. The great thing about nature walks is that there are signs at their entrance indicating the distance and length of the return trip.. We stopped at Lake Monowai, which indicated the nature walk was only 30 minutes return. We ended up going out for an hour because when we reached the lookout, it was breathtaking. This was the first nature walk of our trip observing the forest from clear path ways to reaching the lake surrounded by mountains.

Look Around

Look Up

Look Ahead

At the Lakes' Edge

Green Hills, Snow-capped Mountains & Clear Blue Lakes

Inside the Forest Look at Lake Monowai

Lake Te Anau

By 4pm, we reached Lake Te Anau checking into the local YHA Hostel. Driving into the tiny town, we were greeted by the huge Te Anau Lake. After unloading our car into the room, we headed straight for the lake esplanade. Right at the centre of the lake was an information centre. Built as an add-on was Real Journeys, a vendor for trips to the area Fiordland sounds. How convenient! Or biased? We walked into Real Journeys and decided to perhaps a visit to the Information Centre would give us a better perspective on competitor pricing. One thing that caught our eye was Real Journey’s trip to the Glow Worm caves at the lake.


At the information desk, we spoke with a lovely Canadian woman named Holly. We were curious to know why she was in New Zealand, but didn’t bother to ask. We didn't want to make a huge fuss about the Canadian connection. Sounds unfriendly, but we meet expats all the time and we always have the same story; here on a working holiday visa, trying to get a permanent residency blah blah blah...


We price compared and looked at different timing options. We finally signing up for the best deal. Rather than pay $170+ for coach charter and cruise, we would drive to Milford Sound ourselves and get on the last cruiser at 4pm. We would be able to stop when we want to and stay as long or as little as we wanted at different points of interest. Plus the 4pm boat was the cheapest and was still far from sunset, which is at 9pm! We tacked on a glow worm cave trip for the following morning getting 20% off the deal. Guess Real Journey's is the best deal in town.

Lake Te Anau Shoreline 

That night we made our first meal of the trip using the hostel kitchen – prawns in basil pesto fusilli pasta. Hostel kitchen dynamics is quite interesting to observe. It’s territorial and judgmental all at the same time. You stake out an area trying to get the best pans, knife, cutting board and burners. While you are cooking, you watch others (especially older couples who never stay at hostels) struggle with burners and low quality kitchen utensils. People look at what you’re cooking and you look at what they are cooking affirming in your mind that what you've made is far superior. While cooking, you wash your dishes appearing to be simultaneously crafty on the stove and considerate of kitchen cleanliness. And the staring continues at the table. You look around for an available seat, sit down and look around to see who’s looking at you. While you’re eating, you observe others around you, their habits, their food, their post meal stature. It’s like cafeteria culture.


After our dinner, we took a walk around Lake Te Anau at sunset. We finally had plans made for the next day, not needing to worry except getting to Milford Sound on time.


After seeing so many animals in The Catlins, we were on an animal hunt (with our eyes). This was the perfect time to be in the region because so many animals had babies at their feet. I met some ducklings who crossed my feet.

Baby Ducks at My Feet

Sunset at Lake Te Anau

Trip Extras:

• Have breakfast in Riverton
• Take the 30 minute nature walk at Lake Monowai
• Shop around for the best Milford Sound deal
• Enjoy sunset at Lake Te Anau
• Te Anau Accommodation: YHA Hostel Te Anau ($185 for private double room for 2x nights)