We were able to return from Milford Sound to Te Anau at a more leisurely pace than our frenzied journey there to catch our cruise, so were able to stop and explore some of the scenic places on the way home.
This is the Cleddau River, which at one point plunges through a narrow chasm 22 metres deep.
After heavy rain, flood waters rush downstream, picking up pebbles that have scoured the river bed down to its bedrock.
Stones that have come to rest in a rocky slot are swirled round by the current. Over many centuries, they have ground out the fantastic pothole shapes that are a feature of The Chasm:
Back in the carpark, a couple of keas, a large native parrot, were delighting the tourists. A coach driver was very pleased to point them out to us, as they are not always there.
The under side of the kea’s wings are a bright orange, as can be seen by one stray feather on this bird.
Keas can be very cheeky, and have been known to eat the rubber window seals of cars, so we were pleased to drive away with our Thrifty rental car’s window seals intact.
Escaped from kea nibbles 0n 14th April 2012.
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