Wide Angle Wednesday . . . J is for Jewel

as in jewel in the tourism crown.  I know our country is known for its scenic landscapes but the places we visited today are some of the hidden jewels.  We took the southern scenic route from Te Anau to Invercargill.  We stopped at two lakes and had views of the Takitimu Mountains for most of the day.  I had never heard of the Takitimu Mts.  The forester said if I read more non fiction books about the history of deer hunting in New Zealand I would have known.  The highest summit is 1,634 m or 5,360ft so not Colorado but I did love them above the green farm land.  see extra 1  The first lake we drove to was Lake Monowai one of the first lakes to be used for hydro power, extra 2  The main shot is Lake Hauroko which is our deepest lake at 462 metres.  A conservation ranger was launching his boat and off to spend three days checking huts in the Fiordland Forest Park, extra 3
This has be a fabulous day for me and I felt that excited wonder of discovering new places like I did when travelling in America.  Can this trip keep getting better each day?  You will find out tomorrow night when we end up somewhere east of here :-)  We have no fixed schedule.