Despite the sandflies, we had a great time enjoying the clear, emerald green waters of the Pelorus and taking our time as many large trout drew my attention. Sadly, the elusive browns did not grow large being stupid and I couldn't get any to take a fly. Some wouldn't even let me get within 40 feet of them. I saw many huge long-finned eels, and after watching that River Monsters episode and definitely checked the pools before jumping in.
We have been following the Te Araroa for roughly 150 kilometers know and we finally met another tramper loosely following the path too. Like us, he wasn't too thrilled about some of the sections and has been improvising his way along, skipping the 90 mile beach and the southland farm sections. We have also seen several other TA hikers listed in the hut log books including one crazed Aussie that is attempting to run the whole think in 60 day (over 50km a day!).
The climb out of Pelorus was arduous; some 2000 foot climb over 5 km, a little more climbing through the alpine ridges, then 3000 feet of knee grinding decent to Nelson at sea level. We found a backpacker but check in wasn't until 3 pm, so we went round the corner to the pub for a pint and BLT's! The got a couple scoops of ice cream for the walk back to the hostel. A soak in the hot tub and our knees were totally forgotten.
Nelson is a nice little beachy town not unlike Santa Cruz. It is bike friendly with lots of mountain bike trails in the surrounding hills, nice little communities, good beers and wine, the coast. We rented bikes, eat fish and chips, did our errands, swam in the pool, and generally chilled out. We even went to see Skyfall our last night there at the local theatre, a civilized treat before hitting the trail again.
Now we are preparing for another great walk, the Heaphy. We'll be on until the 4th, then back to the TA.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
additional photos
uploading photos has been frustrating and time consuming...here are two links to most of my photos from the first few weeks in New Zealand, more to follow.
https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0BxdNdQ1F0SF2MzFqZU11NjJZZVU/edit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90326874@N07/
https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0BxdNdQ1F0SF2MzFqZU11NjJZZVU/edit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90326874@N07/
Routeburn and Queen Charlotte Tracks
We completed over 100 km of track alread and we've done both the beginning and end of our trip (both sounds)! There is so much more to look foreward to and we've hardly begun. Currently we are taking a rest day in the town of Havelock, the greenlip mussel capital of the world, and consuming as much food as possible. Here are a few quick highlights from the tracks and as many photos as I can get to (I'm working on uploading all of them to google drive and will share the link as soon as they are up):
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| Aliyah on the one of the longer "swing bridges" on the Routeburn Track. The first one made her cry but now she thinks they are fun. |
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| Lush and green. Most of the forest floor greenery is actually tiny ferns, not moss. |
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| A sleeping baby seal near Kaikoura. |
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| A fur seal nursery up a creek about 300 meters from the coast. These little seals play all day in this beautiful waterfall pool without a care in the world. |
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| Mother fur seal sunbaths with a lesbian pair of paridise ducks. |
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| Our official northern start at Ship Cove. Behind us stands the Captain Cook Monument signifying a location Captain cook sailed to several times, very historical. 70+ km of trails ahead of us, the first 20 will be without packs as the water taxis drop them at the first camp for you! |
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| More lush greenery in virgin forests. Red and silver tree ferns are like giant umbrellas and towern beach trees cling to the steep slopes. Epiphytes and ferns cover everyting. |
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| Rollin in style. |
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| Amazing views of the sounds along the Queen Charlotte Track. |
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| The first two days included rain, it ended with this rainbow as viewed from an awesome shelter along a ridge where we camped for the night. |
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Moving On
Currently killing time at the Aukland domestic terminal, T-minus 10 hours 30 minutes till our flight to Queenstown departs. We just got out of the beautiful northland countryside, a destination we will definitely be returning to. We had the good fortune to have two close contacts in the northland area to house us, show us around, and acclimate us to the lifestyles and customs of New Zealand. And as luck would have it, they lived approximately 10 km from each other!
Our first stop was at Aliyah's cousins' near Parua Bay. They had a sweet house overlooking a small bay a short walk from a little beach. We spent the first few days getting aquainted with the nearest city, Whagerei, where we did our supply shopping, shipping, getting a fishing license, etc. We also got out in the cousin's boat for an evening session to no avail.
The coming weekend was packed with seasonal activities including a touch rugby match in the donated cow pasture across the road and show day at he local elementary which where Aliyah's 6 year old cousin attended. Show day is like a county fair crossed with a 4H event; go-kart rides, scissor lift/paper airplane toss combos, bounce houses, crappy carny games, cow patty bingo, sheep sheering, lambs galore, awkward tween tribal dancing, lamb burgers while lambs watch, etc.
Then later that night, Guy Fawkes Day, as known in the US as that holiday depicted in the movie where Natalie Portman shaves her head. Essentially everyone in the neighborhood gathers in a field where a huge pile of debris has been mounded. An effigy is place atop the pile, copious amounts of diesel are applied, and the whole mess burns through the night and into the next day while the towns folk rejoice (get drunk, BBQ, and light fireworks simultaneously).
