The Kepler Track

All the guests were together for breakfast this morning, which was again of the high standard we have come to expect from everywhere we stay.  Our hosts had suggested that we explore Milford Sound, but as that involved a 240km round trip, we decided to do something nearer to home.
The Kepler Track was suggested as involving some easy short sections which are accessible by car.
We made the short trip to the DOC (Department of Conservation) information site in Te Anau and picked up some free brochures.
We then drove about 2km to the start (and end) of the Kepler Track. The full walk is about 60km and rises to 1000m above the lake, taking four days and involving stays at mountain huts on the way.
 However, we were able  do a short 1.5 hour walk to Brod Bay, along a shaded forest track, with ferns , moss and magic mushrooms for company.

The walk back took us just over an hour, as there was less photography involved.
We then drove about 15km to Rainbow Reach, where we had to negotiate a rough unsealed road (don't tell Hertz) to reach the car park.  We then crossed over a pedestrian suspension bridge over the river Waiau.  Underneath, jetboats roared past giving us a flavour of what we will be doing in Queenstown.
After a short walk up to a viewpoint on the track, we returned to Te Anau where we saw the 30-minute Fjordland film, which included some amazing shots of inaccessible parts of new Zeland as seen from a helicopter.  It was derived from the promotional video made to persuade Hollywood to choose this area for the filming of Lord of the Rings.
Back to the guest house to chill out and try the "spa bath" in our room - a wonderful, if rather hot, experience to soothe the aching muscles.
We watched the gathering clouds indicating rain perhaps tomorrow for our Doubtful Sound cruise.  The locals say that a bit of rain will swell the waterfalls and improve the experience, even if we get wet in the process!