Ramble & Roam - Abroad in New Zealand @rambleandroam - Tumblr Blog

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Yesterday, on our last Saturday in New Zealand, four of my friends and I decided to "hike" up Mt. Eden, an extinct volcano, for a spectacular view of Auckland. Those suburbs seem to stretch to infinity. I'm getting nostalgic, people. I'm writing this post right now instead of packing cause it was making me too sad. This didn't help...

#mt eden

Brad just uploaded this photo to Facebook, so I stole it and put it here. The official Mt. Tongariro summit picture!!

Tongariro Crossing!

Before beginning I would like to give 1/2 photo credit to Erica, because many of the pictures in this post are hers (yay waterproof iPhone case!) and apologize for the blurriness. It's authentic, life was blurry yesterday.

This past Sunday, three of my friends (Erica, Brad, and Santiago) and I decided, fairly spur of the moment, to hike Tongariro Crossing! So we drive down to Tongariro National Park (about 4 hours) that afternoon and hiked about 30 minutes to Mangatepopo hut in the growing dark where we were staying the night.

Lucky for us, the hut had both electricity and heat! So we ate dinner, played a few card games, and figured out our plan for the next day. Unfortunately, the bad weather meant the shuttles between the car parks wouldn't be running, so we had no guaranteed way of getting back to our car from the other side of the crossing. For some reason, we dismissed this as a serious problem and thought we would either hitchhike back from the other side or stay at the Ketetahi hut near the finish. Little did we know that neither plan would have worked, but I'll get to that later. So, blissfully unaware of that future problem, we hit the hay.

We got our start at 8am on Monday and headed off into Mordor! It was misting in the valley but not too cold, and the view was fantastic if cloudy.

After the first hour, we started gaining elevation and hiked into the clouds. The first climb up about 1400m was hard but fun. Two Irish guys caught up to us on the way and we chatted briefly. Apparently, their hostel was providing a shuttle to pick them up when they finished. They told us we could probably have lift if we were there around the same time. We never saw them again.

At the end of our fist steep hike was the turn-off to hike Mt. Ngauruhoe AKA Mt. Doom!! It's a difficult 3 hour return climb with a lot of scree in good weather and since we couldn't even see the mountain through the fog, we decided not to make the journey. So I touched Mt. Doom, but did not hike it. Frodo and Sam amaze me more and more every day.

So after a brief photo break, we continued onward into the fog and climbed another 300m or so to the peak of the crossing. From there we left our packs and took a 1.5 hr side track to summit Mt. Tongariro at 1900m. The wind was really intense by this point and we were enveloped by cloud so we got soaked. By the end of the summit climb, there were puddles in my boots and when I squeezed by hands, water would pour out of my gloves. All our faces were red and windblown, but we made it! We think... We're actually pretty sure we walked past the summit the first time, but when we kept losing altitude and eventually came to a pretty steep cliff edge, we turned back. On the way back we stopped at the highest point and saw there were several broken trail markers and what looked like it might have been a wooden platform, so we decided that was the peak. It was too foggy to see anything around us, so we had no idea if we were at the highest point or not. So we decided we were (I'm pretty sure we were) and Santiago pulled out a surprise package of Cadbury chocolate! So we celebrated our success and re-energized for the second half of our hike.

(This picture is not from the peak, but I can't remember when it was, and it looks peak appropriate, so there you go).

Then we hiked back to our packs and returned to the crossing. Things got easier from there. We did a really cool ridge hike with craters on either side, one of which we identified as Red Crater by the 3m of red dirt we could see through the fog to our right before it disappeared into the abyss. A little while after that we came to the Emerald Lakes, which appeared out of nowhere! As a sight most of us had been wanting to see since we got to New Zealand, this was a big moment. Our pictures might not be as pretty as some of our friends', but we were just stoked we could see it!

After the emerald lakes most of the track was downhill, so we had a pretty easy time of it and there weren't many landmarks left to see. Eventually, we ran into a nice couple, bringing the total trampers we saw up to 4, who also had no idea how they were getting back to their car. Somehow, they agreed to give us their car keys so that when we reached the Ketetahi car park we could drive their car to the Mangatepopo car park where we would leave it for them and pick up our own car again. This plan, though sudden and a little sketchy, actually worked out amazingly well and saved us both some significant trouble.

