tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69417021507987418672023-11-17T00:08:22.741+13:00NZunderfootNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-77952509917602388432008-02-28T16:46:00.003+13:002008-02-29T17:20:43.899+13:00Goodbye Old Friend<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kfEnm5aaf4AFbHqyepyZeEdcD3WqO0giK-khexPDhpJnNCKe96YCOeVDNqVkH_rsz4kXzxvo-9xth6DW1a62r-hU9w-6HXYPAnGgYuDsCA1aPm9YkL2xxRyMhSY43cu1DI_sqRUO/s1600-h/100_6466.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kfEnm5aaf4AFbHqyepyZeEdcD3WqO0giK-khexPDhpJnNCKe96YCOeVDNqVkH_rsz4kXzxvo-9xth6DW1a62r-hU9w-6HXYPAnGgYuDsCA1aPm9YkL2xxRyMhSY43cu1DI_sqRUO/s320/100_6466.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171873895298207842" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHIWZ7f93dtSeSurKLpUFNs3fSsRm-ZPLdG6jKvkpKuGlBm23KWpg9UGzVsNpMVLxOsnst8kAa9AWivAW5V1K3AmTBMabKG_3c9OPW349xtuWitSWqXCw3erv4GR-bAIJ8duuiuh9/s1600-h/100_6471.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHIWZ7f93dtSeSurKLpUFNs3fSsRm-ZPLdG6jKvkpKuGlBm23KWpg9UGzVsNpMVLxOsnst8kAa9AWivAW5V1K3AmTBMabKG_3c9OPW349xtuWitSWqXCw3erv4GR-bAIJ8duuiuh9/s320/100_6471.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171873908183109746" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zSb7326EKkhOiIyKc2JK6XNS9nJk3XmJSj-V8z9KMiIMTxrnsDvo7V-8K4mNIiosLgWh3cHQNX1QVcVMWfIutIUAsfMe3avTVI0BP4nH5wsdVSgvrQCnOeeYei2QZpmbdHBDIyHO/s1600-h/100_6473.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zSb7326EKkhOiIyKc2JK6XNS9nJk3XmJSj-V8z9KMiIMTxrnsDvo7V-8K4mNIiosLgWh3cHQNX1QVcVMWfIutIUAsfMe3avTVI0BP4nH5wsdVSgvrQCnOeeYei2QZpmbdHBDIyHO/s320/100_6473.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171873912478077058" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyu8uQGdPJLV97Sx8FFRKq4G6UbPJ6Bshyphenhyphenu7TTins5OTwlY2T9Uqrj9hMYAQbvoZtYFOgOyJv63yc-EaH8-8o3sR2U7SegT30YrEv39fkBfvvrNQZ9PqGdQ4hWmvSTd61hoclwuYy/s1600-h/100_6475.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyu8uQGdPJLV97Sx8FFRKq4G6UbPJ6Bshyphenhyphenu7TTins5OTwlY2T9Uqrj9hMYAQbvoZtYFOgOyJv63yc-EaH8-8o3sR2U7SegT30YrEv39fkBfvvrNQZ9PqGdQ4hWmvSTd61hoclwuYy/s320/100_6475.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171873921068011666" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf4YNevTrUm0l1lPbVhqVwOXUZ72lGxvTfbBHKds0PJudcCITilaYkExNoxNpqBXx-6BnL88prUGbn7ZBKCIswrZ9z_GCcXRwHo2G39km6BDgYjmoLbcrC54FW8eyT8aI-JMo7r7Q/s1600-h/100_6480.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf4YNevTrUm0l1lPbVhqVwOXUZ72lGxvTfbBHKds0PJudcCITilaYkExNoxNpqBXx-6BnL88prUGbn7ZBKCIswrZ9z_GCcXRwHo2G39km6BDgYjmoLbcrC54FW8eyT8aI-JMo7r7Q/s320/100_6480.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171873933952913570" /></a><br />I kept it as long as it was still socially responsible to have it but, like the hike, all great things must end. Yesterday morning I shaved my beard into a few funny face styles, well, funny to me. This beard was the result of 159 days of growth. I didn’t trim it except for the area above my mouth. Definitely a successful experiment, my first ever venture into facial hair. It took at least ten years off my life, I am back to looking like a 12 year old. I have blown the dust of my license in preparation for trips to the bar. Here are a few photos of my transformation; I was tempted to stop at the handlebar, but Alice wasn’t in to it.<br /><br />-DennisNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-27067743521516314592008-02-28T16:38:00.003+13:002008-02-29T17:19:14.783+13:00Fishing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqudO7e7aRBvtyGaAqWXCY7i5WsdIX-T6Vw41gafBSjxWYB6-DPazpAy_drc9Aem44mdDPC4z0BXvah2gBiSlz_cVU7WvUUUSVFCwUpiGrDHGpFJeT7KYoBmoQN7Hu4Jl3BWIjnmD/s1600-h/100_6134.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqudO7e7aRBvtyGaAqWXCY7i5WsdIX-T6Vw41gafBSjxWYB6-DPazpAy_drc9Aem44mdDPC4z0BXvah2gBiSlz_cVU7WvUUUSVFCwUpiGrDHGpFJeT7KYoBmoQN7Hu4Jl3BWIjnmD/s320/100_6134.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171872366289850386" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnhjuwj9zvL0_9sCcTkbGyclaoHYSTwFCFktQoq-FFoHV3nluh7AZlfUCUyBRXeq-6qbl21O9PHVsb4qluVDun65bW4UVzn6os_FBvKT3xZhZYpJabMtHkhZCaCWCQ0VvBEy3iTDE/s1600-h/100_6138.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnhjuwj9zvL0_9sCcTkbGyclaoHYSTwFCFktQoq-FFoHV3nluh7AZlfUCUyBRXeq-6qbl21O9PHVsb4qluVDun65bW4UVzn6os_FBvKT3xZhZYpJabMtHkhZCaCWCQ0VvBEy3iTDE/s320/100_6138.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171872379174752290" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtnQSkDp712PlPmy6RmRYaZ5cGhG9mndzud_gc2KKdLIwYOY_H_ALNY0hzwwt3n4H6tvDSpcD50L-THDmp69KagZUvgqXJyNiQYaah9Jh297K7u6dKKHlh_JE4KfJhVjlZ_Q2482R/s1600-h/100_6427.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtnQSkDp712PlPmy6RmRYaZ5cGhG9mndzud_gc2KKdLIwYOY_H_ALNY0hzwwt3n4H6tvDSpcD50L-THDmp69KagZUvgqXJyNiQYaah9Jh297K7u6dKKHlh_JE4KfJhVjlZ_Q2482R/s320/100_6427.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171872387764686898" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cZLygnTjW0JLOnigO6HmCkFjGcdepEfe6xg42U20t9w7P-X14M1BCeXYcbgM0FC0x0JBWX2cp3hVZsvSPSXoGjz6AyqSnWP814uwbMxKRQcH6nZyOkQqq2XcbJGfHYU8MA7M9Nik/s1600-h/100_6429.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cZLygnTjW0JLOnigO6HmCkFjGcdepEfe6xg42U20t9w7P-X14M1BCeXYcbgM0FC0x0JBWX2cp3hVZsvSPSXoGjz6AyqSnWP814uwbMxKRQcH6nZyOkQqq2XcbJGfHYU8MA7M9Nik/s320/100_6429.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171872396354621506" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK183mddivmy1rownOo0vWTkyMBieA8E5yVq_gadof2u3vbmG_0CSR51JuqQCGQhKPCqKI8COad9P7OEcTcECYXqONU3J5AqAvYG7pX1eCB3ZYjjduFFsX9Zno9trWqzpFmUYzXFUl/s1600-h/100_6446.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK183mddivmy1rownOo0vWTkyMBieA8E5yVq_gadof2u3vbmG_0CSR51JuqQCGQhKPCqKI8COad9P7OEcTcECYXqONU3J5AqAvYG7pX1eCB3ZYjjduFFsX9Zno9trWqzpFmUYzXFUl/s320/100_6446.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171872400649588818" /></a><br />Just before heading off to Stewart Island I stopped off at a sports store to inquire about fishing. I heard it could be good if you could find a deep pool off the rocks that was kelp free. I ended up purchasing a hand line; fishing line wrapped around a plastic disk. We headed across on the ferry and I was so excited I tried fishing off the wharf in Golden Bay the night we got there; I didn’t catch anything. On the track I did have a bit of success, I caught two striped parrot fish and a spotty. Almost had a nice blue cod, but it got off near the rocks. I did my best to fillet the two parrot fish which proved to be difficult with our tiny knife but they were a nice addition to the dehydrated meals we were eating. <br /><br />On our last day on Stewart Island we had a special treat, Jim, a Stewart Island local, took us out to his mussel farm to go cod fishing. We’d met Jim and his friend Phil while they were hunting at Rakeahua Hut a few days earlier. I was after local fishing knowledge so was grilling them about good spots near Oban. Turns out the fishing isn’t any good there without a boat. Jim said if the weather was nice he’d take us out. Despite the gloomy forecast, we had perfect sunny skies and no wind so off we went. It was really interesting checking out the farms, mussel farms are something neither of us have had any experience with so it was cool to see the whole process. Jim also knew the spots to find cod, they started biting straight away. Between us we caught 6 huge blue cod, the largest being about 50cm. Very impressive. <br /><br />On the topic of fish, if you are after the best fish and chips ever you must go to the Kai Kart in Oban. Jim’s wife, Hilly, cooks up fresh blue cod and the crispiest chips. So delicious. Thanks to Jim and Hilly for your generosity, we really enjoyed meeting you both. <br /><br />Dennis<br /><br />Photos:<br />Dennis with his first parrot fish<br />Dennis filleting the fish<br />Kai Kart – best fish and chips you can get<br />Hilly and Vanessa running the Kai Kart<br />Alice with the biggest blue cod of the dayNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-169621242865202032008-02-28T16:24:00.002+13:002008-02-29T17:04:37.484+13:00Stewart Island 3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuk06viXffcO8aT4teRp2sAGK61iVLqiyqQVp-qg6LBrwJo-aCFxpzDtyE2jTHcqf-SeIaVvRg0C-Lpio-JTE2pO6j0vcErAcZJnRmbxvvlrC9aCMprAjOVG-pQGV40xhC9q9DTtbd/s1600-h/100_6331.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuk06viXffcO8aT4teRp2sAGK61iVLqiyqQVp-qg6LBrwJo-aCFxpzDtyE2jTHcqf-SeIaVvRg0C-Lpio-JTE2pO6j0vcErAcZJnRmbxvvlrC9aCMprAjOVG-pQGV40xhC9q9DTtbd/s320/100_6331.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171868878776405954" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKSoTGN38k-hiGBR8vepCbcvUDmpmJjgrjJ4yP5whxn7xkhSIowYsv_g4WRJMDwNDI2s8mdw5kLQqdLgqiB6bhCYF6uVJiH5Sa_IgtGdNR7_TwrRO2l83bnV0FBS0_h9tTOG9-KkP/s1600-h/100_6358.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKSoTGN38k-hiGBR8vepCbcvUDmpmJjgrjJ4yP5whxn7xkhSIowYsv_g4WRJMDwNDI2s8mdw5kLQqdLgqiB6bhCYF6uVJiH5Sa_IgtGdNR7_TwrRO2l83bnV0FBS0_h9tTOG9-KkP/s320/100_6358.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171868887366340562" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAPtJn-0MVFs3LCKIZxq2A8rOWWNtO7GTbFkv8nfjL_DVbxPu-_a7HSoRUwj5y-lBicW7C5ndrsfRXbDO4hyphenhyphenuxiEvNTKiLAxfWD5fbzLDLmSoekowD0da-SljCb913ujMnYItlK_q/s1600-h/100_6361.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAPtJn-0MVFs3LCKIZxq2A8rOWWNtO7GTbFkv8nfjL_DVbxPu-_a7HSoRUwj5y-lBicW7C5ndrsfRXbDO4hyphenhyphenuxiEvNTKiLAxfWD5fbzLDLmSoekowD0da-SljCb913ujMnYItlK_q/s320/100_6361.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171868891661307874" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZiMz841RrsO7fQy8ReJx11PqNkPyM8xBu5HHTKT90qUeniXEzdUkNiAqtSvhBAbwz2qOreVQzEmDuytrx_u1eiFagq6wTvuw7UXk3PTSieT-KR3btnApUM2XCs2LWstX96UfR67-/s1600-h/100_6385.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZiMz841RrsO7fQy8ReJx11PqNkPyM8xBu5HHTKT90qUeniXEzdUkNiAqtSvhBAbwz2qOreVQzEmDuytrx_u1eiFagq6wTvuw7UXk3PTSieT-KR3btnApUM2XCs2LWstX96UfR67-/s320/100_6385.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171868904546209778" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenO3jZII3LwipXcUFs2ANQh93yD_b2GXSUPBYP6Zek7XUEPvQgsMAjMT2PiEJAzhxp4P-20a7F4hR725lwuJxuVIRVY5Pk3QvIHYz42ID4h3POc89VVLF-5Da1Ie3dEzM5SKE5n0K/s1600-h/100_6419.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenO3jZII3LwipXcUFs2ANQh93yD_b2GXSUPBYP6Zek7XUEPvQgsMAjMT2PiEJAzhxp4P-20a7F4hR725lwuJxuVIRVY5Pk3QvIHYz42ID4h3POc89VVLF-5Da1Ie3dEzM5SKE5n0K/s320/100_6419.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171868908841177090" /></a><br />Photos:<br />Dennis on the muddy track to Doughboy Bay<br />Us on Mt Rakeahua<br />Another kiwi<br />The wharf at Fred's Camp Hut<br />Enjoying a frosty cold beverage at the endNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-73655171496492708232008-02-28T16:05:00.003+13:002008-02-29T17:01:43.213+13:00Stewart Island 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv8sGqJDxGqBM7BSUDDi0jrdOrkD5DsF_zp8xrlcaBzNmkjuI422Z_kc0HqizAZHy0z7sHBX3oKgT1ui4UASVNwn-xyPNGPbbcHB-c_tDhrk3a6ukHwlpa6xDJ1Xh3bK0oieU7iE3/s1600-h/100_6168.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv8sGqJDxGqBM7BSUDDi0jrdOrkD5DsF_zp8xrlcaBzNmkjuI422Z_kc0HqizAZHy0z7sHBX3oKgT1ui4UASVNwn-xyPNGPbbcHB-c_tDhrk3a6ukHwlpa6xDJ1Xh3bK0oieU7iE3/s320/100_6168.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171863840779767586" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCIJei1KMXvORevoPjiok0LIHkCRRa59fdl-L8BKvvMOboVBXYKk3fVnE17k_blhYtqPjA25P3nPUKYl-iPa_E1IMfLjkLU_q7Iem3bhJOSOHW5SRe-RxtFfPAT_Uy4FqkdUtLLyq/s1600-h/100_6170.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCIJei1KMXvORevoPjiok0LIHkCRRa59fdl-L8BKvvMOboVBXYKk3fVnE17k_blhYtqPjA25P3nPUKYl-iPa_E1IMfLjkLU_q7Iem3bhJOSOHW5SRe-RxtFfPAT_Uy4FqkdUtLLyq/s320/100_6170.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171863849369702194" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4K5ONCn3BXS7JnKKkib_riRU5l-Em70RRP3MMN9a-jkIjPTd4QVZWAmBIJRSQLAn3EMCq5KvUnfVDpOTN9uc9YzCi18es3n3tfs8lFjEvXlLU-wFvIDXyPJT2l_1ymNZbxX92evaT/s1600-h/100_6182.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4K5ONCn3BXS7JnKKkib_riRU5l-Em70RRP3MMN9a-jkIjPTd4QVZWAmBIJRSQLAn3EMCq5KvUnfVDpOTN9uc9YzCi18es3n3tfs8lFjEvXlLU-wFvIDXyPJT2l_1ymNZbxX92evaT/s320/100_6182.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171863866549571394" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNSsUSziV7D7pPVHJfRRybSQ11T4m_RTWZQ5tNcGBfcJUVgbg7a44gDcvsDT9-0rb3-XlzJf8EBGSWDhuRORdrVkKJt9cYVXeAY3rjsjqELUc6O4MpxoS4Px11G5DmUR9uHxpZK_V/s1600-h/100_6201.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNSsUSziV7D7pPVHJfRRybSQ11T4m_RTWZQ5tNcGBfcJUVgbg7a44gDcvsDT9-0rb3-XlzJf8EBGSWDhuRORdrVkKJt9cYVXeAY3rjsjqELUc6O4MpxoS4Px11G5DmUR9uHxpZK_V/s320/100_6201.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171863879434473298" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWS1U0gn5KQ-A-RSuOZyYLgFA4D8JSEmq58x8JPcaNlpDf5PyMksmdlhcOvjWJj-H2EzHpcZErYs8pJPbcxyawjzHleQy36ZvcpHEV4Yuwwkp2RkJlUObP5cT_NmsQamLTUeNuQHuH/s1600-h/100_6302.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWS1U0gn5KQ-A-RSuOZyYLgFA4D8JSEmq58x8JPcaNlpDf5PyMksmdlhcOvjWJj-H2EzHpcZErYs8pJPbcxyawjzHleQy36ZvcpHEV4Yuwwkp2RkJlUObP5cT_NmsQamLTUeNuQHuH/s320/100_6302.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171863888024407906" /></a><br />Photos:<br />Smoky Beach x3<br />Long Harry Beach<br />Alice watching one the five kiwi we sawNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-50353835715010256532008-02-28T15:43:00.004+13:002008-02-29T16:59:38.269+13:00Stewart Island<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgdV7FR0PLpGkqa-yGhc7Hl6rcqaFc1pvFXs5r9zJTW3iw_vgIK7ztxTj7I39ot8YOn55BvoEj6cSTNysh8yIItSlVsNSqVymBarbw7qR8Pm9wdEUQmLKNZE3C4yYCa5YWsDYatLh/s1600-h/100_6056.