Sunday was spent in quiet reflection. Aliyah's second cousin-inlaw (older man married to Aliyah's mom's cousin, you tell me what he's called) took us to mount Manaia, a sacred mountain overlooking the town and surrounding bays. It was gorgeous with scattered clouds, bluebird skies, and dense jungly vegetation. We get a crash course in New Zealand natural and cultural history, glimpsing just enough to know that much of the native bush and old growth forest decimated at one point and only now returning. We learned lots of new plant names and enjoyed beautiful but windy views at the peak.
The next morning we departed the cousin's pad and moved down the road to Pataua South, another small collection of rural homes overlooking a large estuary. Again we were delighted to have to company of friends very close to my Dad who I had not seen since I was three years old. We shared lots of great stories and slow walks around the area, visiting secluded beaches, sacred mountains, secret fishing holes, cormorant colonies, and a glass blowing studio. And our guest room had a sunrise view overlooking the entire estuary!
Sadly we left the Eden with a promise to return and an entire adventure still ahead of us. Next up, kayaking Milford Sound on my birthday!
Pictures to come, having too much fun to upload now.
Our first stop was at Aliyah's cousins' near Parua Bay. They had a sweet house overlooking a small bay a short walk from a little beach. We spent the first few days getting aquainted with the nearest city, Whagerei, where we did our supply shopping, shipping, getting a fishing license, etc. We also got out in the cousin's boat for an evening session to no avail.
The coming weekend was packed with seasonal activities including a touch rugby match in the donated cow pasture across the road and show day at he local elementary which where Aliyah's 6 year old cousin attended. Show day is like a county fair crossed with a 4H event; go-kart rides, scissor lift/paper airplane toss combos, bounce houses, crappy carny games, cow patty bingo, sheep sheering, lambs galore, awkward tween tribal dancing, lamb burgers while lambs watch, etc.
Then later that night, Guy Fawkes Day, as known in the US as that holiday depicted in the movie where Natalie Portman shaves her head. Essentially everyone in the neighborhood gathers in a field where a huge pile of debris has been mounded. An effigy is place atop the pile, copious amounts of diesel are applied, and the whole mess burns through the night and into the next day while the towns folk rejoice (get drunk, BBQ, and light fireworks simultaneously).
Sunday was spent in quiet reflection. Aliyah's second cousin-inlaw (older man married to Aliyah's mom's cousin, you tell me what he's called) took us to mount Manaia, a sacred mountain overlooking the town and surrounding bays. It was gorgeous with scattered clouds, bluebird skies, and dense jungly vegetation. We get a crash course in New Zealand natural and cultural history, glimpsing just enough to know that much of the native bush and old growth forest decimated at one point and only now returning. We learned lots of new plant names and enjoyed beautiful but windy views at the peak.
The next morning we departed the cousin's pad and moved down the road to Pataua South, another small collection of rural homes overlooking a large estuary. Again we were delighted to have to company of friends very close to my Dad who I had not seen since I was three years old. We shared lots of great stories and slow walks around the area, visiting secluded beaches, sacred mountains, secret fishing holes, cormorant colonies, and a glass blowing studio. And our guest room had a sunrise view overlooking the entire estuary!
Sadly we left the Eden with a promise to return and an entire adventure still ahead of us. Next up, kayaking Milford Sound on my birthday!
Pictures to come, having too much fun to upload now.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Enjoying Northland and changing gears
We went out fishing today with Aliyah's cousin Andre. He got off work early and took us out in their sweet boat. The weather and ocean were great but the target fish, snapper and kingfish, weren't to be found. We had a great time zooming around in the turquoise waters and rugged coatline of the northland area and look forward to returning after our tramp. The fishing has been off for several weeks as the summer temperatures have not found their way to the area. Andre says ocras will be coming into the area soon too!
On a similar note, winter weather continues on the south island and the threat of avalanches through several of the passes we had planned have us switching gears. The previous post, sound to sound, will still hold true to its name, just a bit rearranged. We'll still be heading down to Milford sound and hiking the Routeburn track as we have too many reservations booked that cannot be refunded. The Routeburn has one pass that has variable avalanche threats the stationed hut rangers will walk trampers through the hazard zones. If overall conditions are still too dangerous, a helicopter is standing by to fly trampers over the pass!
From there we are much more subject to the weather and will lack the DOC's support found on the Routeburn, so we've booked a free rental car out of Queens town to drive up to Picton and start hiking the Te Araroa from Queen Charlotte Sound south. Hopefully the weather will clear in front of us as we head down. At least we aren't in a hurricane...
On a similar note, winter weather continues on the south island and the threat of avalanches through several of the passes we had planned have us switching gears. The previous post, sound to sound, will still hold true to its name, just a bit rearranged. We'll still be heading down to Milford sound and hiking the Routeburn track as we have too many reservations booked that cannot be refunded. The Routeburn has one pass that has variable avalanche threats the stationed hut rangers will walk trampers through the hazard zones. If overall conditions are still too dangerous, a helicopter is standing by to fly trampers over the pass!
From there we are much more subject to the weather and will lack the DOC's support found on the Routeburn, so we've booked a free rental car out of Queens town to drive up to Picton and start hiking the Te Araroa from Queen Charlotte Sound south. Hopefully the weather will clear in front of us as we head down. At least we aren't in a hurricane...
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