After a long and windy walk, we were even more glad we'd met that couple because, upon reaching Ketetahi hut, we realized that not only does it not permit overnight stays but that there were several possums living it in and had covered the place in possum poo. It was disgusting. We took an extremely brief lunch break huddling in the corner of the hut, simultaneously trying to warm up and avoid possum poo. Then we started the last leg of our journey, the 1.5 hour hike to the car park. We marched down into scrub, then brush that was taller than us, and finally through a forest (looked like a rain forest, but maybe that's just because it was raining...). We came out the other side tired, soaked, and hungry, but so happy and proud. We all changed into dry clothes as fast as we could and found the couple's car. Suprise! Half of the car is a bed! Brad and Santiago sat in the front while Erica and I, careful with our messy feet, climbed onto the bed the back and lay down for a restful drive back to Mangatepopo car park. One more reason to be happy we ran into the couple: the walk to the main road from the car park was about 20 minutes, and there were no other cars on the road. So much for hitch hiking!

About two minutes after we arrived at Mangatepopo, the couple emerged from the track! We exchanged congratulations, swapped cars, and headed on our way. It's ridiculous how well that plan worked out, we're so lucky. I'm so glad we spontaneously decided to do this trip and so lucky to have done it with three other awesome people. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, only the weather stood in our way and we powered through it. We simply walked into Mordor, and it was awesome.

Plus, that was the last thing on my New Zealand bucket list! I guess that means I can feel extremely accomplished when I leave in 3.5 weeks...oh gosh.

#tongariro #newzealand #tramping #mtdoom

ADRENALINE POST #3: I jumped out of a plane! A few weeks ago we went to Taupo for the weekend with basically the only intention to go skydiving. It was so different from bungy jumping, and so much more about the view than the adrenaline. I was less terrifying because I had a guide with me, and because I wasn't active in the jumping process. He basically pushed me to the door and then rolled out; I had no choice but to fall with him. And I'm so glad I did! It was one of the most unique experiences of my life (right up there with rafting the glowworm caves a few months ago). Hurtling toward Earth from 12,000 feet is actually one of the quietest, calmest things I've ever felt. All I could hear was the wind and my whispered screams. After about the first 5 seconds, the stomach dropping feeling wears off and you just feel like you're floating. It's amazing. Skydiving is about the experience, bungy is about the adrenaline, and I'm so glad I can cross both off my bucket list. And so ends the adrenaline posts, everything should be tamer from here on out...I think.

ADRENALINE POST #2: For my friend Erica's 21st birthday, we went bungy jumping again (apparently it's now a tradition), this time off of the Auckland Harbour (yes, with a "u" because we speak British English here) Bridge. It was amazing, especially the view of Auckland and Devonport. I enjoyed this jump even more than the one in Queenstown, and even got dunked in the harbour which was fun. Just to add to the scare factor, the guides had to make sure no ships were traveling under the bridge before we could jump. We wait for them, they don't wait for us. So I would absolutely bungy again, but I think I'm done with this particular activity for the rest of my time here. But two days after this wonderful Thursday afternoon bungy jump, we went skydiving!!! Pictures coming!

Alright so I know I am extremely far behind on this whole blogging my adventures thing, so here's a quick update: THE ADRENALINE VERSION! This first post (two more to come) is from bungy jumping at the Ledge in Queenstown on my birthday! 8 of my friends and I rented two cars and drove the South Island for two weeks for out mid-semester break. Lucky for me, we reached Queenstown (a place for good food, fun nights out, and a lot of adventure) the day before my birthday. So at 11am on April 19th, 2014 I jumped off a ledge at the top of the gondola! After that I also did the Canyon swing, where they hold you up parallel with the axis of the swing and let you drop so that you swing out over the canyon. It was an amazing way to spend my birthday, followed by a delicious pesto pasta lunch and then going to an ice bar! It was a fantastic way to spend my 21st in New Zealand and probably qualifies as the best birthday ever. And it may have turned me into an adrenaline junkie...whoops.

I went scuba diving in the Poor Knight Islands this weekend with the Auckland University Underwater Club through Dive Tutukaka!! Our sites were Shark Fin Cave, Brady's Corner, and the Northern Arch! It was amazing, I've never seen so many fish in my life (blue and pink maomao, scorpionfish, snapper, and king fish). Plus two short-tailed stingrays, a clown nudibranch, roboastra, crayfish, and 3 different types of Moray Eel (Yellow, Grey, and Mottled). I'm also like 80% sure that the third picture of the diver with the blue and clear mask is actually me! Our dive boat also drove inside Rikoriko cave, the largest sea cave in the world! Sweet as.

All photo rights belong to Darren Bainbridge.