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgdV7FR0PLpGkqa-yGhc7Hl6rcqaFc1pvFXs5r9zJTW3iw_vgIK7ztxTj7I39ot8YOn55BvoEj6cSTNysh8yIItSlVsNSqVymBarbw7qR8Pm9wdEUQmLKNZE3C4yYCa5YWsDYatLh/s320/100_6056.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171859026121428690" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb4fjbgATyR_Vy2-CeuQvqwvpU2Z642mKy5iB_daGWwlpkYq5uuXxuVuAsGXH_3kdZNayFhKtB9tYjw1TIsHg-J1VrBoHnzeTb_mN8FRX1WYUJfktSUbTfzWcXTgcVWFD390rGEpi/s1600-h/100_6065.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb4fjbgATyR_Vy2-CeuQvqwvpU2Z642mKy5iB_daGWwlpkYq5uuXxuVuAsGXH_3kdZNayFhKtB9tYjw1TIsHg-J1VrBoHnzeTb_mN8FRX1WYUJfktSUbTfzWcXTgcVWFD390rGEpi/s320/100_6065.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171859039006330594" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjww4v7jGh3CFkt9L_TVtsl_j1x5Tk9kmRoBAO2d6zma8xkTNbPcLXbRpaN5gh5jsIH7dZBGMlKvjo-u5wwDyuI56KNkZ8uu9PlI4wZKgmqL1nt_7vBpXN6NJ1Z-Y4KOkehXwsVS6Go/s1600-h/100_6068.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjww4v7jGh3CFkt9L_TVtsl_j1x5Tk9kmRoBAO2d6zma8xkTNbPcLXbRpaN5gh5jsIH7dZBGMlKvjo-u5wwDyuI56KNkZ8uu9PlI4wZKgmqL1nt_7vBpXN6NJ1Z-Y4KOkehXwsVS6Go/s320/100_6068.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171859047596265202" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEJf8Jiw7pkzgbm99eU2CDKaNykHYqumpAyy_A5aD6WxByecispy1EBeo_s-fA_2AZumN3K5AyIetR4yPj-Z7gW4csK9ASeCweDMouo0BkY139JXXxIh0iUFvdS0kRNc9lhaQKBQr/s1600-h/100_6094.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEJf8Jiw7pkzgbm99eU2CDKaNykHYqumpAyy_A5aD6WxByecispy1EBeo_s-fA_2AZumN3K5AyIetR4yPj-Z7gW4csK9ASeCweDMouo0BkY139JXXxIh0iUFvdS0kRNc9lhaQKBQr/s320/100_6094.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171859056186199810" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegEmeOru4f4HjH48dAdLHpsj8dW4vk2ebkW5wIL4WaYPYAxrdsB-76FB7NrfViRJb2puIZpZDO52FQbtKOZjos0ap1Qob5ajxg7LiEQDZ0XZXqPnAoxjxgZNS9owiV-pg-VH22woG/s1600-h/100_6107.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegEmeOru4f4HjH48dAdLHpsj8dW4vk2ebkW5wIL4WaYPYAxrdsB-76FB7NrfViRJb2puIZpZDO52FQbtKOZjos0ap1Qob5ajxg7LiEQDZ0XZXqPnAoxjxgZNS9owiV-pg-VH22woG/s320/100_6107.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171859069071101714" /></a><br />Wow, what an ending. Stewart Island was amazing, definitely one of our favourite sections. We didn’t want to come home. It was everything we had expected and more.<br /><br />Once again we got lucky with the weather. We left the DOC office on our first day to a forecast that predicted rain for the next 9 days. The information brochure about the island said that it rained 275 days a year. Seeing as it hadn’t rained properly in over a month, we figured it was overdue and our luck with good weather had run out. Not so. We ended up having rain a couple of nights but other than that it was fine, just a bit overcast. We couldn’t complain, it made for a nice hiking temperature. <br /><br />We walked for 13 days over the North West and Southern Circuit tracks that go in a loop around the top half of the island, following the coastline. We walked through bush every day, with the track dipping down to amazing beaches. Each one was different. The thick bush went right down to the coastline, with the only bad part being the hook grass that lined parts of the track. I had shaved my legs in Invercargill so didn’t have too bad a time with it. Dennis was another story. The nasty hooks would rip at his leg hairs as they gripped on, then rip again as he pulled them off. There’d be times when he’d spent five minutes de-hooking himself, only to be covered again straight away.<br /><br />The track was what you would call undulating. Up, then down, up, then down… When we left Halfmoon Bay at the start my pack weighed 18kg, Dennis’ weighed 22kg. These were our heaviest packs. We did our best to pack light food but there’s only so much you can cut out and still survive for 13 days. My pack didn’t make me a happy tramper on the first few days, those hills were hard. Normally I like hills – they give challenge and rewarding views, but adding a third of my body weight to my back slowed me down. Dennis, of course, was fine so we ate out of my pack for the first couple of days then I was fine. Back to loving the hills again.<br /><br />As I mentioned in our last post, Stewart Island is renowned for it’s mud. The mud was great for us, you could avoid or walk over it, although even after over a month without rain the ground was definitely still very squishy in parts. There were sections on the Southern Circuit that required some innovative manoeuvring to get around the mud. And this wasn’t your typical, squelchy mud. This was bog. Big black holes of unknown depth, strange smell and a weird film covering the top. What you would call a ‘no fall zone’, as we teetered over the top on precariously placed branches and tree stumps. We were dirty enough after 2 weeks without showering without falling into something like that. <br /><br />We had a much more social time on Stewart Island than we’d had the opportunity to have during the rest of our trip. For the first time we stayed with the same people in the huts over multiple nights. We met groups of hunters who showed us penguins, trampers from all over Europe and America, and Stewart Island locals. This really made our trip more memorable.<br /><br />One of the biggest highlights of the island was seeing kiwi! Most people hardly ever get the opportunity to see these flightless, nocturnal birds that form a key part of our national identity, but down here they’re not nocturnal. We saw 5 of them, at various times during the day as we were walking along the track. We were determined to see at least one, getting up early one morning to hunt around East Ruggedy Hut where there had been sightings. But the easiest thing was just to stumble across them. You can definitely tell there isn’t much survival instinct going on with these birds, although their legs are really strong to fight off other animals. We were able to watch one bird for 40 minutes as it fossicked around in the undergrowth. We were able to get within a few metres of it, creeping quietly on the moss. It’s response to hearing us would be to put it’s head up for 2 seconds, look around, then go back to eating. We’d just freeze, then keep moving when it had forgotten about the noise. They were a very cool sight, and we feel privileged to have seen them in such close range. We also saw the endangered Yellow Eyed Penguin, White Tailed Deer, Shags and countless other native birds. <br /><br />But now we’re finished for good and back in Auckland which feels a little weird. We’re left with a feeling of ‘now what?’, plan the next adventure I guess! I’m not happy with the idea that from now on, tramping is just a recreational activity, like it is for everyone else. It’s not what we ‘do’. But it all had to come to an end at some point, we had an amazing time. We’ll be putting more detailed route information on our website soon for anyone who is planning on doing this trip in the future. We’re open to ideas for interesting, challenging adventures if anyone has any ideas. <br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Photos:<br />The chain link sculpture at the start of Rakiura National Park<br />Coastal outlook<br />Yellow Crested Penguin<br />Dividing up the cheese - making sure we have enough for 12 lunches<br />View from Mt Anglem, the highest point on Stewart IslandNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-58670332831722492212008-02-07T18:40:00.000+13:002008-02-07T18:43:19.350+13:00Done! Time for a vacation hike in Stewart Island<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbwJYn-57d5yFi2egsoX7RYFiCv3CUDbKwm2sI2VlttYu9QtLgrkAuluFVUKMJMdkcEqSuOgyL3V_xh8Fd89P4tmrlKofKpDN8yJFmyR_Np7nns0G8BvcEuNIY3a9gVofmAYupq7J/s1600-h/100_5927.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbwJYn-57d5yFi2egsoX7RYFiCv3CUDbKwm2sI2VlttYu9QtLgrkAuluFVUKMJMdkcEqSuOgyL3V_xh8Fd89P4tmrlKofKpDN8yJFmyR_Np7nns0G8BvcEuNIY3a9gVofmAYupq7J/s320/100_5927.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164085021163065586" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ-JqN5jC3fv0sud0_JXsrksmBhrVlk5OZ5215hQgqF7NT92vdAqBfh6eGutEw9-x6tKgsctuPq6wj3hayxFjYIqi5TywFk7ZbeeTeuwu0pV89QZO0limpgFpilRALXwXIj1hxDZL/s1600-h/100_5945.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ-JqN5jC3fv0sud0_JXsrksmBhrVlk5OZ5215hQgqF7NT92vdAqBfh6eGutEw9-x6tKgsctuPq6wj3hayxFjYIqi5TywFk7ZbeeTeuwu0pV89QZO0limpgFpilRALXwXIj1hxDZL/s320/100_5945.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164085029753000194" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOJwxb35mJriiikO_GFesd98ZeWOv-KPeCj51_l1FtWVUr9Ru3x7nvNTxbgfa2i2PIUp-aSQwIoJY_MBxXoTCqUWTC2o37z_-mZsW15Zs2bXvXdrYubeOnCuHGlqnsmDvcaMgJTE2/s1600-h/100_5949.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOJwxb35mJriiikO_GFesd98ZeWOv-KPeCj51_l1FtWVUr9Ru3x7nvNTxbgfa2i2PIUp-aSQwIoJY_MBxXoTCqUWTC2o37z_-mZsW15Zs2bXvXdrYubeOnCuHGlqnsmDvcaMgJTE2/s320/100_5949.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164085034047967506" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheA0fXHNEEeqXqk8CRuGKgjfb6TiqDDEO7qAQB83uFzam1QCnJ2ERaCLiPcokQSB9znuKkheeILy4CSSH7eGgeuBM3pFV-89VqBVJ3W9oVcYFOCpuQcXm-8BI9IsldD1ep5nbr4S2k/s1600-h/100_5953.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheA0fXHNEEeqXqk8CRuGKgjfb6TiqDDEO7qAQB83uFzam1QCnJ2ERaCLiPcokQSB9znuKkheeILy4CSSH7eGgeuBM3pFV-89VqBVJ3W9oVcYFOCpuQcXm-8BI9IsldD1ep5nbr4S2k/s320/100_5953.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164085051227836706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgButSh2swMf8rXtQSX3veSfm0FS6KeA-gIYdOb4if-ekqDjfA9Rzjain3EMIQJdgThcHgMBWX_kkbp4mWzwtpYJVbrLeyaaYzeU0_oGx0JQf42szEzTJ9IX3TIpGmowe9rpAALPSok/s1600-h/P1000432.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgButSh2swMf8rXtQSX3veSfm0FS6KeA-gIYdOb4if-ekqDjfA9Rzjain3EMIQJdgThcHgMBWX_kkbp4mWzwtpYJVbrLeyaaYzeU0_oGx0JQf42szEzTJ9IX3TIpGmowe9rpAALPSok/s320/P1000432.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164085055522804018" /></a><br />Well, we've done it. At 12:45 today we reached the signpost at Bluff, the southern most town in the South Island. It was a pretty surreal feeling, bittersweet in fact. We're happy and proud of ourselves that we've achieved our goal but we're not ready to stop hiking. It's our life now, we get up, walk all day and do it again the next day. We love it and can't imagine not doing that every day. <br /><br />We've walked 119 out of the last 139 days, and we've decided to follow it all up with two weeks tramping around Stewart Island. Ironically, our 'vacation' will be our longest section yet which means we'll be heading off on the ferry with our heaviest packs so far. We don't have to be back in Auckland until the end of February - Alice's sister Emma is getting married on March 1st, and we always wanted to get to Stewart Island if we had time. Everyone we've spoken to have raved about the place although the sentence "It's the most amazing you'll go to", is always followed up with "but the mud will be up to your thighs". It’s been an unusually dry and hot summer here so we're hoping the mud won't be too out of control.<br /><br />The trail to the end didn't end up being as easy as we thought. We only had about 10km to finish up today, and we headed around the base of the Bluff hill. We (wrongly) assumed that this would be a nice tourist track that we could knock off in a couple of hours. It was like that at the end, but the first two thirds of it was pretty much an unmaintained track - poles showed us the way but the ground was all rutted from cow tracks, there was mud, then we had to fight through gorse to reach the easy trail. It was nothing worse than what we've experienced so far, just different from our expectations. We really had to push the pace to make sure we didn't leave everyone waiting at the end.<br /><br />We haven't been alone in our celebration down here. Desley from Project K, and her partner Tony, along with Alice's parents, Andrew and Jenny, have come down from Auckland to welcome us in. Thank you for your support, it made the end much more special for us. Definitely better than standing next to the sign and having to have a random tourist take our photo.<br /><br />We are traveling to the Catlins for a couple of days with Alice's parents, then heading to Stewart Island on the 10th. Our next update will be from back in Auckland when we return at the end of the month.<br /><br />Alice and Dennis<br /><br />Photos:<br />Oreti Beach<br />Dennis on the trail round the base of Bluff hill<br />Dennis fighting his way through the overgrown flax bushes<br />Alice at the southern most point<br />Us at the Bluff sign, showing our support for Project KNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-40724353705295967922008-02-04T16:14:00.000+13:002008-02-04T16:45:24.581+13:00Back to the coast<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuY15m-yEylEcNcyAdipuf5v-kRditFK6d4q0m9_IWJnFV0wcsoU62p0YoDRCAN68ra1rzaLfb9u3zY5XaHxfEK8_Z12D5IT1RcH8KfnogL5FRRaI3lRc5xCp6ldYICvls3MJpVBEn/s1600-h/Picture+003.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuY15m-yEylEcNcyAdipuf5v-kRditFK6d4q0m9_IWJnFV0wcsoU62p0YoDRCAN68ra1rzaLfb9u3zY5XaHxfEK8_Z12D5IT1RcH8KfnogL5FRRaI3lRc5xCp6ldYICvls3MJpVBEn/s320/Picture+003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162965164275208354" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Kr94WS7Bpj7iKb5PIVuu8BVbUPED-SS9Jg7zD6T-a4ZKiMc6ScWgxY6FWES0UuVDvemPPdenDjIuyNK1qw16F_Ed8YBCsedOVWiG4PoZ0nOfQI0dcdvhtIxSszuqxN3BMyvjiVUO/s1600-h/Picture+004.