January 22 - Day 14

On the road again. We were out of bed at 6 am and packed and ready to go at 6:45. Walked up to the cafe where we would eat breakfast. The food is good and the coffee is marvelous. I didn’t sleep very well last night. Had a very vivid dream that David was alive and I was trying to explain all the decisions I’d made since his death. It was a bit unsettling.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus and started our trip to Te Anau. It was a beautiful trip. Through the rolling countryside of New Zealand, peppered with sheep and cows. We stopped about half way for a bathroom stop and I bought another Americano at a place called Coffee Bomb. It was good but not as good as the coffees in the cafes. 

We drove through Te Anau to the Kepler Track, a hike in the Fjordland National Park. The group divided into two hikes, one longer than the other. We hiked the long one of course. The day was nice, cloudy but pleasant. The foliage reminded me a lot of the Olympic Forest in Seattle, moss and ferns everywhere. We hiked a little over four miles to a Lake Manapouri with the mountains all around. It was hard to see all the mountains, due to low clouds. But it was beautiful all the same. We ate our boxed lunches here, sandwiches etc. I’m pretty tired of this lunch but it serves the purpose.

We hiked out after lunch. It was an easy hike, very little elevation gain and a very nice surface. My legs are tired today but I know how to persevere with tired legs and it was ok. At the end of the hike, the sun had come out and the Waiau River was so beautiful under the sunshine. There was a couple of suspension bridges on the hike and one of them was right at the end of the hike. I just stood and watched the water and felt the sun on my face. It was so nice. 

After the hike, we went back to Te Anau and checked into our hotel. Tonight we are on our own for dinner so the group separated. After we got to the room, I decided laundry was unavoidable. Everything we are wearing is starting to smell. I did a load of laundry in the hotel which took some time as there was competition for the machines. 

After I finished, Matt and I walked out to figure out where to eat. We ended up at a pizza place. Nothing spectacular but good. We ate dinner and then walked around the town a bit.

Tomorrow we will do our Milford Sound Cruise. I hope we can see something. But I’m trying to be ok with whatever happens. It is hard for me but I will keep working at it. Embrace imperfection. This is my new motto. 

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