#poor knights islands #scuba #auuc

Secret South, Day 11

"I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things." Get's me everytime. But this is only the end of a wonderful trip. There's still so much New Zealand to come!

We left Woolshed Creek Hut at 8:30 and started back on the other side of the creek following the Mt. Somer's Track.

One of our first obstacles was this really intense suspension bridge that had a max load of 1 person! Very bouncy, but not scary.

So that was super fun! Unfortunately it wasn't the nicest of days and it rained a bit which was uncomfortable, but overall a cool hike. The fog made for some awesome pictures if nothing else:

At our highest point we passed under a cave/cliff covered in orange rock called the Bus Stop. I have no idea who thought of that, or managed to put this sign up, but it was a cool novelty moment.

The rest of the hike was downhill and pretty easy. My ankles were certainly ready to be done, however. They still hadn't quite recovered from the shakiness of Mueller Hut and they were weak beforehand. Overall I was glad to come to the end of our hike, and trip, but overjoyed I had chosen to take this adventure and so glad that I had such an amazing group to do it with! The Milford Sound and Mueller Hut days were definitely the best, but, up until Day 9, there hadn't been a dull moment. I absolutely loved this trip.

So we returned to the van and drove back to where we ate lunch the day before to sort out our gear and where everyone needed to be dropped off in Christchurch. We also had our last camping lunch! I still haven't bought any of the products I used on my sandwiches because I think their tastes will be ingrained in my memory forever. I have bought Whittaker's chocolate (a NZ staple and it's excellent) and the cookies and cheese we ate though! So yummy.

Then we drove to Christchurch and everyone got dropped off at their respective backpackers. Christchurch was pretty sad to drive through, it's still struggling to rebuild after the earthquake in 2011. A lot of gorgeous stone buildings, mostly churches, are still hidden behind construction site walls.

So one by one everyone said their goodbyes, which was really sad. these were the first people I'd really spent time with and gotten to know in this country, and now they were leaving me. I was not looking forward to starting the friend making process all over again when I got to Auckland, feeling like a freshman in college, but that feeling would pass quickly. I was the last one to get dropped off, and had gotten a nice tour of Christchurch on the way so I felt little need to explore further that night. Plus I was exhausted. So I got Hell Pizza, did some laundry, and settled into my beautiful bed. The next morning I caught my 6:50 flight to Auckland, but not before having an expensive breakfast of a flat white and NZ eggs benedict featuring smoked salmon instead of canadian bacon at an airport cafe. It was delicious, so I took a pic:

When I got to Auckland I met up with my program (greeted with a big hug by Jane, our Program director) and began the next, slightly tamer adventure. Weekend recaps to come!

Thank you Hiking New Zealand, you were amazing! And a big thank you to Mel, you were absolutely fantastic!

Secret South, Day 10

The morning of Day 10 we drove away from Buscot and Twizel toward Christchurch. We stopped for pics at the southern end of Lake Pukaki:

The lake is the OTHER WAY Claudia. She's Swiss...:

Just kidding! That picture actually turned out really cool, the lake and Mt. Cook were reflected in Nadine's sunglasses. Then we drove on to Lake Tekapo where Amelia and I played on a Flying Fox which is one of those playground toys with a circular plastic seat attached to a rope that slides down a wire.

That's me wayyy back there in the bright blue shirt, Amelia's in navy:

We also got to see the Church of the Good Shepard which is on a ridiculous number of NZ postcards considering there's not that much else in the area. It's a gorgeous little church, though impossible to photograph without someone getting in the way. It's a very popular tourist destination.

We also took some pics of Sheepdog Memorial before heading on our way

We drove to Mt. Somers for lunch and started our tramp in the valley. It was filled with European wasps which was terrifying. They feed on beech honey dew, and our walk began in a forest of beech trees. Mel told us we couldn't touch any of the trees during our walk which was difficult at steep points, but somehow Mel was the only one who got stung, and she didn't even notice for quite a while. The other thing she told us is that the wasp sting releases some sort of chemical that attracts other wasps and tells them to sting you. Need less to say, Mel got stung twice.

The first trail we followed was called the Miner's Track because it actually follows an old miners' railway up to the Blackburn Mining Company Mine. It was a really hot day and the track was surprisingly steep, making the first half hour or so the roughest section. My calves were burning with the 2 day old memory of the Mueller Hut trek and I felt like an old woman with my overnight pack on. I couldn't believe how tired I got so quickly. The temperature cooled off as we climbed however and the going suddenly got exponentially easier. I had no idea the heat could affect my stamina so much.