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Kr94WS7Bpj7iKb5PIVuu8BVbUPED-SS9Jg7zD6T-a4ZKiMc6ScWgxY6FWES0UuVDvemPPdenDjIuyNK1qw16F_Ed8YBCsedOVWiG4PoZ0nOfQI0dcdvhtIxSszuqxN3BMyvjiVUO/s320/Picture+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162965177160110258" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFN4FmCnBl5VN9iw87qCV_3JAKyI0Pb_dq0t2yYAFQbNqj10laILVkJrw_NSXkGxxdwXMxUg1i9GfBIEOvsVVMLa7oOkJxb3UPzCMPBQRcgtI7OwLqBtJErNyIPf9frCvvPtIOXaXC/s1600-h/Picture+011.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFN4FmCnBl5VN9iw87qCV_3JAKyI0Pb_dq0t2yYAFQbNqj10laILVkJrw_NSXkGxxdwXMxUg1i9GfBIEOvsVVMLa7oOkJxb3UPzCMPBQRcgtI7OwLqBtJErNyIPf9frCvvPtIOXaXC/s320/Picture+011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162965185750044866" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdI9716PfMbAs5MnA-rhZRFcbUQlsIo8Wl3UFoKHzKIkN-Cp8W8rkYRkdWKzeaNMnF12IoPN0KTiF13xaCvYdjuv4H6D85a4gwr5PdwTX72B0uq8JvZgsns4RzAGaIy0KsML_5aBA/s1600-h/Picture+012.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdI9716PfMbAs5MnA-rhZRFcbUQlsIo8Wl3UFoKHzKIkN-Cp8W8rkYRkdWKzeaNMnF12IoPN0KTiF13xaCvYdjuv4H6D85a4gwr5PdwTX72B0uq8JvZgsns4RzAGaIy0KsML_5aBA/s320/Picture+012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162965198634946770" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUObPRqJNjWuyPqMdyDPTSnAXguOJEYnGyyE9QiT-7fx4ULlKG4ybJV2DI029e-aWDm38l4I-WvVzdIf89gpZqKQBwvzGntQlAmaIWmx2qgpQDr-1FOehyXuepP7X94rmDoD2hY_c/s1600-h/Picture+013.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUObPRqJNjWuyPqMdyDPTSnAXguOJEYnGyyE9QiT-7fx4ULlKG4ybJV2DI029e-aWDm38l4I-WvVzdIf89gpZqKQBwvzGntQlAmaIWmx2qgpQDr-1FOehyXuepP7X94rmDoD2hY_c/s320/Picture+013.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162965207224881378" /></a><br />So we've made it to Riverton on the south coast of the South Island, we can see the hill of Bluff. Its only a few days away, we'll be finishing there on the 7th of February. It's hard to believe that after all our planning and months walking that the end is literally in sight.<br /><br />We started off this section going through the Takitimu Ranges. I nicknamed that day 'Angry Foliage Day'. It brought back memories of struggling through the North Island bush, with every plant trying to entangle you. There was a vine similar to Bush Lawyer that hung down above us, the tiny hooks digging into our clothing and skin and ensnaring our packs. Lining the track at shin height was a constant trail of a benign looking grass which actually had nasty hooks at the end. The worst part was that we could walk past some of it and be fine, other times it hooked your leg so it felt as though a knife was being pressed into our skin. Not the best feeling.<br /><br />We headed through five farming stations over a couple of days. The biggest by far was Mt Linton Station. We started at the back end of the station, walking down the 4WD tracks to eventually get to the main road. It took us most of the day to walk through it, right from the start I decided that this was one of my favourite stations so far. Everything looked well maintained with nice fences, good roads, and a bustle of activity. Often we head through farmland and don't see anyone, just a bunch of stock hanging out. When we got to the road end we found out that it was actually one of New Zealand's biggest stations and had over 100 000 head of stock. We knew it was big, but had no idea it was that big. Thank you to all the station owners who have let us walk through their land, we really appreciate the access. It gives us the opportunity to stay off the main roads.<br /><br />Dennis celebrated his 27th birthday on the 2nd of February. The gift offering was a little meagre, it can be tough when his birthday falls on the 5th day of a 6 day section, there's only so much extra you can carry. We ended up pushing on further than intended that day and made it to Riverton so we could at least go out for dinner.<br /><br />Throughout our hike we have come across the most generous people who have been really interested in our trip and willing to help us out. It has made the trip for us, we have loved meeting a wide range of people from all over the country. This section was no exception. We stopped in at one house to get water and were offered an orange drink - on a hot day there's nothing better than a cold glass of anything but water, its nice to have a change. We also met the family from Blackdale Stud as they were herding their sheep down the road. We ended up going back to their house for a chat, some cake and were given some fresh eggs. These experiences really brighten our days.<br /><br />We've come across some amazing local hospitality here in Riverton too. We're staying at the Riverton Lodge, which at $10 a night is the best deal around. We met some of the locals at the pub attached to the lodge last night. Since then we've been given fresh crayfish, a driving tour around Riverton, and are heading out for a home cooked meal tonight. We have been blown away by everyone's generosity. Thank you so much, we won't forget you.<br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Photos:<br />Dennis and his gravity defying socks<br />The landscape around Mt Linton Station<br />Sunset at our campsite<br />The sheep from Blackdale Stud heading down the road<br />Riverton from the Aparima RiverNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-38272139498036988152008-01-28T11:25:00.000+13:002008-01-28T15:06:48.746+13:00Leaving the mountains<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFuoqwEXGYM7je0sf88WJWtw07XoYN4WPYj_3JoFeAohsKemAMvY9ClD3g_OVZYz-CE09CthzHW4DNCT3jGVK_JU8YVYFvL9amU3ij2Hi6VKYSiy-SgbeA_5RWW9py1yUh8q1tzqL/s1600-h/Nieuw-Zeeland+002.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFuoqwEXGYM7je0sf88WJWtw07XoYN4WPYj_3JoFeAohsKemAMvY9ClD3g_OVZYz-CE09CthzHW4DNCT3jGVK_JU8YVYFvL9amU3ij2Hi6VKYSiy-SgbeA_5RWW9py1yUh8q1tzqL/s320/Nieuw-Zeeland+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160340909192581202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWG0UUs-b4KbdZkH-m0UI7CtE8jTa2NNOzODmmqEUF9DHW9HHe6fSaLRMORXox_cOOF5u4MJZ0O60O_I3ePhNqthEQv6HyCwy1FQ2AjOofzLG-4UZLm7ehZvjk-TzZ-uGTTw8nDad/s1600-h/Nieuw-Zeeland+004.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWG0UUs-b4KbdZkH-m0UI7CtE8jTa2NNOzODmmqEUF9DHW9HHe6fSaLRMORXox_cOOF5u4MJZ0O60O_I3ePhNqthEQv6HyCwy1FQ2AjOofzLG-4UZLm7ehZvjk-TzZ-uGTTw8nDad/s320/Nieuw-Zeeland+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160340965027156066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRQp4M_EqZEaael-RQlbLfarz8sa_0JM5DgV29S-FLd5rRu7G8zduETqvasZAnEHAGtoXaQHqdnoKcVN4NBSG19bnKeImDHiiuH3b79q4SPAVW7NiEdn8oHCRQnI9-Li-C5ptTq_z/s1600-h/Nieuw-Zeeland+006.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRQp4M_EqZEaael-RQlbLfarz8sa_0JM5DgV29S-FLd5rRu7G8zduETqvasZAnEHAGtoXaQHqdnoKcVN4NBSG19bnKeImDHiiuH3b79q4SPAVW7NiEdn8oHCRQnI9-Li-C5ptTq_z/s320/Nieuw-Zeeland+006.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160340973617090674" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yhQC39bBYehp3VUjECITdU073mij1hDJp-XzVQVwFbD6vQgkkjVvsWcZ2jbNI2xz675h3pvjiZQao48kjq80TU6aNY6dH4PuruzszIKZwEhM_XdwsFer6t0ct-LhzFJwsS36Eumb/s1600-h/Nieuw-Zeeland+008.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yhQC39bBYehp3VUjECITdU073mij1hDJp-XzVQVwFbD6vQgkkjVvsWcZ2jbNI2xz675h3pvjiZQao48kjq80TU6aNY6dH4PuruzszIKZwEhM_XdwsFer6t0ct-LhzFJwsS36Eumb/s320/Nieuw-Zeeland+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160341020861730946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgAzMCCSYLWrkPyjs-oGlNLlAZgFILz_4Mrx7PTlPnRh46sXK0UBv1nXDt6wuD8PkR6MU6UubNGsJUyfzeWwSHayJHqvM2LGcIwPUeTYxPhu_WJFyPz489KRRHPdtY1IeCAdUV3i_/s1600-h/Nieuw-Zeeland+011.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgAzMCCSYLWrkPyjs-oGlNLlAZgFILz_4Mrx7PTlPnRh46sXK0UBv1nXDt6wuD8PkR6MU6UubNGsJUyfzeWwSHayJHqvM2LGcIwPUeTYxPhu_WJFyPz489KRRHPdtY1IeCAdUV3i_/s320/Nieuw-Zeeland+011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160341076696305810" /></a><br />Rain, rain go away. It finally did, but it took a while. It wasn't until after 2pm. We started off in Queenstown where we had to hitchhike back out to where we left off. We hitchhike to get into towns to resupply with food, never in a positive direction. After we get food and a break, its back out to where we left off, so we don't miss a single step between Cape Reinga and Bluff. Thank you to all the kind people who have given us rides, and to those people who offer them. We always get offered rides when we can't take them, but when we do need them we're often left stranded on the side of the road, watching cars wizz by at 100+km an hour. When its raining, it can be hard to turn down rides. Especially when a large, dry, warm bus pulls over and offers you one. The driver's comment was: "I thought you were one of the crazy ones who didn't get the shuttle to the start of the trail. But you're not. You're even crazier." <br /><br />We eventually got to the trailhead of the Greenstone Track where we slept in the shelter. We only did a small portion of the Greenstone, a very well maintained track that had small footbridges over every tiny dip in the trail. From there we made our way to the Mavora Walkway, quite the opposite from the Greenstone. I wouldn't have turned down a few of those small footbridges as we picked our way through the boggy marsh.<br /><br />We found ourselves back in farm country, I even saw my first real life cowboy. He was out mustering cattle in the Mararoa River Valley, moving them into the Greenstone River Valley over 5 days. Cattle must walk pretty slow because it was only 30km away. <br /><br />One highlight was a waterfall stream crossing. The easiest place to cross was at the top of a 5m high waterfall. The water cascaded past the rocks we jumped between and dropped into an emerald green pool.<br /><br />We've had plenty of time on this trip to observe crazy stock antics. It seems sheep tend to run away when they see us, while cows run towards us. We have had times walking along the road when there are over 100 cows trailing us in an adjacent paddock. Sheep on the other hand can be painful to watch. We can be 100m away and half the time they see us then proceed to barrel right into a fence. Two things can happen, it hits the fence and rebounds off, or it manages to get half its body through. With each ensuing step we take the sheep squirms and bucks until either it gets through or gets stuck. I walk over to the stuck ones, my presence is usually enough to get them to try harder to get through. We saw a mother and a lamb in a field, they were 50ft away and looked totally calm. Then all of a sudden they bolted towards the fence, I'm usually shouting "No! No!" at this point. They smash into it, Mom gets halfway through, the lamb rebounds, the mother squirms through and keeps running. Doesn't even look back. No more lamb.<br /><br />We finished off this section with some on the fly route changing. We saw some DOC workers along the way and enquired about another small section that would keep us off the roads. We headed down the Oreti River Valley and spent the night at the Lincoln/Patterson Bivouac, a pint size, orange box in the trees with 2 bunks. On popular tracks some of the huts have flush toilets but they do not have as much character as these small, rarely used ones. <br /><br />Next update will be from the south coast of the South Island. It will have been over 2 months since we've seen the sea, almost to Bluff.<br /><br />Dennis<br /><br />Photos:<br />Dennis at the waterfall crossing<br />Alice walking through tall tussock<br />Carey's hut on the shores of North Mavora Lake<br />Lincoln/Patterson BivouacNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-83180527991699045582008-01-21T18:34:00.000+13:002008-01-21T18:53:36.855+13:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJjF6MrUmL6WbQfu3kUPia5_mJxridiSuo8KKzs8x3114Jd48jMknH73zw40iVisI4GTcwM3D-fmWDVl2BvYQBPc59igYP0bRFfEqORAiAlqp9-ZdpQrQyRib02vugnCWEL-2mXFW/s1600-h/Picture.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJjF6MrUmL6WbQfu3kUPia5_mJxridiSuo8KKzs8x3114Jd48jMknH73zw40iVisI4GTcwM3D-fmWDVl2BvYQBPc59igYP0bRFfEqORAiAlqp9-ZdpQrQyRib02vugnCWEL-2mXFW/s320/Picture.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157800589360530370" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqHxsIg1M7fRBpWCEPb6psbmRoFANCtugc9P4HmIUmgKcxGF2q67cq75bTt7Hc4rH2Eyw34O930Qrdwx6dsRSOnVMDCdQW_TFDJg_RZBUvpFS6Em3TR9eWAzmgW6qHWtphH5g7CYU/s1600-h/Picture+001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqHxsIg1M7fRBpWCEPb6psbmRoFANCtugc9P4HmIUmgKcxGF2q67cq75bTt7Hc4rH2Eyw34O930Qrdwx6dsRSOnVMDCdQW_TFDJg_RZBUvpFS6Em3TR9eWAzmgW6qHWtphH5g7CYU/s320/Picture+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157800602245432274" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFkR8zMziJTv8y5hEstubfsEq7mM58GIOjp9_O97Pr7WctTI1Fx270kfveHnULydtSBw51272S8C97l5RIWPcaWo6wiU08-V8BNlupOReKfmnQc5RxrbRHSUDKBa62qKhQw-ZGSge/s1600-h/Picture+004.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFkR8zMziJTv8y5hEstubfsEq7mM58GIOjp9_O97Pr7WctTI1Fx270kfveHnULydtSBw51272S8C97l5RIWPcaWo6wiU08-V8BNlupOReKfmnQc5RxrbRHSUDKBa62qKhQw-ZGSge/s320/Picture+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157800606540399586" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNspHKHFnJ9hNk3694eEItsCHYwz2FXEvPWRJZVPMhvu7V7PVhiGeLv81-oxaWYN9QK68HX3SUaXOyOT5VA1lCgtQuKZlhLXccGIJx4IBTkZ9pvFudZj1ZvPLuJLu7niMyPsw3zpV/s1600-h/Picture+009.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNspHKHFnJ9hNk3694eEItsCHYwz2FXEvPWRJZVPMhvu7V7PVhiGeLv81-oxaWYN9QK68HX3SUaXOyOT5VA1lCgtQuKZlhLXccGIJx4IBTkZ9pvFudZj1ZvPLuJLu7niMyPsw3zpV/s320/Picture+009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157800615130334194" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtApEE3MIJLXAqyXXJsSA2VjSTuZVkp0QX6gll-_4Kbtc14KXEvjjmeSAWoXSIgopO3A5NVyAv5TjbS35Z31HqDWIPS0OuNg21ag5eMSgT9y4bR65CacBOwOeXZys_K88v0E7jNo-/s1600-h/Picture+011.