Well, unfortunately no more wind in Te Anau. Continue southwards. Shortly after Lake Manapouri, my map shows a turn-off into the Fjordland National Park. It’s probably the thinnest line on the whole map…. and the first map ever to show a track. Hey, a path is a path. I turn off at Lake Monowai. First 20km of gravel track.
Then there’s a gate and a sign warning of avalanches, washouts, rockfalls, tight bends and steep gradients. Sounds quite adventurous. At the bottom there is a sign: strictly for 4WD. I get out, walk round my little runabout. Count. Oh my God! 4 wheels! So let’s go!
The first 10 kilometres are relatively good, apart from the deep potholes. Then the road climbs steeply up to 1000 metres. The gravel gets coarser and coarser until it finally reaches a grain size of 10cm. I hit the ground a few times, but the speedster is light enough to carry on. Down into the fjord country. On the way: the biggest landslide in the world. the sign says that 1.2km³ slipped away 14,000 years ago. The gravel track gets rougher and steeper.
For the first time I ask myself: Hm, is this still good? Then I’m through the roughest part. Another 15 km along a valley to the southern arm of Lake Manapouri. Then the track simply ends in the middle of nowhere. Millions of sand flies pounce on me. Staying long is not an option. Blow the lens clean, take a few photos and off I go. A couple of old Kiwis in jeeps look at me like I’m an alien. I do the queen wave and drive back.
The track was actually marked as far as Doubtful Sound. But unfortunately, the last 10 kilometres aren’t even possible on a mountain bike. I’m 60 kilometres of Alpine gravel road away from the next house. Next time I make a trip like this, I might leave a message beforehand.
The journey back goes well, the exhaust is now nice and clean. I open the boot. Unfortunately, the seal is no good. All my stuff is covered in dust. Onwards to the south.
The landscape is very dry. Lots of sheep. The Alps are slowly running out, and for the first time in New Zealand I’m driving on a road that goes straight for more than 200 metres. Lovely. Off to Invercargill, the southernmost town in New Zealand!
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.