The rest of the hike was pretty straightforward. We climbed a couple hills that they called mountains but could never compare to what we had just seen at Mt. Cook National Park. The terrain was mostly grass and brush, but the view back over the valley was pretty sweet.

We stayed at Woolshed Creek Hut that evening which had 24 beds. There were 3 other small groups of people there, but we all fit with no trouble. When I first got there I took off my boots and put my feet straight into the creek. It was supposedly 35 degrees C that day which was insane.

Before dinner, Ross, Anna, Amelia and I took Mel's kite up the hill behind the hut. It was so much fun! Amelia had never flown a kite before so that was funny to watch. The kite had two strings so we could steer it. I might have dive-bombed Anna.

Then from the bottom of the hill we heard people yelling at us and pointing to the Hut. Eventually we realized dinner was ready and headed down. We ate and chat for a long time until bed, spending a really nice final night recapping the fun times and making fun of each other as though we'd known one another more than 10 days. I went to sleep knowing the next night I'd be in a real bed, with a real pillow, but at that moment I was in no rush.

Secret South, Day 9

After the amazingness of Day 8, Day 9 was a struggle. The weather wasn't very pleasant; it was extremely windy and raining on and off. We drove back to Mt. Cook National Park from Buscot and hiked a very easy route to Hooker Valley with is next to Hooker Glacier and contains Hooker Lake.

The view itself was pretty, but the gale force winds were kicking dust and rocks in our faces most of the time and clouds covered the top of Mt. Cook. On the way back to the van the wind even knocked a couple people off the boardwalk paths, but it was just a short drop so everyone was fine.

The best part of the walk was going over these awesome suspension bridges that bounced with the wind; pretty thrilling. Evan (our guide/pack mule/source of daily entertainment) enjoyed jumping up and down on them so that no one could walk properly, which I thought was fun but others seemed to disagree.

After the walk we went to the Visitor's Center which had some cool displays on the expeditions that have gone up Mt. Cook. They also had a really cool map of all the area trails and the mountains' heights, but it wasn't free. No giveaways, so sad. Then we drove back to Buscot for the night. It was definitely the most boring day of the trip, although it did give us a nice rest day before our last overnight hike.

Secret South, Day 8

Day 8 has finally arrived!! This was definitely the most amazing, rewarding, and exhausting day of the entire trip.

We left Unwin Hut by 8 and drove back to the same starting point as Day 7 but instead of walking to Kea Point we turned left and headed to the Sealy Tarns and Mueller Hut track (nicknamed the Stairway to Heaven). The first half of the hike was all incredibly steep wooden or stone steps. It was pretty mechanical to climb so my quads were hurting but not terrible. The track wound back and forth across the mountain so that we had no idea how far we had to go, except for the rough estimate of 2000 steps. By the time we reached the top, Anna had counted (with amazing concentration and persistence) 1944 steps. It took us about an hour to complete and it was the first hike that prompted actual complaints, but I think that was the sheer monotony and never-ending appearance of thousands of steps.

The halfway point is marked by Sealy Tarns (small lakes, and I mean really small, like ponds, they're aren't even pictures of them here, that's how small) which offered a fantastic view of Mt. Sefton, Mt. Cook, and the entire valley. We had climbed in cloud cover which kept us cool, but once we reached the Tarns, much of it had burned off so all the mountain tops became visible. It was perfect timing (which again, according to Mel, never happens).

The next half of the hike was along what seemed to be an old riverbed down the rockier face of the mountain. No more monotonous steps, which was good and bad. It started off fine, nice footholds and an easy-to-follow trail. Some parts of it were almost like rock climbing or bouldering though because you had to climb up a sheer rock face using hands and feet. I thought that was awesome, I was like a kid in a playground, and it was distracting from the pain of the hike. There was also a section of huge boulders we had to scramble over which was super cool. That definitely continued my playground experience; I felt I was finally getting to climb all the things Mom and Dad wouldn't let me when I was little because they were too dangerous. So there, parents!

Unfortunately all this fun stuff didn't last long and the track eventually turned into scree (slippery, pebbly rock). The last 100m or so were really steep and dangerous so it was slow, scary going as the ground tried to roll out from under our feet.