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtApEE3MIJLXAqyXXJsSA2VjSTuZVkp0QX6gll-_4Kbtc14KXEvjjmeSAWoXSIgopO3A5NVyAv5TjbS35Z31HqDWIPS0OuNg21ag5eMSgT9y4bR65CacBOwOeXZys_K88v0E7jNo-/s320/Picture+011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157800619425301506" /></a><br /><br />We changed up our route again between Wanaka and Queenstown. It meant<br />we had to head north a bit, which goes against our final aim but it<br />was well worth it. We ended up heading through Mt Aspiring National<br />Park which was full of jagged mountains and glaciers.<br /><br />We meet a lot of people on our journey who are impressed with what we<br />are doing, the most common response being either "you're crazy", or<br />"you're keen". On our way up the Matukituki River Valley we met a<br />family who definitely won our respect. The couple from Seattle, who we<br />totally forgot to even ask their names, were out hiking with their two<br />young sons. One was 8 months, the other I think was 2 years. The<br />mother was carrying the 2 year old in a backpack with some gear, the<br />father had the hugest pack I've ever seen and the baby on his front.<br />That's dedication to keeping up the outdoor lifestyle when you also<br />have a young family. We were impressed and inspired (not that we're<br />planning on popping out kids any time soon.)<br /><br />We headed up and camped just below the treeline on the way towards<br />Cascade Saddle. We heard that it was meant to rain overnight but clear<br />around midday. We planned on having a sleep in to let the weather<br />clear and I went to bed thinking 'alright rain, bring it on, get the<br />wet out of your system by tomorrow'. By that I did not mean for it to<br />start raining inside the tent. It deluged from around 7pm to 1pm the<br />next day. We tested our single wall tent to the limit, and it didn't<br />do so well. Luckily we were on foam sleeping mats, otherwise we might<br />have drowned. We woke to water dripping on our sleeping bags, our<br />faces, all our stuff inside the tent, and pooling in the indents in<br />our sleeping pads like an ice cube tray. Life was pretty miserable at<br />that point. Our bodies were seizing up from too much time lying down,<br />it was pouring out, and we needed to pee. We debated what to do, it<br />was approaching 12, the weather didn't look like it was changing but<br />we couldn't handle much more time in our cramped, wet tent. Finally<br />around 1pm the rain abated, by this point we were already starting to<br />pack up inside the tent. By the time we got going at 2 and got above<br />the treeline the sky was a perfect blue, its crazy how it can change<br />down here.<br /><br />The Cascade Saddle route was another that can with serious warnings:<br />Do not attempt this route in adverse weather, steep snow grass slopes<br />are treacherous when wet, etc. We didn't have any problems, in fact,<br />we were delighted to find an actual trail went the whole way so we<br />didn't have to walk right on the slippery snow grass and tussock. I<br />guess a lot of people do get caught out every year who aren't prepared<br />or do not have the common sense to deal with bad weather conditions.<br /><br />We ended up having an amazing day. The Cascade Saddle is right next to<br />the Dart Glacier, the closest we've got to a glacier since living in<br />France a couple of years ago. It was impressively deep and there was a<br />stunning 1000m drop off on one side back down to the Matukituki River.<br />It was worth the wait in the rain and the steep climb to get to it.<br /><br />We saw some Kea when we were up at the saddle. Kea are a big green<br />parrot native to NZ who are too smart for their own good and have an<br />attraction for shiny and expensive gear. They are known for ripping<br />rubber parts off cars and shredding unattended tents. This made us a<br />little nervous as they hung around while we were having lunch with all<br />our wet gear spread out around us. Other than having to keep a close<br />eye on them, they are magnificent birds. Especially in flight with the<br />orange underside of their wings flashing as they soar above.<br /><br />We then finished our route down to Glenorchy down the Dart, then Rees<br />River Valleys. We saw more people on the Dart/Rees loop than we have<br />in a while. You can always tell which are the most used tracks because<br />the huts are in the best condition. We feel some of these huts have<br />moved beyond the 'backcountry' label, we stayed in the Dart Hut which<br />had 32 beds, a huge kitchen/seating area, big deck space and,<br />unbelievably, flush toilets! Definitely unexpected but necessary I<br />suppose when there are that many people coming through one area.<br /><br />We're now in Queenstown which isn't officially on our route - we<br />hitched from Glenorchy down to here to resupply. Plus we were able to<br />stay in the Markham's place down here which has been pure luxury for<br />us. Beds with sheets and a real pillow instead of a rolled up fleece<br />and sleeping bag, a couch to hang out on, and a kitchen with pots and<br />pans that we don't have to share with 1000 others. We loved it. Thank<br />you so much.<br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Photos:<br />Impressive backpacking family<br />Alice and Dennis at Cascade Saddle<br />Alice looking over the 1000 M drop off<br />Dart Glacier<br />Inquisitive KeaNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-42571766143363955212008-01-13T17:56:00.000+13:002008-01-13T18:03:24.495+13:00RIP second pair of shoes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGIpdFHIJdtJutniJT_jZsPwd4Ut8LeUTHNwFXXo34v_idKHZA7CWPEzEZEObe2hneQ2Gilh_Oud5mRizncJ0j4Rhrrhww_shqJg5hZLHr2hiS9r7uKXT4_VnCEgBDSww8BAgU-u8/s1600-h/south+island+822.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGIpdFHIJdtJutniJT_jZsPwd4Ut8LeUTHNwFXXo34v_idKHZA7CWPEzEZEObe2hneQ2Gilh_Oud5mRizncJ0j4Rhrrhww_shqJg5hZLHr2hiS9r7uKXT4_VnCEgBDSww8BAgU-u8/s320/south+island+822.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154821411065463730" /></a><br />They were doomed from the start. Out of the box just five days before in Wellington I ripped a hole in the side in the Richmond Range. I was almost reduced to tears, $150, 5 days old. Al propped me back up, slapped some sense into me, and I was off hiking again. I wasn't about to give up on them that early, I can sew. I must've been a cobbler in a past life because I managed to keep the shoes alive until yesterday, when I put them into retirement.<br /><br />Half a spool of thread, seven sewing needles, five thread patches, two duct tape patches, two cloth patches, a tube of glue and probably over 20 hours of my time into keeping them going. <br /><br />It was said in one of the backcountry hut books in the 'main activity of this trip' column: "Wearing the tread off the soles of my shoes". We have been doing just that. Have I learned anything? Mesh shoes have no place in the rocky New Zealand terrain.<br /><br />Thanks to Santa, who is apparently great friends with my parents, I was sent some brand new Montrail Hurricane XCRs, the same shoes I used for the entire North Island. I am very thankful for that and can assure you all I will be walking out of Wanaka with some shiny new shoes on and a big smile. I'll probably be tripping a lot, its been a while since I've had tread. I hate that.<br /><br />DennisNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-57506268285020038972008-01-13T17:26:00.000+13:002008-01-13T17:56:24.249+13:00Running from the sandflies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ9sVXFGNoyqwZlJrkfpaidpNGcV4HKZGx0ux4Wv5Qr3f4WMXNLwsOKTKajHa61VpMJWNkN7TlbybGlIChazXDrUfQsixaCtUWZi0LQBu4iUGsx_0MGoZs4pckym5W1iRquo4awuG/s1600-h/south+island+738.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ9sVXFGNoyqwZlJrkfpaidpNGcV4HKZGx0ux4Wv5Qr3f4WMXNLwsOKTKajHa61VpMJWNkN7TlbybGlIChazXDrUfQsixaCtUWZi0LQBu4iUGsx_0MGoZs4pckym5W1iRquo4awuG/s320/south+island+738.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154814607837266786" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOfNjWIUXNuX3UBI_fyeYzWvfZNQpERpVxgGZ0oG6n-taymsVgnSDa7oJtq0KhyphenhyphenyTvr1OXLO3Y9UmygTV9lNWEWZuFQpdqgIDk61CqnIpkj6RA6YgRt1fAZzT3OcL6LUxVyzXga4a/s1600-h/south+island+781.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOfNjWIUXNuX3UBI_fyeYzWvfZNQpERpVxgGZ0oG6n-taymsVgnSDa7oJtq0KhyphenhyphenyTvr1OXLO3Y9UmygTV9lNWEWZuFQpdqgIDk61CqnIpkj6RA6YgRt1fAZzT3OcL6LUxVyzXga4a/s320/south+island+781.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154814616427201394" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkOEvFHZ4t4at2m_V4OaTYJdhSUMEngA8eo5tWNRON8wOML5HC7B8ZD_hqZ_XRYAZUXN9xtercjfDFlfNdP0b1pfuXddCOrK75iHhRCsTSeuQXpWID64vy_KfPH45So2CVQJBwuVi/s1600-h/south+island+783.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkOEvFHZ4t4at2m_V4OaTYJdhSUMEngA8eo5tWNRON8wOML5HC7B8ZD_hqZ_XRYAZUXN9xtercjfDFlfNdP0b1pfuXddCOrK75iHhRCsTSeuQXpWID64vy_KfPH45So2CVQJBwuVi/s320/south+island+783.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154814625017136002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywoAZPgI02eA2lnTy10DfYi5u0FtV91IVupFD3wnbCxAQUFuG024vITuAkjmnL5I9rcUcYw024B9rKHB-txRN57JEzXfKjnENxzejWPLM52XcWw4Hxm9FOQ8QguI1OdiJnO4NG6-q/s1600-h/south+island+799.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywoAZPgI02eA2lnTy10DfYi5u0FtV91IVupFD3wnbCxAQUFuG024vITuAkjmnL5I9rcUcYw024B9rKHB-txRN57JEzXfKjnENxzejWPLM52XcWw4Hxm9FOQ8QguI1OdiJnO4NG6-q/s320/south+island+799.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154814633607070610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTkmc9eQP0CmyMvKJezHRfMBZ-tIY7BSF2RsTVaCnKO6y5h4hXSVLHFz1Siw_NFBkA36CIMzJOvaJeEPtOXB4ZFS4PcFfF7A15aXgNAVqCnNSZC1cs829iowywQcNFzf7vTkVij8E/s1600-h/south+island+814.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTkmc9eQP0CmyMvKJezHRfMBZ-tIY7BSF2RsTVaCnKO6y5h4hXSVLHFz1Siw_NFBkA36CIMzJOvaJeEPtOXB4ZFS4PcFfF7A15aXgNAVqCnNSZC1cs829iowywQcNFzf7vTkVij8E/s320/south+island+814.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154814642197005218" /></a><br />It finally happened. We went to the DOC information centre in Twizel and we were able to talk to a knowledgeable staff member. Time after time, the people we are able to talk to at DOC are not the ones who are out on the trails, and we are generally not wanting to do the one hour tourist loop so we inevitable leave frustrated. But Richard McNamara at Twizel was great. We had reservations about the route we had come up with ourselves, we thought it went through a lot of private land. It did, so seemed too complicated to attempt it. We ended up with a much better route though that took us up river valleys and over ridges.<br /><br />We walked past Lake Ruataniwha and Ohau to Freehold Creek. We ended up walking up the ridgeline in between Freehold and Parsons Creeks. It was another stunning day where we woke to clouds, but after about an hour of walking they broke apart and we were given amazing views over the lakes and glacier covered mountains. It was a steep climb, but well worth it.<br /><br />The walk down the other side into Snowy Gorge River wasn't quite so fun. The barren ridgeline was replaced with waist high tussock, uneven ground and spiky tipped plants. We have actually just learned the name for our most hated plant. The Spaniard, or appropriately nicknamed Bayonet Plant, is the real name for what we had dubbed 'The Spiky Plant of Death', or SPOD for short. This one draws blood when you walk past it and Dennis had a particularly painful experience with it in the Nelson Lakes National Park when he slipped down a bank and ended up with 22 holes in his right hand and wrist when he landed in the plant. But we're pretty good at avoiding them now and the hut at the end made it all worth it.<br /><br />From the Snowy Gorge River Valley we headed up the Ahuriri Valley and over into Dingle Burn Valley. This was another beautiful valley with jagged peaks, glaciers and cool gorges as we went down. Pity about the sandflies though. We haven't had to deal with the dreaded sandflies in quite a while, our two days in the Dingle Burn Valley sure made up for it though. Our first night at the Top Dingle Hut was bearable, we were dressed in socks, full length pants and long sleeved tops which kept them away, we just couldn't have our headlamps on after dark. Our second night at Bush Hut was another story. It was insanely hot in the hut but opening the door or window would've been suicide. We ate dinner sweltering in our long clothes, our wrists and hands getting attacked from every angle. Eventually we couldn't take it anymore and, for the first time, abandoned the hut for our tent. We were speed machines. That tent has never been put up so fast, we threw our gear and ourselves into it then went on a five minute killing spree to get all the flies that managed to get in. I didn't want to get out of the tent in the morning. I woke to the mesh screen completely covered in bugs, it sounded like rain because so many of them were flying into the side. Again, the tent was down in record time, I could hardly see Dennis when he was rolling it due to the swarm of bugs surrounding him. Sandflies are definitely the downfall of some of the most scenic spots down here.