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):

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.

Lush and green. Most of the forest floor greenery is actually tiny ferns, not moss.

A sleeping baby seal near Kaikoura.

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.

Mother fur seal sunbaths with a lesbian pair of paridise ducks.

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!

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. 

Rollin in style.

Amazing views of the sounds along the Queen Charlotte Track.

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.