Finally, and safely, we made it to the top and it was AMAZING. This is where I get to the point in the post (or in the blog really) where I run out of non-cheesy adjectives to describe my experience and the view. Everything I saw from this point on for Day 8 could possibly have been the most impressive sight I'd seen in my entire life, and I've been to some pretty cool places. We took a ton of photos from this first view point extremely close to Mt. Sefton and its huge glacier. There were icefalls every 15-20 min that roared through our ears and we would turn to see massive waterfalls forming and pouring down the mountain's face, only to dry up moments later as though they had never existed. It was unbelievable.

As you can see, I was a little tired. Happy tomato Erin!:

We hiked a little bit further to Mueller Hut, first crossing some leftover snow! We might have had a snowball fight on the top of a mountain in the summer. I love my group.

The view at the true top did not disappoint. At about 1800m it's pretty darn high. We stopped for lunch at Mueller Hut and got to rest our weary feet.

Then we started the long trek down which was difficult in a whole new way. It was very dangerous and we were all slipping on scree. No bad falls, although a few people ended up on their butts or with legs sliding off ledges. You know, no big deal. I was so glad I didn't turn an ankle, they are weak enough already and there was some serious joint pain by the end of this tramp.

The stairs were really murderous on our knees on the way down, but finally, after a total of 7 hours, we made it back to flat ground. It was rough, especially coming down, but for those killer views it was so worth it.

We drove back to Buscot station to spend our first night there. We stayed above Tony's garage in what he calls the dorm where there are 12 beds. Above most of the beds and all over the walls are flags from countries all over the world. I may have been a little over eager in choosing my bed, so Tom snapped this picture. 'Murica:

Dinner was a fantastic BBQ of burgers with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, and fried eggs! And cookies and cream ice cream for dessert! OMNOMNOM!!! Then I got to sleep in my adorable bed with sheets and a real pillow and it was fantastic. Best day of the trip, hands down. Well, I guess it's all downhill from here...but keep reading it's still great!!

Secret South, Day 7

Due to impending bad weather, this was the first day we deviated from the itinerary. Rather than going for our second overnight hike where we would’ve been camping, Mel made the executive decision to drive us to Mt. Cool National Park a day early. So we hopped in the van and left Alexandra. The drive was long, but we stopped a few times along the way. First we saw Lindis Pass and New Cromwell. Cromwell had been flooded a fee decades ago after the placement of a hydroelectric dam nearby. There were maps at the overlook that showed where the shore of the lake and various landmarks used to be. The bridge that used to lead into Cromwell is now totally submerged but intact which I thought was pretty cool. I bet it would be super interesting to scuba there…

Next up was a quick stop at Buscot, the sheep station where we would be staying the following night (Day 8). It was the most adorable little house I’d ever seen! It’s owned by a man named Tony who has several dozen acres of farmland and rents his house and garage out to travelers all the time. All tell you more about our accommodation in the next post.

After dropping off some food that needed to be refrigerated at Buscot, we continued on our way through Twizel (hard “i” sound, not like Twizzlers unfortunately). We drove right past Pelennor Fields, where the Battle of Pelennor Fields (obviously minus the CGI), the final big battle of Return of the King with the elephants and the Army of the Dead and whatnot, takes place!! It was so cool! I got ridiculously excited every time we drove by, attempting to snap good pictures of what was basically dry grass and telephone poles from a moving van. Anna kept making fun of me. Whatever it was great!

Lastly was our shoreside stop at Lake Pukaki. It’s an absolutely gorgeous lake located in the huge glacial valley in Mt. Cook National Park. It has a beautiful turquoise color because it’s fed by glacial melt which contains “rock flour,” or the fine sediment created by rocks rubbing together beneath a glacier which is then transported by rivers. The powder is then suspended in the lake water, causing light to scatter. Since blue wavelengths are shortest they scatter more easily and are reflected back to the eye. The combination of blue reflection and white powder gives Lake Pukaki its beautiful color.

We stopped to take tons of pictures because this was also out first sighting of Aoraki/Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand! It made for an imposing sight, even from that distance, with its snowcapped peak. Everyone was in awe, and we hadn’t even gotten close yet!

Mel also took this opportunity to use a toy bulldozer and a snickers bar to explain glacial movement and erosion. The bulldozer was the huge glacier pushing up rock and sediment that would become the mountains in Mt. Cook National Park. The snickers bar was also the glacier, but she used it to show us how glaciers crack when they are forced to turn and shift, causing crevasse's to form in their surface. Of course, she also showed us what happened when a glacier began to melt, causing icefalls. After that point the snickers bar didn't last very long.

After about a half hour of picture taking, we drove into the Park itself and stopped at our accommodation at Unwin Hut which had a fantastic view of Mt. Sefton.