<br /><br />We headed out of the valley to the shores of Lake Hawea, my favourite lake so far. We were following a really cool gravel road cut into the cliff which gave us amazing views of the surrounding mountains and deep water. <br /><br />On this section we also finally did a 40km day. We've got close before with 39 and 38km days but we figured we had to cross the 40 threshold before the end of our trip. We'd started the morning walking down a river with endless crossing in freezing water so we needed a fast paced afternoon to make it. But hey, if we're going 40, we may as well make it a marathon. We ended the day with 42.4km behind us, and our bodies were holding up fine.<br /><br />We're currently in Wanaka having a couple of rest days. We're thinking of moving here for the winter once the hike is done so we want some time to check it out. It seems strange to think about snow in this crazy heat but we like it here so far.<br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Photos:<br />Alice walking up the Freehold Creek ridge with Lake Ohau in the background<br />The view up Dingle Burn River to the start of the valley<br />Dennis doing the steep scramble down to Dingle Burn<br />Alice and Dingle Burn river gorges<br />Lake HaweaNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-74549208478410971512008-01-13T17:10:00.000+13:002008-01-13T17:24:30.709+13:00Canals, canals, canals<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXfSWuDfXtdRsuWyUIxGZkCtTggd6zPIOIo3vUmvnp4SG6_OPTHcrFVHJjc4LkTLDHHl4O2PRy63e7BCl7O16_28HOqoG2HApLleqqFziz7b603z_nknEQyqQrJBNWjxApm6tddqR/s1600-h/south+island+691.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXfSWuDfXtdRsuWyUIxGZkCtTggd6zPIOIo3vUmvnp4SG6_OPTHcrFVHJjc4LkTLDHHl4O2PRy63e7BCl7O16_28HOqoG2HApLleqqFziz7b603z_nknEQyqQrJBNWjxApm6tddqR/s320/south+island+691.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154812232720352082" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv74dSuTwTKlhWm8MeDsgygLrCRD_9GnGTpJBf91oNvY1V_JoIjKSccJYf4FnIAeisj50JsSYhNg2ZIbudBrFQoj0VAWyqGN363XcV_LX_rYshI8G3V-4TKeqPU12VFNoKBjchQMRX/s1600-h/south+island+689.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv74dSuTwTKlhWm8MeDsgygLrCRD_9GnGTpJBf91oNvY1V_JoIjKSccJYf4FnIAeisj50JsSYhNg2ZIbudBrFQoj0VAWyqGN363XcV_LX_rYshI8G3V-4TKeqPU12VFNoKBjchQMRX/s320/south+island+689.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154810626402583330" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhos6gM3zQi7JcE1P6STuFTMouBSefH7_Gr7FPY1SPmm1nGJf8mbcwXYbYzAxgEZANZibDhyphenhyphensGgcoA-Jvl-Rbis_OrVeW5fX-zZWYRFb3BJefdWD5NAQyp5XVDBNqDusMBxjQpSQlB8/s1600-h/south+island+695.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhos6gM3zQi7JcE1P6STuFTMouBSefH7_Gr7FPY1SPmm1nGJf8mbcwXYbYzAxgEZANZibDhyphenhyphensGgcoA-Jvl-Rbis_OrVeW5fX-zZWYRFb3BJefdWD5NAQyp5XVDBNqDusMBxjQpSQlB8/s320/south+island+695.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154810647877419842" /></a><br />There's something to be said for mountains, the feeling of achievement, amazing views and interesting trails. As for canals, well, maybe not. We had two days of walking along the flat Tekapo Canal between Lake Tekapo and Twizel. Al and I rochamboed to see who should write this one, I lost. I always throw scissors, why did I throw rock?<br /><br />It wasn't all terrible, we had amazing views of Mt Cook for two straight days, and perfect weather. Absolutely no clouds, just sun. No trees either and no shade for that matter. Al and I did manage to get a bit of shade next to Lake Pukaki Information Center. We were cowered against the side of the building in the bushes. Not the prettiest sight but it was shade. <br /><br />Dennis<br /><br />Photos:<br />Tekapo Canal with Toitoi<br />Mt Cook from the canal<br />Mt Cook from Lake PukakiNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-48989132910085174682008-01-03T15:24:00.000+13:002008-01-03T15:39:26.041+13:00Rivers to mountains 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJbMp8i1XvRTqyONbiE1C7-5iLijG3aNJRK9AS4_dxRY-mUORO2_PlTiwEyXauIPeWQkNUUUeX3ITS4XrhV4RQGdZfJNTT9ZsGx5KWrnxfHL2vyq5FPRX-X-jnEagx3HC9sDK2-DD/s1600-h/Picture+036.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJbMp8i1XvRTqyONbiE1C7-5iLijG3aNJRK9AS4_dxRY-mUORO2_PlTiwEyXauIPeWQkNUUUeX3ITS4XrhV4RQGdZfJNTT9ZsGx5KWrnxfHL2vyq5FPRX-X-jnEagx3HC9sDK2-DD/s320/Picture+036.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151074030624867090" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqY8CtYi1Ail_nkZ4wh1w8P0zK02XPf1v1MbGYOgy3B12yVzUBKBkrW9bD6jfW148foVDBLp3nMZ-RBl5KrboBAUS6xiwVJDsWFQtc1bpIlDTwBuu8S8iBVuc4MNM9O388Ygjk2LJ8/s1600-h/Picture+039.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqY8CtYi1Ail_nkZ4wh1w8P0zK02XPf1v1MbGYOgy3B12yVzUBKBkrW9bD6jfW148foVDBLp3nMZ-RBl5KrboBAUS6xiwVJDsWFQtc1bpIlDTwBuu8S8iBVuc4MNM9O388Ygjk2LJ8/s320/Picture+039.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151073214581080802" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclvWWDoQDSiRva_Sx49-TdkByIop0OviV5IVPbkiv9TCLv1Y-dofiV-P_KmnKxfdBdlzzvOHcyGZQtmiXBuUZpOguicANabXTRBqHfWyIMHofBoyOoMTa2QWSH8KubPSUCWFG4f8k/s1600-h/Picture+041.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclvWWDoQDSiRva_Sx49-TdkByIop0OviV5IVPbkiv9TCLv1Y-dofiV-P_KmnKxfdBdlzzvOHcyGZQtmiXBuUZpOguicANabXTRBqHfWyIMHofBoyOoMTa2QWSH8KubPSUCWFG4f8k/s320/Picture+041.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151073223171015410" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaB_4WXQbEIlZUES6tMXVSRjVVg4QhivBmdwpJX2E1Ow6XdnTxRUKHmxGHgYK_bvIjypBqLs2yGv9cZ_porSn4HY_mYvHjmQhmXw6FAi9DAXjVwqiPxqS02lYgHpKhPavvY5RrJ9E/s1600-h/Picture+037.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaB_4WXQbEIlZUES6tMXVSRjVVg4QhivBmdwpJX2E1Ow6XdnTxRUKHmxGHgYK_bvIjypBqLs2yGv9cZ_porSn4HY_mYvHjmQhmXw6FAi9DAXjVwqiPxqS02lYgHpKhPavvY5RrJ9E/s320/Picture+037.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151073227465982722" /></a><br />Photos:<br />Us at the top of Mt. Musgrave (2251 Meters), out highest South Island point.<br />Our New Years Campsite<br />The Two Thumb Range, looking back at Mt. Musgrave<br />Coal RiverNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-46482459421081910312008-01-03T14:20:00.000+13:002008-01-03T14:45:27.490+13:00Rivers to mountains<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cfd3gg0rimnWaOyyp7JXlhVASIamIgEOIWvnxZIUQ4hjs9jid0irShp9pONhchIgh-RRCiVGbCeAYNLYVpUXsx9Z4JNOCoO7-JTSzqoH5zfukEv1F-CFxIFJeTZq1FBzDKeOQ-S_/s1600-h/Picture+027.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cfd3gg0rimnWaOyyp7JXlhVASIamIgEOIWvnxZIUQ4hjs9jid0irShp9pONhchIgh-RRCiVGbCeAYNLYVpUXsx9Z4JNOCoO7-JTSzqoH5zfukEv1F-CFxIFJeTZq1FBzDKeOQ-S_/s320/Picture+027.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151059883002593778" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_09QcKJYRq6zu9ggFueb1ujTSnyJnI50C34-e2Z7YqMorv6PNOX05Q0o6Othh1PB55e7kSypw1bwvzE7U8qxn-xOFcbvOVMh2hWDUrIEH0tDjTxeLgiT_T2j1Sq9O0MmgzanDP1W/s1600-h/Picture+032.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_09QcKJYRq6zu9ggFueb1ujTSnyJnI50C34-e2Z7YqMorv6PNOX05Q0o6Othh1PB55e7kSypw1bwvzE7U8qxn-xOFcbvOVMh2hWDUrIEH0tDjTxeLgiT_T2j1Sq9O0MmgzanDP1W/s320/Picture+032.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151059895887495682" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gTuricOkSzgbNdegApJe3FDbieSgCL9fBnoK_DdCN1u5VoXQT6V6ZrNAZoJTNXwpUPLW6JSU-QnbiBHhzdpKHZhw3WZtfOvAYZezdIBOhTE0SBmgleHs9GxK_dKIHYyZjeJypZKR/s1600-h/Picture+033.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gTuricOkSzgbNdegApJe3FDbieSgCL9fBnoK_DdCN1u5VoXQT6V6ZrNAZoJTNXwpUPLW6JSU-QnbiBHhzdpKHZhw3WZtfOvAYZezdIBOhTE0SBmgleHs9GxK_dKIHYyZjeJypZKR/s320/Picture+033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151059904477430290" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7q3ilwRUCNaTa_G00cW66mtOMOomkiM64PTp5Aq4yGFYGkdSThj7-yYOFc5g_cubRhoCfzz9_gu3ZFBL-be-1JSooobIpMel7mQUUhUzkkpRC_iA7OXAmZg6x3Q2InxnY7leFt98/s1600-h/Picture+034.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7q3ilwRUCNaTa_G00cW66mtOMOomkiM64PTp5Aq4yGFYGkdSThj7-yYOFc5g_cubRhoCfzz9_gu3ZFBL-be-1JSooobIpMel7mQUUhUzkkpRC_iA7OXAmZg6x3Q2InxnY7leFt98/s320/Picture+034.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151059913067364898" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_OMvCjqwp9_I1X5X7lQZFwhCL85iYoqvhUG-XOMpvBpTNnkmvfSKDHr7KnPHatOotp38fQBL9pTCIRDrAmIis0SaS4ugUGmYICDFa4MYDTy_QnFOI2l9RJ2d39-KRH5VokJ_pdmB/s1600-h/Picture+035.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_OMvCjqwp9_I1X5X7lQZFwhCL85iYoqvhUG-XOMpvBpTNnkmvfSKDHr7KnPHatOotp38fQBL9pTCIRDrAmIis0SaS4ugUGmYICDFa4MYDTy_QnFOI2l9RJ2d39-KRH5VokJ_pdmB/s320/Picture+035.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151059921657299506" /></a><br />Its amazing how fast an eight day section can go by, you start off with a heavy pack and slowly whittle your way through the food until you're back to a light pack. It can be challenging not to eat too much trail mix on the first days, leaving you with none for the last. <br /><br />There's no shortage of variety in this section: flats, hills, tracks, roads, mountain tops, river valleys, rain, sun and even hail. We had it all. It started out with a bit of road walking and after a milkshake in Staveley, it was time to venture into Mt Somers Forest Park. I'm such a sucker for milkshakes, I figured it would be the last one for a while. Uphill, what's that? It's been a while since we've had to do any big climbs. I'm not sure what was against me, the legs or the brain but it was a bit of a difficult start. Maybe it was the weather, a bit of drizzle, followed by hail. That's enough to get you unmotivated. <br /><br />Mt Somers Forest Park was an amazing place. It had all sorts of crazy rock formations. The Pinnacles Hut on our first night was in a great location, placed among the Pinnacle rocks, made me wish I'd brought my climbing shoes with me. Further on down the track there were water caves to explore. It was as if someone had a handful of enormous boulders and sprinkled them over a stream. There were all these voids and precariously balanced rocks with water running through them. It was an amazing spot to explore, nature's jungle gym. <br /><br />Then it was back on the roads passing by Lake Clearwater to the mouth of the Potts River. This was the start of the big river crossing that has been in the back of our minds for quite some time. The Rangitata River drains the glaciers of the Southern Alps and runs south east to the coast. It was in the way and needed to be crossed. The river from the first channel to the last was five kilometers wide and quite braided. We counted the channels on the way across, the smallest being one meter wide, stretching up ones that were over ten meters wide. We crossed 48 channels. It didn't turn out to be as difficult as first though, most channels were knee deep with the final channel being waist deep with a bit of heavy current.<br /><br />We headed up Forest Creek valley and up Neutral Creek to the Two Thumb Range. Our original plan had us following the Coal River out of the mountains. At this point I was feeling I needed a change from all the river walking and started looking for another route to explore. The landscape here is so barren and vast you can pick a ridge or valley and hike it. There are no trails but also no trees or vines to get yourself tangled up in, just tussock and wide open space. We decided we'd follow the mountain tops of the Two Thumb Range to the Richmond Range.<br /><br />Our new plan looked as if it was going to be thwarted when we woke up to heavy mist. Al opened her tent door, looked out, said she couldn't see the stream we were camped next to, said maybe we should wait it out. I agreed, half asleep, without even looking, rolled over and went back to sleep. Around midday, when it hadn't improved, we started our climb for the ridge. When we reached it we left behind the clouds. Over the course of 50 meters the weather changed from no visibility to no clouds with perfect blue sky. This made our time on the mountain tops spectacular. We had incredible views of the Southern Alps. We reached our highest point in the South Island, Mt Musgrave at 2251 meters tall. We brought in the New Year at our highest campsite at 2075 meters, 360 degree views and a beautiful sunset. According to Al, all that was missing was a glass of wine. The clock struck 12, already in our sleeping bags we wished each other a happy new year, rolled over and fell asleep.<br /><br />We are now in Lake Tekapo enjoying a sunny rest day, heading towards Twizel tomorrow.<br /><br />Dennis<br /><br />Pictures:<br />Pinnacle Rocks by the hut<br />Water Caves<br />Dennis crossing one of the 48 Rangitata River Channels<br />Neutral Creek Gorge<br />Coming up to the ridge line out of the cloudsNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-67589042478318549482007-12-24T13:43:00.000+13:002008-01-03T15:06:53.704+13:00Merry Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYR1dgFM066bjrMm5H-OJzSfIOOPDzJ_aH5U3MyTMVHh7vXVGCPrYLDQKRvP0az6uOuZ3235njVMZ4jQ6CTTM98nYTFGymsCHYSL-_TSBkZjhpAnTGevrUTMU8qItCfZLtdL0Hyce/s1600-h/Picture+014.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYR1dgFM066bjrMm5H-OJzSfIOOPDzJ_aH5U3MyTMVHh7vXVGCPrYLDQKRvP0az6uOuZ3235njVMZ4jQ6CTTM98nYTFGymsCHYSL-_TSBkZjhpAnTGevrUTMU8qItCfZLtdL0Hyce/s320/Picture+014.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151065440690274882" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic063ZBW1P80vHm9PdP0QYbjVmf0-S44ggltDGm1HhWrnaJ0F75G5aI1NrJFAQW0tZR1_up8R44W-Ar9MdVoUKGXAx-Sz5P3WNP49qA1-351l9LnX4uQSHMDKYQV2CKMF4pYYSh3-J/s1600-h/Picture+015.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic063ZBW1P80vHm9PdP0QYbjVmf0-S44ggltDGm1HhWrnaJ0F75G5aI1NrJFAQW0tZR1_up8R44W-Ar9MdVoUKGXAx-Sz5P3WNP49qA1-351l9LnX4uQSHMDKYQV2CKMF4pYYSh3-J/s320/Picture+015.