Tiki -Tour Part 3

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The lake Te Anau, New Zealand


3: Tekapo to Arrowtown, then Te Anau



From Tekapo


Leaving Tekapo on the way to our next stopover, in Arrowtown (not far from Queenstown), after
two busy days (see part 1: Tekapo and Mount John and part
2: Tasman Glacier).
Heading west then south from Tekapo on Highway 8 to Twizel we, again on this trip, chose to take
the canal road which we, among others, enjoy ... just a little way west of the turning off (north) to
the Mount John access road, there is a road to the left (south) which doesn't look as if it's a road
going anywhere much, but it does. It leads to the Tekapo Canal which is a part of a substantial
system of waterways for Electricity generation.


This road is Tekapo Powerhouse Road which, after a kilometre or so turns sharply left and
back on itself, to the hydro-generator station, Tekapo A. If you've chosen this route, you don't turn
there, just keep going a half km or so, cross the canal and turn right (south) onto Tekapo Canal
Road
. Enjoy the drive along the bank of the canal, it's plenty pretty enough and is even quieter
than the main road, though the limit is lower. Continue until you come to highway 8 again (the
Tekapo-Twizel Road), further south. It's not easy to miss as the canal road crosses it. Turn left
onto it (south again) and settle into finishing your drive to Twizel.


You could continue along the canal, to where it empties into Lake Pukaki, at Tekapo B power
station, then south along the lakeside service road to pick up the Twizel road once more but, not
having done that, I cannot speak thereof.


Just a little About this Canal


Work on the Tekapo Canal began in the 1930s, as a make-work scheme in bad times. Intended to
be complete by 1943, it was held up by World War 2. Work resumed and the Tekapo A power
station was commissioned in in 1951.


The canal flows from Lake Tekapo (Tekapo A power station) to Lake Pukaki and Tekapo B. From
there the water continues to, into and through Lake Benmore, then Lake Aviemore, then into Lake
Waitaki.



There are, now, eight hydro-electric generator stations on that run of water, which constitute the
Waitaki Hydro Scheme. Outputs of the generators vary from 25 Megawatts (that'd be
enough for 25,000 1kw electric fires) up to 540 Megawatts.
By the time the water gets to Lake Waitaki, it's pretty well run out of the gusto needed to run a
generator, so it's poured into the Waitaki River and permitted to make its own way down to the
Pacific Ocean.


To Arrowtown ... The Remarkables ...


So to Twizel, pause for a break, then onward south to Cromwell then west to Arrowtown, all the
while the scenery is keeping us happy (Have I mentioned scenery? Oh, right).


Arrowtown is another pleasant town with interesting places and good eateries – though that super
Thai fish and chip shop wasn't there this time. Overnight at the hotel and next morning, onwards
towards Te Anau.


To Frankton for coffee in a substantial shopping area that serves a wide swathe of country including
Arrowtown and Queenstown, then south on Highway 6 past The Remarkables, a mountain
range that rises abruptly from its surrounds.


There are two explanations for the name, one of which says that Queenstown residents oft remarked
on it being so clearly visible on fine days. The other says that the range is one of only two
on earth that run due north/south and straight for their whole length – though I can't confirm that.



... Te Anau and Fiordland


Te Anau is on the edge of the Fiordland National Park, which is some 1,200,000 hectares
(1 ½ million sq miles) of both a National and a World heritage site. The 14 deeply indented fiords
were named Sounds in early European days (Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound ...), a Sound
being a sea-flooded river valley, with a characteristic V-shaped bottom.


In the course of time, when better surveys were carried out, it became apparent that they are in fact
U-shaped on the bottom - flooded glacial valleys. Rather than rename all the individual sounds to
fiords, the National Park was called Fiordland.


New Zealand, it seems, sits on a mini-continent of it's own, a fragment that broke off Australia's
tectonic plate, in order to make its own way in the world. Subsequently sinking and rising again
twice or more, there was time enough for glaciers to work their wonders. Currently the country, the
two major islands plus bits, are some 7% of the fragment of that tectonic plate.



Fiordland is the rainiest part of New Zealand and is among the world's wettest places. Rainfall
figures quoted vary from eleven metres a year to, more frequently, 7, 8 or 9. If we say 25ft of rain
per year, that's probably fairly safe.


Near saturated easterly winds arriving over 1,000 miles or so of the Tasman sea lift over the coastal
mountains and drop their load while moving inland then onward to the ocean.


The lake, Lake Te Anau is virtually all within Fiordland. The town of Te Anau, on
it's eastern shore, has a plaque telling us (while not mentioning the coastal mountains) that the
mountains to the west receive 8m, the lake gets around 1.4m and the town about 1.2m (4ft). Of
rain, that is.


The accompanying photograph is of the lake from the town and you may be able to make out a light
patch on the opposite shore, just right of centre – the control gates for the feed to Lake Manapouri.


You are not likely to visit the place and return in one day, simply because of the distances from
anywhere else. The winding roads that have to seek out passes to go around lumpy terrain rather
than going over or through will mean hours of driving in each direction, so if you go there, be sure
you mean it – but visiting is recommended.


With a population of around 2,000, the town provides at least 3,000 beds for visitors and no doubt
you can imagine that the place caters for tourists - and in quite a big way. If you want outdoor
pursuits then here you'll find them. All manner of 'em.
Other than the outdoor life there are other things to do and see. One of the major attractions is the
glow-worm caves. Others include a day's cruise on Doubtful Sound.


For me, however, the main purpose of the trip was was our next destination...

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Rod

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