Then we drove to the car park and took a short walk to Kea Point which had a nice view of Mueller Glacier and Mt. Sefton (not in below photo), and Mt. Hooker in the background which we would see more closely on Day 9

Finally, we drove through Tasman Valley (which bears a striking resemblance to the valley where Helm’s Deep is located, though they’re not the same) and did another short walk to see Mt. Tasman and Tasman Glacier.

It was really difficult to get a sense of perspective. Mel kept telling us how huge the glacier and lake were, but I couldn’t believe it until I saw what appeared to be a teeny tiny boat leave the shoreline. Turns out it was a huge inflatable boat that sat at least a dozen people! I couldn’t wrap my mind around it at all.

Then we returned to Unwin Hut after a fairly easy day and I wrote in my travel journal as the sun set behind us. The view of Tasman Valley as night fell was incredible.

I stayed out much longer than I should have without wearing socks and got bit a dozen times by Sand Flies for my trouble, but it was totally worth it.

Secret South, Day 6

We left the sheep station and began out long journey to our next destination, Alexandra. Along the way we stopped for lunch in Roxburgh and I played on the playground which had a really awesome slide. I was wearing my spandex leggings too so I got some pretty sweet speed. It was a good time. We also stopped at a farm stand and bought 3 boxes of fruit including a giant box of plums! For those of you who don’t know I’m a red plum fanatic so this was a wonderful surprise. We also got a mixed box that included these small green fruits called greengages. They taste like overly sweet plums which is pleasant if you don’t eat them too fast. I thought they were fantastic, I love sweet things, but I definitely did not want to eat more than one in a sitting.

When we reached Alexandra, we split into two groups. One group had decided to hang out and rest for the day while the other group, which included myself, got ready to go on a 50km bike ride! We got a lift from the bike shop to our start on the Otago Rail Trail in Auripo Station which is on the edge of where they filmed Rohan!!!!! I biked through Rohan, whaddup. We took this awesome group picture before heading on our way:

The landscape was gorgeous! We biked along a lot of farms and watched the sheep watch us with disinterest. Occasionally we would bike up a rise and be able to look across the hills and fields for a long way.

It was only mildly distracting, luckily no one ran into each other. We crossed a couple trestle bridges that afforded really nice views as well, combining water, trees, rock, and hills. The landscape changes so often here, you never know where you'll end up next!

The best (and also unfortunately worst) parts were the two pitch dark tunnels we had to go through at the Poolburn Gorge/Viaduct. Being the carefree individuals we are, we biked right into the first one without taking off our sunglasses, turning on our headlamps, or slowing down. It was a pretty trippy experience because you couldn’t tell where the ground was and every second it felt like you were going to bike into an abyss. I was enjoying it until I saw Anna’s reflective pedals swerve and crash into the wall. Her tire had hit a rock and she couldn’t regain control. She was alright, only a scrape on her arm, but it definitely made us more cautious for the second tunnel. With my sunglasses off and headlight on, I biked through the tunnel. It was really cool being able to see the craftsmanship inside. It of course reminded me of the dwarven mines in LOTR since that’s the extent of my experience with tunnels. Much cooler than our first pitch black experience.

A bit later we came upon a tavern at Chattel Creek that services the Rail Trail almost exclusively. I got a delicious mango pineapple ice cream in a ridiculously fragile cone which I broke and then spent the rest of the time attempting to reconstruct and not spill all over myself... Others got pictures of my struggle, unfortunately I don't have any to share. But trust me, the struggle was real. But I overcame!

When we finally made it back to Alexandra we'd been out for 5 hours and the back of my hands were burnt to a crisp. That was the only place I forgot to put sunscreen apparently; I couldn't put my hands into anything (my backpack, plastic bags, dry bags, etc.) without pain for about a week. Never making that mistake again. Got a sweet watch tan from that day though. I still have it as I'm typing this, even though my watch broke almost 2 weeks ago so I haven't been wearing it.

That night we stayed in a campground and actually camped for the first (and what turned out to be the last) time. It was nice to be in my own little tent that night, not worrying about kicking the person sleeping next to me. Day 6 was a nice break and, like day 2, I appreciated the incorporation of different activities and modes of exercise that still let us see beautiful views and landscapes. This day marked the more-than-halfway point of the trip. Five days to go!

Baby sea lion going for a swim at Surat Bay, with Swiss Claudia's voice in the background.

Secret South, Day 5

Left the crib (HA) at 9 in the pouring rain. The drought had finally broken for real and we were getting wet all day. Luckily it seemed only to pour when we were in the van, so it wasn't too bad.