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151065487934915154" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xkOYeXDP1UOo5P9ow_NK-IHKUoC201yJkGIJ3Q4QD2JmRAh-nDQFPX5kMTZa-zh3_fZSHJ0fS-VMz37GhjbWJEOYVeaAgsPDJZNZF0D-fl0sHLFCw9bJnw3J_nSY1mcB62uWyJXG/s1600-h/Picture+017.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xkOYeXDP1UOo5P9ow_NK-IHKUoC201yJkGIJ3Q4QD2JmRAh-nDQFPX5kMTZa-zh3_fZSHJ0fS-VMz37GhjbWJEOYVeaAgsPDJZNZF0D-fl0sHLFCw9bJnw3J_nSY1mcB62uWyJXG/s320/Picture+017.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151065496524849762" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q_Ikk94pVXedxVgrttt56qHk4nSq4Bo-zfv6gIVColNO9NdLrnDiQNStIVQolJNHJ6SCQmxcSw51sPXVbmsLIMLFL8iJZm-bcUEL3Snj1szc9cvWW3konT70YeRYWVpxAyiWLoZb/s1600-h/Picture+021.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q_Ikk94pVXedxVgrttt56qHk4nSq4Bo-zfv6gIVColNO9NdLrnDiQNStIVQolJNHJ6SCQmxcSw51sPXVbmsLIMLFL8iJZm-bcUEL3Snj1szc9cvWW3konT70YeRYWVpxAyiWLoZb/s320/Picture+021.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151065500819817074" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPR9M2sFpnrairscV4K0BXtpQSuqkNoaFxGWhA4NUYOmFTrsYE3EErm7KfIcbvqDRUAxRU2Axg5bhzSQnlAuPzpPg1nnR85PdwtrH9ass-F7LBvUG1739hr90J66XlardXKv3Lo4B/s1600-h/Picture+023.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPR9M2sFpnrairscV4K0BXtpQSuqkNoaFxGWhA4NUYOmFTrsYE3EErm7KfIcbvqDRUAxRU2Axg5bhzSQnlAuPzpPg1nnR85PdwtrH9ass-F7LBvUG1739hr90J66XlardXKv3Lo4B/s320/Picture+023.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151065530884588162" /></a><br />We've just walked over 100km in three days, hit our 3 month anniversary of the start of the hike and our 2000km mark, so we're moving along. <br /><br />We left Arthurs Pass and headed back to the trails. We walked up over Lagoon Saddle and down the Harper River. It was a cool trail, really well maintained and we were walking through beech forests and along the river banks. There were some quirky huts along the way too. We had lunch on our first day at the Lagoon Saddle Hut which is a cute little A frame with only 2 beds, the pink paint job was a bit of a novelty too. We then passed by the West Harper Hut which was built in 1957 and is maintained as a historic hut, complete with dirt floor, bunks made out of raw tree trunks and canvas and an old fireplace. Its cool to see some of the different kinds of huts around and hear a bit about their history.<br /><br />We had a lot of road walking this section. Its tricky getting a route south from here that doesn't have any roads without heading up over the Main Divide and having to deal with glaciers and proper mountaineering gear. It was stunning scenery though. We passed by Lake Coleridge then paralleled the Mount Hutt Range on our way to Methven. There were cool dramatic mountain ranges which were all above the tree line, wide river valleys and lots of lakes.<br /><br />This was also the section of bizarre coincidences. Yesterday we decided to have lunch at some picnic tables near the Rakaia River Gorge. I was wandering over to look at the turquoise coloured river when who should I bump into but my friend Grant, who I knew from university, and his girlfriend Patsy. I'd known they were down here but its kind of hard to meet up when we're constantly moving around and not by towns most of the time. What are the chances that we both decided to have lunch at the same picnic area in all of the South Island?<br /><br />It didn't end there either. We hitched a ride into Methven with Dane, who offered to have us to stay for the night. He lived in a big house with his girlfriend and another English guy, Ian. Who did his girlfriend turn out to be? Christina, who we had met when we were living in Chamonix, France. Very weird. But they are generously letting us stay at their place while they've returned to Auckland for Christmas. Its much nicer than a campground, especially seeing as everything is going to be closed tomorrow. We can cook our own Christmas dinner! Thanks guys, we really appreciate it.<br /><br />Merry Christmas and we'll be back in Lake Tekapo.<br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Photos:<br />Lagoon Saddle Hut<br />Harper River<br />Us at the 2000km mark<br />Flax and mountains<br />The Rakaia River and Hutt RangeNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-47523405307188159922007-12-20T18:32:00.000+13:002008-01-03T15:24:26.135+13:00And it rained, and it rained, and it rained<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNGGKuQxetrZpX25M1_5nPtqNYEBB_0Z8SxaREY31174HgMWZSF8TqCDHvdeoLGv1XIBjl0bw0ip3Xt4tHwyQyI_RABhlKSFeTGHayzLHHE_cSAeCsI2gT2qrHqOPfYIGT8UJ6elr/s1600-h/Picture+001.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNGGKuQxetrZpX25M1_5nPtqNYEBB_0Z8SxaREY31174HgMWZSF8TqCDHvdeoLGv1XIBjl0bw0ip3Xt4tHwyQyI_RABhlKSFeTGHayzLHHE_cSAeCsI2gT2qrHqOPfYIGT8UJ6elr/s320/Picture+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151069907456262802" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRQu9w9vLIA95Cr6N7Smp2j1dB9H983LtHhSJnfXUg6EV0YYXMA_jSOqPcN3KreutN88RB10trTKn6b6FvBtE8dkdygEUNMxhA6SpJrPeOtYw0YcyepG0hbkBuRLxYhg3M68m5Lx_/s1600-h/Picture+003.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRQu9w9vLIA95Cr6N7Smp2j1dB9H983LtHhSJnfXUg6EV0YYXMA_jSOqPcN3KreutN88RB10trTKn6b6FvBtE8dkdygEUNMxhA6SpJrPeOtYw0YcyepG0hbkBuRLxYhg3M68m5Lx_/s320/Picture+003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151069941816001186" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcrjgKdjfxvadjTCgsuK8QytQv8OumPc0893wlaWVyP5IwjmT4k4kNK4BfB1QFR5H23gxkGbRjOTmaip94yFMKB2Ffj2O4wq6wfaVozT3CJWJIAJ__1xJvTMQU09cQHQQGimGohS-/s1600-h/Picture+004.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcrjgKdjfxvadjTCgsuK8QytQv8OumPc0893wlaWVyP5IwjmT4k4kNK4BfB1QFR5H23gxkGbRjOTmaip94yFMKB2Ffj2O4wq6wfaVozT3CJWJIAJ__1xJvTMQU09cQHQQGimGohS-/s320/Picture+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151069984765674162" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMow1FB3tncpTzSxZwI3rhFMeHy91CgJv7dxQ4nt5Ce0h8DCwdoJA5N-TAl7Q6Y2oegqKiyWRhg4lFYwWv1VIsk2w-JiAYuqVbgRU95BeD-8f9LBG_FPzDlpu9TfL3QASvvMxDFb_/s1600-h/Picture+006.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMow1FB3tncpTzSxZwI3rhFMeHy91CgJv7dxQ4nt5Ce0h8DCwdoJA5N-TAl7Q6Y2oegqKiyWRhg4lFYwWv1VIsk2w-JiAYuqVbgRU95BeD-8f9LBG_FPzDlpu9TfL3QASvvMxDFb_/s320/Picture+006.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151069989060641474" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD_HBXZldBxmySPTn1vnABS4iY06-EKbvJi7kL9ragF9boGvL7fBql8AWwThUCn9iklRfj4KPqsM-k73lGTqnsov6fUQj_IvSw67DTKoOI0KbFRjHQ-vDQywuObw-UXJZh49JKud0/s1600-h/Picture+012.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD_HBXZldBxmySPTn1vnABS4iY06-EKbvJi7kL9ragF9boGvL7fBql8AWwThUCn9iklRfj4KPqsM-k73lGTqnsov6fUQj_IvSw67DTKoOI0KbFRjHQ-vDQywuObw-UXJZh49JKud0/s320/Picture+012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151070001945543378" /></a><br />We've been feeling terrible smug about the weather on our journey so far, whenever anyone asks we were always able to reply, "Oh no, we've been really lucky. We've never had to set up or take down our tents in the rain, and any time its rained during the day we've been coming into a town where we can dry out our stuff." <br /><br />Not anymore. It started raining while we were camping in Hanmer Springs and it didn't really stop. Mother Nature forced us to turn back from a river crossing for the first time in our almost three months of hiking. All down the South Island people have been telling us that it hasn't rained in over a month, now it changed to heavy rain warnings and flood danger. We quickly grew accustomed to the feel of squelchy, sodden boots.<br /><br />The Taramakau River, in between Harpers Pass and Aickens, was the one we were standing next to. The entire river valley was full of grey, foaming water that had some serious current. I wasn't feeling good about it, this was the kind of situation where we'd end up on the news as the latest impatient trampers who wouldn't wait a day and drowned. We had only come a few kilometres from the Kiwi Hut, our lunch stop, so we turned around and decided to give it a shot the next day. Going back to a fire, bed and a dry hut wasn't all bad.<br /><br />What a difference a day makes. It was like a whole different scene when we walked back to the valley the next day. I was surprised, it sounded like it had kept raining throughout the night but there was less than half of the water of the previous day, and it was clear rather than ominous grey. The crossing still wasn't easy. We ended up having to walk about a kilometre or two upstream from the hut where it was braided enough to cross safely, and the water was still up to the hip belts of our packs. <br /><br />We thought the easy part of our day was over at this point, but there was another tributary river that we had to negotiate. The downside with this one, the Otehake River, was that we had to go upstream a way to find a safe crossing spot, but this meant that also put us upstream of a cliff band that we then had to climb up and bushwack past fallen trees, rotting logs and all sorts of other foliage before we could get back to the riverbank. Four hours had gone by, and we were only about one and a half kilometres, as the crow flies, from the hut we'd stayed in the night before. Gibb joined us for the flattest section, but one with the most challenging rivers so far. A little different from a day in the office in Philadelphia.<br /><br />On more established trails, or less volatile rivers, DOC (NZ's Department of Conservation) puts up suspension or swing bridges which makes the whole river crossing process a little easier. Back in May, when we were planning our route, we noticed there was a walkwire marked on the map over Cameron Stream. Dennis got very excited about this and even marked it on our Memory Map software with a skull and crossbones as something to look out for. A walkwire is a single wire to walk on with two higher wires for your hands, as opposed to the other bridges that have a base for you to walk on and wire mesh on the sides up to the cable handrails. We'd been thinking about this walkwire for a while because it seems that often things like this get taken out in favour of a 'safer' alternative. To our delight, the walkwire was still there. I actually found it more stable that some of the swingbriges we'd been over. It's awesome that there are still things like walkwires around, don't take them out DOC. It was fun.<br /><br />We're having a rest day in Arthur's Pass at the moment. I've been suffering from a mild stomach bug for the last few days which tends to sap my fun and energy levels. Because of this we opted yesterday to walk the road section from Aicken to Arthur's Pass rather than the trail up a river valley over Goat Pass. We're normally unimpressed to be back on the roads but this was the coolest road section yet. The dramatic mountain scenery (we're close to the Southern Alps) and the crazy, steep road that was originally built back in 1864 helped take my mind off my not so good stomach.<br /><br />We've got a big section coming up next, 265km to Lake Tekapo. Everyone has been asking what we are doing for Christmas, we'll be between Methven and Mt Somers somewhere. I don't imagine there'll be room in our packs for a ham or Christmas turkey so make sure you all eat a little extra for us, and have a Merry Christmas wherever you are. It also looks like we'll be rocking out our New Year on the top of the Two Thumb range on a mountainous spot somewhere so have a drink for us too.<br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Photos:<br />Rainbow after the rain<br />Dennis on the walkwire<br />Gibb crossing one of the many rivers<br />Alice, silhouetted with the Taramakau River<br />Sunset on our last nightNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-54907753580825504112007-12-13T12:43:00.001+13:002007-12-13T12:55:34.571+13:00A day in the life, part two - Hut Life<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMui-j57VNXgMKPGZsVocyr136bTTUune7WTPE9wOinVRqg_7ANhuBuqKDwcQXara1ntXuo6fFW6oXqwtq2fLlP83mV7Ux27k7dnUxZagjefajFhINfRavXSqkLHeZ-FDxU6w9ZI9/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+239.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMui-j57VNXgMKPGZsVocyr136bTTUune7WTPE9wOinVRqg_7ANhuBuqKDwcQXara1ntXuo6fFW6oXqwtq2fLlP83mV7Ux27k7dnUxZagjefajFhINfRavXSqkLHeZ-FDxU6w9ZI9/s320/Akld-Wgtn+239.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143239255108455362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BrGYb4NBturAy7ZNq1VrrOyOGypGKGh2TETIC2dkGoZz5uuzE7jfpDLhsQ4n_74cVYNv8__BDo_NWkk0uPPT6I2KWjwufgOe0ofCMQR7juQBZseur9xGLz-b8dGRut6vHsco75bA/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+289.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BrGYb4NBturAy7ZNq1VrrOyOGypGKGh2TETIC2dkGoZz5uuzE7jfpDLhsQ4n_74cVYNv8__BDo_NWkk0uPPT6I2KWjwufgOe0ofCMQR7juQBZseur9xGLz-b8dGRut6vHsco75bA/s320/Akld-Wgtn+289.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143239263698389970" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-7ycLpnM-aBjyrs-PMW3bf_-bYFH_aXEZXfg7A3ff2P0nRu46uFGWZj6Ud7QJnkpKmFuIAKx-JdJODaCvzJTgt_t7IJzj4nrJ-lvQ0M2py3ERVxXKQgDCtlVA8gy2GIW8gTohT0R/s1600-h/Picture+011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-7ycLpnM-aBjyrs-PMW3bf_-bYFH_aXEZXfg7A3ff2P0nRu46uFGWZj6Ud7QJnkpKmFuIAKx-JdJODaCvzJTgt_t7IJzj4nrJ-lvQ0M2py3ERVxXKQgDCtlVA8gy2GIW8gTohT0R/s320/Picture+011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143239272288324578" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTmOkjpeeRcxGJEUtbTLSkaTLQod6L2GzHwzD4q_kEjBpbLm5wCNoI2KATvgV0Qqda_AvCUJ_KYQcIIj5IFBrW1uCWYy0I25c8MGiFr-ZGgbqAGlIXifABji-mIUcBMqAZeZZAQba/s1600-h/Picture+015.