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We got up ready to leave the hostel at 9.45am. We are heading to Te Anau. Before we left Invercargill we went to the museum to see Henry the Tuatara (125 years old) and his mates. Tuatara are the only surviving members of the lizard - like Sphenodontians that flourished around 200 million years ago. We continued on the Southern Scenic Route, via the classic fishing village of Riverton. Riverton is one of the oldest European settlements in New Zealand and it is rich with Maori history. We visited a paua shell factory. Usually we would have had the chance to see paua jewellery being made and learn about where it comes from but no tours around the factory were taking place today. The factory shop is full of bargains. Then we headed to Tuatapere. Tuatapere is the base for the southern part of Fiordland National Park. The area offers spectacular views of the Southern Alps as they drop in the sea. We stopped for a short walk to see a waterfall. After this it was a short drive up the road to Te Anau. Te Anau is the gateway to Fiordland National Park and World Heritage Area. We arrived at our hostel - Te Anau Backpackers around 2pm where we are staying for 1 night. I am in a dorm room with Andrew, Malin and Sofie again along with 1 other girl from the UK. We had a look around the small town and went to the supermarket to get some food for dinner. We went back to the hostel and I went on the internet for a bit. Then I went for a walk to take some photos of Lake Manapouri and the scenery of Te Anau. In the evening we all watched the TV in the hostel and then Andrew and Malin went for a drink in one of the two pubs in the town and Sofie and myself went to bed.
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