We drove like 5 min to the Petrified Forest along Curio Bay. The forest was knocked down in a volcanic eruption millions of years ago and the ash fossilized the trees, turning them to stone. They look like burnt logs laying down, but they're really stone! Unfortunately, we weren't very enthusiastic about looking at the wet stone trees for long since we were all getting soaked.

On the way to our next stop we hit New Zealand rush hour traffic: a herd of sheep! They were walking down the road and we had to follow/slowly maneuver through them. It was so funny and a perfectly cliche image of NZ. Also I learned that sheep have long tails! They reach the ground and are bushy like a tabby cat's. MindBLOWN! I really had no idea that farmers cut their tails down to stumps.

We visited Curio's at Papatowai next which is this cute little bus/truck filled with "inventions" like tiny automatons and toys and gadgets that you operate with random switches and buttons. My favorite was a pair of wooden sperm whales that "swim" when you turn the crank. If it hadn't been $300, I might have bought it.

After that we did two short walks, one along a deserted beach and another to Purakaunui Falls which were running pretty swiftly thanks to the rain.Took this quality pic at the beach, we're so clever:

The highlight of the day was our final walk which was along the beach at Surat Bay in Owaka where we saw sea lions! You were able to walk right along the beach by them, as long as you stayed 10m away. Because of the rain they were actually pretty active, rather than sleeping in the sun all day which they usually do, according to Mel (another one of those "appreciate this thing that never happens ever!" moments). There were some sleepy ones but we also saw a pair of pups play fighting, until their mother came over and reprimanded them by yelling really loudly. So cute.

The walk was pretty long and there were several false paths off the beach. One such path led me straight into a sea lion hiding on the dune and it "chased" me back down. We all backed away but it actually charged (well quickly flopped) at us. It was mildly terrifying. We still thought we needed to leave the beach that direction, so after inching around Mr. Angry Sea Lion, we climbed up the dune, only to find the path ended after a few meters. So we had to climb back down, avoiding the sea lion again, and walk further down the beach where we found the real, wider path out. This led to a second beach where we saw a mother with a really young pup that was mostly white. As we watched, it ran from the dunes to the sea, checking back ever few feet to make sure it was okay with mom. It was adorable, I'll post the video of it momentarily, check above!

When we finally got to the van we drove to the sheep station we were staying in that night. We literally slept on the long, thin platform where they shear the sheep, so weird and totally awesome.

Before dinner, most of us took a walk across the pastures to an overlook of Sandy Bay. Down on the beach were two young (still fluffy) yellow-eyed penguins! They were waiting for their parents to return with food, but unfortunately that did not happen while we were there. That would have been great luck. I was so excited to see the penguins though, I'd wanted to see some on this trip so badly. I never saw any whales or dolphins (also whales, but I'll keep them distinct for the public) while on the South Island, but hoping to remedy that before the semester's over. It was so strange to see sheep and penguins on the same hill...what an odd place this country is. Unfortunately, they were very far away, so the following picture is not very good, this was my camera at full zoom:

Dinner was superb with aid of the station's oven and we had roasted chicken, lamb, and veggies! What started out as dreary day turned out to be pretty fantastic. Honestly, if it had not been raining the waterfall would have been less spectacular and the sea lions would not have been so active. So even for rain, thank you weather gods!

Secret South, Days 3 and 4

Day 3 began our first overnight hike to Green Lake! I was pretty excited about it, but a little nervous after how winded I felt at the end of our short hike on Day 1. Turns out I had nothing to worry about and at the end I, once again, thought this hike was going to be my favorite. Unsurprisingly, I would be proved wrong yet again.

We left Manapouri at 9 (nice late start) and drove to Borland Saddle which overlooked our tramp. The Saddle was created by a huge landslide that filled the valley ages ago, turning a big lake into 2 lakes: Island Lake and a second unnamed lake. As a small, pre-hike, we walked up fairly steeply through a small forest and then brush to Mt. Burn Tops.

It was a short but beautiful walk overlooking everything we were about to hike for the next two days. You could even see Green Lake!

Upon returning to the van, we drove down into the valley and strapped on our big packs to head into the woods. It was very LOTR-ish, like Mirkwood or Fangorn Forest. Our hike alternated between woods and waist or shoulder high grass that one of my friends, Ross, couldn't help but compare to the long grass in Jurassic Park II. Luckily, no velociraptors. Sorry if that link was scary, but I told you it was from Jurassic Park so...