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTmOkjpeeRcxGJEUtbTLSkaTLQod6L2GzHwzD4q_kEjBpbLm5wCNoI2KATvgV0Qqda_AvCUJ_KYQcIIj5IFBrW1uCWYy0I25c8MGiFr-ZGgbqAGlIXifABji-mIUcBMqAZeZZAQba/s320/Picture+015.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143239276583291890" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeRRLEt1e62MbwWkmwm8yj76nEagrXNs4IyS0TV6UISIn_jJZngiMcDbwHPdXl84o4kDD7ZOjThoWOTn0wsElDqgN_7hnWKBRBF9vQ74x34CjEI5vn6jIv6eTpsHRL3904Cb6SQDq/s1600-h/Picture+018.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeRRLEt1e62MbwWkmwm8yj76nEagrXNs4IyS0TV6UISIn_jJZngiMcDbwHPdXl84o4kDD7ZOjThoWOTn0wsElDqgN_7hnWKBRBF9vQ74x34CjEI5vn6jIv6eTpsHRL3904Cb6SQDq/s320/Picture+018.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143239280878259202" /></a><br />Hut Life<br /> <br />We thought it was time for another installment of our everyday life series. This time its about life in backcountry huts. New Zealand has a system of backcountry huts through a lot of the trails here, especially in the South Island. There are different categories of huts, some are free, others are $5-10 a night. They also come in varying sizes. We've stayed in everything from a 2 bed to a 34 bed hut. We've got an annual pass which makes it easier because we don't have to buy tickets when we're in towns. They're mainly pretty basic - bunks with a table and benches and often a water tank, but they are far superior to our tents. There have been so many down in the South Island that we've only spent two nights in our tents since arriving here two weeks ago. <br /> <br />The joy of having a hut is the 'modern day' comforts they provide. For example, we can write in our journals and eat dinner sitting at a table or on a bench rather than perched on a rock or branch, we can get water straight from a rainwater tank instead of crouching by a stream filtering it, fireplaces to dry our wet gear and, best of all, we can escape the sand flies. <br /> <br />Theres often things to read too, people leave books and magazines that they've finished with that we devour when we can. The other day Dennis was reading a National Geographic from 1983 about 'new' satellite technology. They're normally a little more up to date than that. <br /> <br />We like reading the hut books too. Every hut has a hut book to record who comes through. This information is used in search and rescue situations, but you can also write general comments as well. Some are funny but others feel it is a complaint forum too - 'track needs more boardwalk', 'times posted are too fast/too slow', 'take me back to the city to real food!'. In the Richmond Range there were books that dated back to the mid 1980s which were really interesting to read - we were preschoolers! In the more popular huts, like the ones through Nelson Lakes National Park, all the books are new from this year.<br /><br />Pictures:<br />Alice and Dennis eating breakfast - Old Man Hut - Richmond Range<br />Alice outside Porters Hut - Richmond Range<br />Dennis writing in journal inside the Red Hills Hut - Richmond Range<br />Downes Hut - Wanganui River<br />Dennis chopping wood - Whakapapaiti Hut - Mt. RuapehuNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-83035165573159215622007-12-13T11:27:00.000+13:002007-12-20T19:27:17.000+13:00Speed Racers<A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBr6gA-wkiPqL7KWYQmWfq2jOKoSVH92w8cnEYkFJg1FG0kwn1IGR8XwTVlrgt6FWMC9fEfak3_nA2wU6dCSQvZuzwWWtP41cNZ46sUO6d1g3lwmhi4Erl7SGiWHih0RRzKFRC1Uv/s1600-h/Picture+019.jpg"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143220284237908866 style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBr6gA-wkiPqL7KWYQmWfq2jOKoSVH92w8cnEYkFJg1FG0kwn1IGR8XwTVlrgt6FWMC9fEfak3_nA2wU6dCSQvZuzwWWtP41cNZ46sUO6d1g3lwmhi4Erl7SGiWHih0RRzKFRC1Uv/s320/Picture+019.jpg" border=0></A> <A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8gibVGeC6OfPPgfhXpdT1anGXknmn5A-sZZAvWgEhcYFtoAc1cZQDyN5SIXOWdOYSt59MRxdMfIqZ6dXwKKdV90er8TzjDVMFV54lDa7I52b84GXAcFiN32CUkBtQKUD1pP4wMt-/s1600-h/Picture+021.jpg"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143220292827843474 style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8gibVGeC6OfPPgfhXpdT1anGXknmn5A-sZZAvWgEhcYFtoAc1cZQDyN5SIXOWdOYSt59MRxdMfIqZ6dXwKKdV90er8TzjDVMFV54lDa7I52b84GXAcFiN32CUkBtQKUD1pP4wMt-/s320/Picture+021.jpg" border=0></A> <A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXLgiTrCZo_C-mz6dA0hyHAdGBHjU7cghRvAfjn73sAbVx0viqfQ2F1KpdCpspi8hW-6ac29CEHojuA2ZvInLjG8a4PWT6VWerQaBeoEif-LIdqfphbjQIMJOsTNYgk5Wt1Acx_-x/s1600-h/Picture+022.jpg"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143220297122810786 style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXLgiTrCZo_C-mz6dA0hyHAdGBHjU7cghRvAfjn73sAbVx0viqfQ2F1KpdCpspi8hW-6ac29CEHojuA2ZvInLjG8a4PWT6VWerQaBeoEif-LIdqfphbjQIMJOsTNYgk5Wt1Acx_-x/s320/Picture+022.jpg" border=0></A> <A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxsYecdYQ9CHaw6kv2LHrMIeBrgUhmjHzrY83CRLcb4bpveWRaetDLHTJhnlAxr8Efk_8Q-mMy8kvlWjs_TDwt9WtlcYYzvqQQjSUoYYEx7kElNjr2QqQd1nrbt2KgSIg-OTqOVFT/s1600-h/Picture+024.jpg"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143220305712745394 style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxsYecdYQ9CHaw6kv2LHrMIeBrgUhmjHzrY83CRLcb4bpveWRaetDLHTJhnlAxr8Efk_8Q-mMy8kvlWjs_TDwt9WtlcYYzvqQQjSUoYYEx7kElNjr2QqQd1nrbt2KgSIg-OTqOVFT/s320/Picture+024.jpg" border=0></A> We started off on a track on the shores of Lake Rotoiti, Destination: Lake Head Hut. Not a terribly long day, but we got a bit of a late start. Little did we know it was a huge hut, 32 bunks. It being a Friday night it was quite full. We had the pleasure of sharing the hut with 25+ people. It was a bit overwhelming, until this point we have shared huts with only 3 people. This hut was quite accessible compared to most we have been in, only three hours hike from St. Arnaud. There was even a jetty at the end of the lake which cut the actual hike down to 15 minutes. Let me tell ya, I got a bit envious off the spreads of food people were pulling out. Plus they all had huge gas stoves and lanterns. They had all the stuff that we don't carry. But its great because we come across people with pack envy. They all wonder how it is possible to carry so little, to last so long. It gets easy to cut out the excess when its all on your back. Really makes me glad that Alice and I spent so much time researching ultra light gear. We decided to have a quick look over the maps to plan out where we would be sleeping the next bunch of nights. Wait, do we have enough food? I know your thinking, didn't he just talk about how light the packs were? Yeah I did, but people with light packs sometimes don't bring enough food. oops. We underestimated by a day or so. Well, I guess we'll do a bit more each day. We ended up finishing a 6 day section in 4.5 days. We didn't cut off any of the hike time, just had a few longer days. We are backpacking machines! Completing large sections hours under the estimated signs even passing other hikers along the way. Being so far south, we are able to hike for longer, it stays light here until 9:30 at night. This means if we walk fast, don't eat lunch until 4pm, we can fit in a lot of kilometers in a day. And these were not by any means flat days. We went over two relatively high passes including Waiau Pass at 1870 meters, our highest point in the South Island so far. We even got to see snow again!! It made me feel as if I was right at home in the northern hemisphere. Pretty fun descending down fairly steep pitches in sneakers with a full pack, I got a bit wet. There were no shortage of river crossings, over 75 in this section alone. You don't get wet in all those, some you can boulder hop across. Others require gritting your teeth and walking through the icy cold snow melt water. Al and I have worked out an agreement, because she constantly has her heels taped up due to her still un-callused feet, I tend to help her get across the deeper rivers with out getting wet. How? Well 2 ways: 1.) The Pack Horse - I make three trips across, one with both the packs, a second to return to the other side and a third with al on my back. 2.) The Sack of Potatoes - I, with my full pack on, sling Al over one shoulder with her pack still on and cross. Still not sure what I get out of the arrangement? It may be hard to believe, but this section was even more stunning than the Richmond Range. The South Island seems to get better end better, except for the sand flies Well, we are now having a rest day in Hanmer Springs, even Backpacking Machines need a rest. A college friend of mine has joined us here to hike with us for a while. David Gibb, or just Gibb to most, is coming fresh from a desk job looking for a bit of a lifestyle change, we don't think that will be a problem. Al and I have decided we'll slow the pace a bit to ease him into it.<br /><br />Dennis<br /><br />Photos:<br />Mt. Travers and the Travers River<br />Us at Travers Saddle<br />Al near top of Waiau Pass with Lake Constance in the background<br />St. James WalkwayNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-5556564095106361952007-12-07T10:42:00.000+13:002007-12-13T11:26:43.853+13:00The Richmond Range: big mountains and naked hiking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOuM7bDMyEQqw-oHwL40rSFuySB8wbxxvVNjpCDtpm1i4nrU9wzJcdZ71o7DQ8nqKPVgDWFwRMiGn2oAuBx8jX8cVIA-7pH2-r2boZ3qy7HlI0WW7ZVH97J4BmrGW3SWaf87doOX6/s1600-h/Picture+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOuM7bDMyEQqw-oHwL40rSFuySB8wbxxvVNjpCDtpm1i4nrU9wzJcdZ71o7DQ8nqKPVgDWFwRMiGn2oAuBx8jX8cVIA-7pH2-r2boZ3qy7HlI0WW7ZVH97J4BmrGW3SWaf87doOX6/s320/Picture+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143216311393159986" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXToLI7EBpKSOZKjLYmVrTqHb46hu9Os8HSm-uswbH7Yb5x6rjy1S1qN17bQJfReeS6WNWFeIImeD8xV6rI-hU7VQYs6ZIlrFt5sYwlozqMbqP8qZFpQ3eWP5TZWKDes44khzrunu/s1600-h/Picture+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXToLI7EBpKSOZKjLYmVrTqHb46hu9Os8HSm-uswbH7Yb5x6rjy1S1qN17bQJfReeS6WNWFeIImeD8xV6rI-hU7VQYs6ZIlrFt5sYwlozqMbqP8qZFpQ3eWP5TZWKDes44khzrunu/s320/Picture+010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143216315688127298" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMrje5Bo6F_WDbINQv6vwsWhhgEXY5xXLLbtOzYYY980VUoT5Yb6jXVBP1KphrtxguoDFvmOjTiQXaI6v6akEdtSAulZD5AXHQAD8NImSX-6-pVVA-H_lzI7kJPS8ssna5g7BX8bi/s1600-h/Picture+012.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMrje5Bo6F_WDbINQv6vwsWhhgEXY5xXLLbtOzYYY980VUoT5Yb6jXVBP1KphrtxguoDFvmOjTiQXaI6v6akEdtSAulZD5AXHQAD8NImSX-6-pVVA-H_lzI7kJPS8ssna5g7BX8bi/s320/Picture+012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143216328573029202" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4VtKYRGGYa92zKZ-igHp3jzSjJ6nS-1FWIPuBDKEjkorv8EPBVEl1I0B-Uz6uje_dQVoNK7hv1eyf-j9siGjWXQYB2cHd02ZAMaW70MUlNP_udKdVbSzFEM-sbzY66NPOqn_PgK8/s1600-h/Picture+014.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4VtKYRGGYa92zKZ-igHp3jzSjJ6nS-1FWIPuBDKEjkorv8EPBVEl1I0B-Uz6uje_dQVoNK7hv1eyf-j9siGjWXQYB2cHd02ZAMaW70MUlNP_udKdVbSzFEM-sbzY66NPOqn_PgK8/s320/Picture+014.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143216332867996514" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenO-N8ToGMGZv6s-YJZvuK0Sqw1X-FZ5GBkQWEfZX6v5cFm6fIOx9V2h3mVBezHbvtfOIGiYuPinH2aeh0nYx7QTlXeb8g_Wfiz84OsrfSWguoN7W1a7j68XakvpvwBbyedrFd6Fw/s1600-h/Picture+017.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenO-N8ToGMGZv6s-YJZvuK0Sqw1X-FZ5GBkQWEfZX6v5cFm6fIOx9V2h3mVBezHbvtfOIGiYuPinH2aeh0nYx7QTlXeb8g_Wfiz84OsrfSWguoN7W1a7j68XakvpvwBbyedrFd6Fw/s320/Picture+017.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143216345752898418" /></a><br />Well, not totally naked, but almost. And no, we haven't run off to join the nudist movement but we did have to negotiate a waist high river. But more on that soon.<br /><br />The Richmond Range. We'd been talking about this section for ages because we knew it would potentially be the most difficult section of our trip. And it was so far, but nothing we couldn't handle. We had some long days, steep climbs up loose gravelly rock faces, tired legs but also stunning views and great feelings of accomplishment. It was our favourite section yet. You need a few challenges along the way or else everything blends together.<br /><br />There were so many huts through this section, we didn't use our tent the whole week. In fact, there were enough huts we could spend the night, and stop for lunch in one each day. They were also some of our favourite huts; small, cosy and in beautiful locations. I think Porter's Hut was the best - it was a tiny 4 bed hut with a door so small you had to stoop to go through it. We saw one other person the whole time we were in the Ranges. We met Graeme on our first night when we were staying at the Roebuck Hut. He knew of a shortcut up the river and over a spur that would cut out a chunk of trail. He'd never done it but someone had written an account of the unmarked route in the hut book so there were details of where to go. We were feeling adventurous so decided to give it a go.<br /><br />Things didn't start off that great. We were crossing the Pelorus River right outside the hut, I slipped off a rock and submerged both my boots into the river. I'm not a big fan of walking in wet boots because of the blisters, so I had to spend the rest of the day changing socks every break. Oh well, what can you do? We continued up the river along the banks until we couldn't stay dry any longer. We changed into our 'frogs' (The Warehouse brand of crocs) and started wading. Only a minute into it the water was up to my short line, "Retreat, retreat". We stripped off our lower half of clothing and continued on. It was a pretty funny sight. Full packs, t-shirt, trekking poles and frogs. Luckily it was an isolated spot otherwise we might have scared the locals. The river never got higher than hip height so we didn't have to strip off anymore, the water was freezing.