~ Nondescript Birds

Today was meander about New Zealand day. We started out bumbling around Dunedin - looking for breakfast, antique shops and an internet cafe. More or less successful, and with several longing glances backwards (what a sa-weet town!), we headed off to seek our fortunes on the road to Te Anau (where our 4-day Milford Track hike will begin). We think we found them in the mountains that continued to become larger and more snow-capped as the day went on. It's becoming increasingly hard to think about leaving this place, and we have yet to see the most beautiful (at least, according to report!) sights. This is sheep country. There are domesticated deer and cattle in the pastures about, but mostly, mostly there are sheep. Some have been sheared, and there are many little lambs. I know! You wouldn't necessarily associate sheep with beauty, but seeing the steep, grassy hills covered with them really is amazing!
We needed to reach Te Anau in time to get our Milford track tickets, so once we had done that, we took a long hike along Lake Te Anau. Tom had purchased a "wildlife of New Zealand" book, and when we found a bird with a pretty song was quick to find that it was "possibly the most nondescript bird in New Zealand" - a grey warbler. It did sound pretty. :) They had a bird preserve halfway along the walk, so we wandered about, learning about parakeets, takahes, pukekos, keas, more-porks, and a strange-looking game bird that was introduced to the country in the mid-1900s, the Canada goose.
After an Italian dinner (well, pizza IS Italian!), we headed out to the Barnyard Backpackers hostel - a sweet series of cabins laying along a ridge overlooking a valley and mountains. We watched people herding sheep and deer in their pickup and watched the sun disappear behind the mountains.
We leave tomorrow at 9:15 AM for the Milford Track adventure; so won't be posting anything from our group till next Sunday (our time!)
ps - it's morning now. The clouds hug the mountain sides. The one place we need to go is up. And the time is now. To visit the clouds in such a place... I am reminded daily of the majesty of it all, and of my luck. Oh well, time to go romp in the mountains :) (patrick)