The walk was really pretty and not very difficult for 3/4 of it. Then we hit Island Lake after which began our really steep final obstacle. It was narrow and rooted and rocky which made it more entertaining to climb, but definitely hard and my calves were feeling it by the end. But it was all worth it for the view on the other side of Green lake! The hut appeared on the edge of the lake, this random piece of civilization in the middle of nowhere.

Luckily it was totally empty and we had the cabin to ourselves for the night. We played card games and Mafia/Werewolf and drank tea and it was a total bonding night. Got to know a few people a whole lot better, and introduced my favorite card game Palace (also unfortunately known as Shithead...but that was not appropriate when I learned the game at Camp at age 10) to Kiwis and Aussies. I'm spreading it around the world!!! It's a great game, you should totally learn it. There were also some funny moments of me not understanding their slang so they got to make fun of me. I had not yet become Peanut Butter Girl though so this was only the beginning of the mockery. Fond memories.

Unfortunately it was raining the next morning, but we quickly shed our raincoats when we got under the cover of the trees, heading back the way we had come. The steep bit was physically much easier on the way down, but it definitely wore on our ankles and knees. I came to prefer going uphill by the end of the trip simply because it felt safer, tiring my muscles rather than wearing on my joints and unreliable ankles. The walk back included some classic Broadway sing-alongs, featuring The Lion King, Les Miserables, Wicked, and Avenue Q. That definitely made the time fly by and we nearly forgot we were hiking and wearing packs...nearly.

Once back in the van, we drove to Invercargill (the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, not location, just city) and wandered around Queens Park, especially through the gardens.

Mel bought us fish and chips which we ate on the grass (my first NZ fish and chips!) before driving to Curio Bay. We stayed in an adorable crib just above the beach that night along the Catlins coast. It was a very successful first overnight and encouraged me: I'm braver than I believe, and stronger than I seem, and smarter than I think.

Secret South, Day 2

When I finished day 2, I thought for sure it was going to be the highlight of my trip. It would end up coming in second overall (you'll see number 1 on day 8!) which just goes to show how incredibly diverse, fun, and impressive this trip really was.

We drove to Milford Sound from Gunn's Camp, stopping at Monkey Creek to take some pics (which involved no monkeys, I'm sorry to say) and driving through Homer Tunnel which travels under the mountains. Hobbit jokes were made; I may have proclaimed myself King Under the Mountain as we went through...

At the put-in we got suited up in some quality striped thermals, yellow rain coats, and spray skirts. We were looking hot:

I jumped in a kayak with Anna and we pushed off into the bay. The weather was fantastic, which is super rare so Mel was ecstatic. This became a wonderful theme of our trip, as Mel commonly told us "appreciate this guys, most people never get to see (insert name of mountain top or distant lake)!" It became a joke to us and we started asking Mel what we shouldn't be able to see today or if this was the greatest day of weather ever! We really did appreciate it, the weather gods came through for us often on this trip and I'm so thankful.

We paddled through an inlet into the mouth of a river before heading out into the Sound.

The mountains rise as sheer cliffs out of the water and continue below to 400m! When you're close to the walls you can see them disappear into the depths. It was so cool! I felt so tiny. First we kayaked to the base of a huge waterfall, which made it hard to stay in place, before turning along the shore. We followed the right side of the Sound and then cut across to come back along the opposite shore. There were New Zealand fur seals (actually sea lions because they have ear flaps, thank you Ocean Science, right Kerri?) on the rocks which were super cute. One was sleeping in the water with its flipper in the air, which is apparently totally normal. Can you see the second one? Apparently some people have trouble spotting him, he's so sneaky:

We were out for 4 hours and paddled 18km. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Our only complaint was that our butts had gone completely numb by the time we got out of our kayaks. That made for some funny exits; we may have waddled back to our van. Next we drove back to Te Anau to a small bird sanctuary and got to see the Takahē. It's a bird that was believed to be extinct for almost 50 years until it was rediscovered by Geoffery Orbell near Lake Te Anau in 1948. Mel told us we couldn't miss it, it kinda looks like a big blue chicken.

Afterwards we drove to our "campsite" in Manapouri where we actually stayed in large cabins again. So comfy. Before dinner, a few of us went for a swim in Manapouri Lake which was right across the road. It was only a little chilly... but definitely worth it for the view and experience. Sorry, no pictures, I didn't bring my camera to the beach. Day two set a high standard for the trip and definitely deserves its second place finish.

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Ramble & Roam - Abroad in New Zealand