After quite a lot of driving and many, many sheep, we arrived at the Te Anau Lodge around 6pm, just beating a rain storm. We stayed in the Bishop’s Retreat which was a stand alone building next to the lodge. It was comfortable and relatively quiet with a kitchenette and private bathroom.

Our rate included a plentiful breakfast in what used to be the music room. On our first morning we were up early for our cruise before the main breakfast started, but they already had cold options out so we ducked in for a quick bite of toast before we left. On our second morning we were there for the full breakfast and quite enjoyed the made-to-order options as well as the conversation around the table.

Upstairs in the lodge is a library that features a daily afternoon tea with snacks and drinks, though we weren’t around to take advantage unfortunately. The views across the lawn we quite lovely though.

We asked the front desk to make reservations at Fat Duck for dinner, a well recommended restaurant in this small town, and they got us in for an 8p table.

As we arrived at the restaurant a large party was just leaving, and the staff seemed a bit more relaxed. I started by ordering the Pitch Black stout from Invercargill Brewery, then opted for the venison shank with stewed carrots, onions, berries, gravy. Thank goodness I only opted for one shank as it was huge and plenty of food. Eric tried the Smokin Bishop beer from Invercargill, which went well with the soup of the day, Thai Pumpkin Curry, larger than expected but tasty and filling. We didn’t have room for dessert, but we did snag a large chocolate chip cookie that we periodically snacked on over the next two days.