A taste of home

Although January is meant to be the peak of summer, the southern island has been torn up by a series of very wet and unually intense storm fronts that make things feel a little more like home right now. Despite the weather we have been able to make it out on a couple of incredible tramps and met some delightful people along the way. Thanks to several care packages our tummys have also begun to feel at home. Thanks guys!

After the New Years deluge that closed three mountain passes and took out a coastal bridge, we decided to head to Arthurs Pass NP and do a short tramp up to goat pass. The first attempt was short lived as the swollen Deception River turned us back. The Minga side was just right and the day was even hot enough for a few short dips. Goat pass hut had an epic setting and a stoop with the most amazing mountain back drop to watch the alpine glow from. I took an extra day to hike to Lake Mavis and the shoulder of Mount Otis, both had epic alpine scenery. The entire trap saw very few other trampers and hundreds of the most hardcore trail runners I've ever seen. They were all passing through, practicing for the upcoming Coast to Coast race. The hut remind quiet and peaceful.

The Minga River, refreshing!

Aliyah takes a break from tramping to enjoy and cool down. That snow in the background is without a doubt the source of this pool.

The track was steep at times but the roots held things together.

Those exposed roots are whats left of the track. Very beautiful, but they take some concentration to walk across.

Goat pass had many extensive boardwalks to protect the sensitive alpine wetlands. The hut lies just over that saddle.

The top of Dudley knob, a formidable feature that looks small on a topo map was was exhausting to top.

Goat pass hut.

The view from Goat Pass Hut.

The best picture I can take of a tiny sundew in the alpine wetlands.

Lake Mavis at 1500 meters. Goat pass is somewhere beyond its outflow.

Mount Cook Buttercups, one of the worlds largest Renunculus, blanket and carpet grass slopes of the high tops near Lake Mavis.

Lake Mavis from the shoulder of Mount Otis (~1900 meters)

The walk out from Goat Pass

After Arthur's Pass, we hitched to Methven and met up with a couple of local trampers I found via the network of tubes known as the internet (its a complicated story, but the point is they are a very friendly couple that agreed to help us out prior to our even entering New Zealand). Colin and Marian let us into their home, fed us, washed our clothes, and even toured us around the countryside, pointing out favorite mountains and historical sites. Fortunately, we'd arrived just in time for their "tramping Tuesdays" and were able to join a group of their friend on a day hike through Canterbury farm country.

A gecko found on the day hike.

A "musterer's hut" in backcounty sheep land

These small boxes and the sheep dogs' huts.

The epic swimming hole at the end of the hike.

I took the plunge from up high.

After a few days near Methven, we hitched (in a single ride) all the way back to Queenstown where we again waited out rains. Another severe weather system was threatening to flood the southern lakes, taking out several roads and creating slips over a kilometer wide and wiping out trails. We did and nice day hike up to the top of the Ben Lomand Gondola and found this silly luge course. After and few beers we decided we had to do it and it was so much fun. 

After the rains cleared we headed out on the Caples - Greenstone circuit which had surprisingly good trail conditions and much better than predicted weather. Both tracks follows rivers that are world renound for their fishing and I couldn't wait to give it a go, but wait I did. The rivers were initially blown out and the color of chocolate milk, but after two days of mild weather they cleared and began to drop. By the last day to fish were everywhere and apparently starving since that aggressively hit everything I could through at them regardless of how well it was cast. My weapon of choice: the black and purple bunny leech swung on a sink tip line. January is the peak of winter steelhead season and I couldn't be more home sick thinking about it, but those few days on the Caples and Greenstone were a pretty close replacement.

The overpriced restaurant atop the gondola overlooking Queenstown.

Aliyah the luge captain.

Starting on the Caples in fine weather!

A coffee break at mid caples hut.

An epic beech tree en-route to upper caples hut.

The coolest beech burl I've ever seen.

Ansel Adams veiws on the pass between the caples and the greenstone.

Approaching the summit of the pass.

Although it is flat, we are on top of the world at this location. Same as below. Many passes include flat wetland portions sometimes called downs which also include small ponds called tarns.

Upper Greenstone Hut. The pass was at the shoulder of the mountain in the background.

The Greenstone River valley. The glaciated U-shape is very typical is this area.

First rainbow caught winter steelie style - swinging a big streamer.

The trout were delicious thanks to the rub Bob!

A nice evening session ending in this fat brown.

Another streamer caught rainbow. The picture does not do justice to the heft of this fish which probably weighed near 7.5 lbs.

we camped in a meadow and woke to the residents.

Our current location is on the shores of Lake Wanaka. We went of a nice walk around the lake and plan to enter the mountains tomorrow. Take care all!