<br /><br />We started up the spur just after the confluence of the Pelorus River and Mates Creek, possibly the most gorgeous spot we've come across so far. (If anyone is planning on doing this section you need to start from the Mates Creek side, there are cliffs on the Pelorus River side.) It was an easy bushwack, the trees were spaced apart and the undergrowth wasn't out of control. It was a cool feeling, we were in an isolated Range where there were very few people and the tracks weren't beaten in, and on a spur with no trail where even less people had been. Pretty incredible. <br /><br />We followed the ridge line up, and up, and up. That day our elevation started at below 200m, we worked our way up to over 1500m with many saddles in between. It was pretty slow going at times, we found ourselves billygoating around cliff tops and sometimes fighting our way through small spiky trees but eventually we linked up with the trail. We were exhausted and starving at this point. We cooked up one of our emergency meals that Dennis had been carrying since Auckland. We put too much water into our instant cheese mashed potato mix so it was more a baby food type soup than potatoes but I swear nothing has ever tasted so good. I was instantly revived to head on for another two hours to Old Man's Hut. We didn't arrive there until 9:30 at night, walking down the steep track to the hut in the dark but it was worth it. We were two huts ahead of where we would have been if we'd done a big day on the trails. <br /><br />The next day we continued on our uphill mission. We were above the treeline for most of the day, getting up to over 1700m in a very barren rocky landscape. We came across all types of rocks - scree fields you could run down, 'treadmill' gravel where you had to keep moving to stop sliding back down the hill, rough boulders and also lots of tussock. Our boot soles definitely wore down on this section. We'd stand on one peak and see the next one about 2km away. Then you'd look down, and down, and know that you'd have to descend 300m, then climb 400m to get to it. Our thighs got a workout that day, but it was a lot of fun.<br /><br />So the big mountains, endless river valleys and stunning views kept up all week. We are already in love with the South Island, the rest of the trip has a lot to live up to. The bush is quite different and its not as muddy which is a huge novelty. But there are sandflies which form a constant buzz around you whenever you stop.<br /><br />Dennis had his first equipment casualty this section. He slipped off a rock about a metre high onto more rocks. I looked around to see him lying on his side on the rocks and instantly had visions of a broken something and me running out to get help. He was fine, his trekking pole was not. It snapped as he fell. We've become big advocates of trekking poles, they make the uphills easier and take a lot of the stress off your body. He didn't like one pole, he was like a bird with a wounded wing, not knowing what to do with his other arm. Luckily we've found a replacement end for him which we should have by the next town.<br /><br />Well, I've been rambling so I'll leave this here. We're enjoying staying with Jean and Chris Richards in St Arnaud at the moment. Thank you so much for having us.<br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Photos:<br />Alice wading into the Pelorus River<br />Bushwack ridge<br />Us on the summit of Mt. Rintoul<br />Dennis on the summit of Mt. Ellis<br />Maitland Creek River ValleyNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-8056194296946301912007-12-07T10:08:00.000+13:002007-12-13T11:18:45.416+13:00The South Island, the first 2 days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7-6cg2bJE1NHiL5UsKOpH_J88SmazVq4m6lrkS2rxxX1dmI6XBZ0dQ-Pisy9fbSksu_ZLJgqcr5Pyyv_0maHriQueOL__o28_HXdqSrEKKXTISBq7fEzgcO66zhyJTaQtycUhr01/s1600-h/Picture+001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7-6cg2bJE1NHiL5UsKOpH_J88SmazVq4m6lrkS2rxxX1dmI6XBZ0dQ-Pisy9fbSksu_ZLJgqcr5Pyyv_0maHriQueOL__o28_HXdqSrEKKXTISBq7fEzgcO66zhyJTaQtycUhr01/s320/Picture+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143214193974282994" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQeNjHlrMOqJTJlwginc7cL1C7sbI79QLNPdlulZdWczrcM_uERE0IE2hEVyM6vP6K1Qr8lgfANTOPPLZbheUaYCFvpkCUPr6QJeUNI8WJU_yUeJo7aG5xcOMNrHVU1UWuHl12wnF/s1600-h/Picture+004.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQeNjHlrMOqJTJlwginc7cL1C7sbI79QLNPdlulZdWczrcM_uERE0IE2hEVyM6vP6K1Qr8lgfANTOPPLZbheUaYCFvpkCUPr6QJeUNI8WJU_yUeJo7aG5xcOMNrHVU1UWuHl12wnF/s320/Picture+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143214202564217602" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UMiH5_-Yzl5qFyNLMwvisw2XMA0NR4f5r0_WbWf8dVOHpW2j8MHiV-3Q6FKRE2fDRVKJBF0RvaIzYF2kByNJhlPtGcFXJt4MFOXCgURYaA10yj_vhJs3b3Mvb2Z2I1OdJ4MwW2nQ/s1600-h/Picture+003.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UMiH5_-Yzl5qFyNLMwvisw2XMA0NR4f5r0_WbWf8dVOHpW2j8MHiV-3Q6FKRE2fDRVKJBF0RvaIzYF2kByNJhlPtGcFXJt4MFOXCgURYaA10yj_vhJs3b3Mvb2Z2I1OdJ4MwW2nQ/s320/Picture+003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143214211154152210" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFwvCkmR1mcKUaL0iYAL7F6nogF3i9xsn0LQJ6h1jnLViB8T3EJwP9mZ-y111ycg6Ditpg2m0dRcusy76z8yZFCCTQKx69yq4f-7_ZILrfSEoEkVk0agawdPs2a8xpwG4h67JkIXr/s1600-h/Picture+005.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFwvCkmR1mcKUaL0iYAL7F6nogF3i9xsn0LQJ6h1jnLViB8T3EJwP9mZ-y111ycg6Ditpg2m0dRcusy76z8yZFCCTQKx69yq4f-7_ZILrfSEoEkVk0agawdPs2a8xpwG4h67JkIXr/s320/Picture+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143214219744086818" /></a><br />So we've finally made it to the South Island. We started our nine day section with our heaviest packs yet, mine weighed 18.4kg and Dennis' weighed 20.8kg. They felt fine though, not nearly the insane burden that I was imagining it to be. We must be getting in shape!<br /><br />We had a bit of a rough ferry ride from Wellington to Picton, Dennis spent half the time wandering around the windy decks trying to focus on keeping his breakfast down but we made it in one piece. We actually ended up having one of our longest days distance wise that day, making it 37km to Havelock and we didn't even start until 12:30. It was the promise of really good fish and chips at the Havelock Hotel for dinner that kept us motivated. We knew the kitchen was open until 8:30, we made it soon after 7.<br /><br />It helped that the scenery was amazing, we were walking along a coastal road looking at the islands of the Sounds all afternoon. It was weird thinking that we were soon to be leaving the coast, and wouldn't come back to it until the bottom of the island, just before the finish.<br /><br />We spent our second road day walking along the Pelorus River, a beautiful river that we actually followed right into the bush in the Richmond Range. It was probably the clearest river I've seen, with deep emerald green pools, waterfalls and cool boulders and rock canyons. We treated ourselves to an ice-cream at Pelorus Bridge, our last bit of civilisation before heading into the wilderness for a week... or so we thought.<br /><br />On our way to the trailhead we met an American couple who lived at the end of the road, and another family who were staying with them. After chatting for a while about what we were doing we were offered a place to stay for the night. A comfy bed sounded way better than our tent so we accepted. And it got better, it wasn't just a comfy bed, it was a comfy bed in a treehouse! The treehouse was so cool, it was a big room way up in the air with huge tree branches coming through the middle of the room and a stairway leading up to it. Thank you so much to Dennis and Sharon Capell for your generous hospitality. We had a great evening with you all.<br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Photos:<br />Sounds with ferry<br />Capell family tree stump<br />Coolest tree house ever<br />Pelorus RiverNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-73681417586152224022007-11-27T16:34:00.000+13:002007-11-27T16:54:55.863+13:00Tramping with Project K<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzn2BBwoqOBoe5RiTioPE6ku6gdlKPDo1t7TAnfPj3wRebQkhQZdeRBYWNVPOtwi1koJw7T2Et5Xufmws3Nc-cXLvTjBTnOqJh52tReQgc4rJYrLGUypmnmDwIGEyi8y0baMAe7wW/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+005.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzn2BBwoqOBoe5RiTioPE6ku6gdlKPDo1t7TAnfPj3wRebQkhQZdeRBYWNVPOtwi1koJw7T2Et5Xufmws3Nc-cXLvTjBTnOqJh52tReQgc4rJYrLGUypmnmDwIGEyi8y0baMAe7wW/s320/Akld-Wgtn+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137360174493254610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5inKZAjfepur6sosKRwy_Cm7oZMGdkp7KMGQccUU9kGtvuQHMbxwL9XbQBq8ubI1Z-VFyr8ToCE83Y64brBKJ1IL4hjz8Bj8YHD7T15S-TauPLd1kxtekb_xxW7tO2MZLOGOETul/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+008.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5inKZAjfepur6sosKRwy_Cm7oZMGdkp7KMGQccUU9kGtvuQHMbxwL9XbQBq8ubI1Z-VFyr8ToCE83Y64brBKJ1IL4hjz8Bj8YHD7T15S-TauPLd1kxtekb_xxW7tO2MZLOGOETul/s320/Akld-Wgtn+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137360200263058402" /></a><br />Today Dennis and I met up with the 12 Project K participants from St Bernard's College in Lower Hutt to do a tramp around the Wellington hills. We started from Days Bay, near Eastbourne, and walked up the Main Ridge Track to the Wainuiomata Lookout. From there were headed over to the firebreak roads, then on to Hayward's Reserve and finished up at the Hutt Valley Tramping Club.<br /><br />We really enjoyed seeing the programme up close. The boys were on their second day of the programme and all did really well, keeping up a good pace and achieving their goal of 'finishing the tramp with a positive attitude'. We're very jealous of their upcoming 3 week outdoor wilderness camp filled with tramping, abseiling, rafting, climbing and ropes courses. <br /><br />It was great to get a better understanding of how Project K works. The 14 month programme costs around $4000 per participant, none of which is funded by the student. For these boys, they will have their community challenge in January and will then be paired up with a mentor who they will meet one-on-one with for a year, focusing on goal setting, confidence building and leadership. <br /><br />This is a very worthwhile programme. After one day we could see the enthusiasm of the participants, and how dedicated and well organised the facilitators were. There are still plenty of shoes to be added to our donation shoe pile, so don't be shy about showing your support.<br /><br />Alice and Dennis<br /><br />Photos:<br />The tramping group at Wainuiomata Lookout with a view over Wellington Harbour<br />Debriefing at the end of the day at the Hutt Valley Tramping ClubNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-55423363259593046262007-11-26T13:20:00.000+13:002007-11-27T16:56:08.609+13:00Heading Home<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityje_jakiVfxqaDvv72E0p9_vNXtk_4KZlsjwpL8BxBjp29YkTMqjGcIA2j4meAN2eA0wLA0LmoFcoaiHzA4PBE1LrZT5NK5iZUTAxVqv_B1t96IKNR7J8_ETM8JJ7K9FlFFe8XJ4/s1600-h/DSC00749.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityje_jakiVfxqaDvv72E0p9_vNXtk_4KZlsjwpL8BxBjp29YkTMqjGcIA2j4meAN2eA0wLA0LmoFcoaiHzA4PBE1LrZT5NK5iZUTAxVqv_B1t96IKNR7J8_ETM8JJ7K9FlFFe8XJ4/s320/DSC00749.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136943008614761346" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHmYjiOyF3ZLap-NfnUa7kBph1hI44F0SlpvjaPTspWVRvsYU8tWEhjB_Nc4J9qEs7Ty7VqiOAvn69dM33hM-FCHAqs7M_4e49lnoP0d9oCu_3AJfsoJ2BrL-BfV9Cgzw8zCxrKrg/s1600-h/DSC00836.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHmYjiOyF3ZLap-NfnUa7kBph1hI44F0SlpvjaPTspWVRvsYU8tWEhjB_Nc4J9qEs7Ty7VqiOAvn69dM33hM-FCHAqs7M_4e49lnoP0d9oCu_3AJfsoJ2BrL-BfV9Cgzw8zCxrKrg/s320/DSC00836.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136943021499663250" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00EJssy0CYAeso8TRULWzcBYyR8TwbXn5iNYmRFw224D2Fg5Lb90iRxVob_mWd8gDdMb7IVPoHjrK20A9RPxMSihqFeS_-iggpMo5BxIE7su19ZLAOhzvT1-Qk_KUBwmI7hKNnpH4/s1600-h/DSC01011.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00EJssy0CYAeso8TRULWzcBYyR8TwbXn5iNYmRFw224D2Fg5Lb90iRxVob_mWd8gDdMb7IVPoHjrK20A9RPxMSihqFeS_-iggpMo5BxIE7su19ZLAOhzvT1-Qk_KUBwmI7hKNnpH4/s320/DSC01011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136943025794630562" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ai008Bs5-UgHn_LTscI6EHGbv_mDhTqaj7UZIPPJ2-03sWyCAWLONwfKWfFkOHerXYRF3l13qnESR4vstpJ1eQ4bjPBw3U35t6ZJYlQ1vDFDlhDawlfCo73iNKX3W1S0qdaHTcmF/s1600-h/DSC01065.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ai008Bs5-UgHn_LTscI6EHGbv_mDhTqaj7UZIPPJ2-03sWyCAWLONwfKWfFkOHerXYRF3l13qnESR4vstpJ1eQ4bjPBw3U35t6ZJYlQ1vDFDlhDawlfCo73iNKX3W1S0qdaHTcmF/s320/DSC01065.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136943030089597874" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbSe_MPU5BkAiD7wnGmHimJcvrYJDNyOCnXbCtxhuXjrVgZK7fXZIk9nMWMaEL7097tp8aT6aI1Y16xUTzGCbWyJS5qQIJ0w4y_vF1U-8l0TizLqUtGbyn8MYRaypc2Oz8-NzhyHH/s1600-h/DSC01200.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbSe_MPU5BkAiD7wnGmHimJcvrYJDNyOCnXbCtxhuXjrVgZK7fXZIk9nMWMaEL7097tp8aT6aI1Y16xUTzGCbWyJS5qQIJ0w4y_vF1U-8l0TizLqUtGbyn8MYRaypc2Oz8-NzhyHH/s320/DSC01200.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136943038679532482" /></a><br />Almost three months ago I arrived in New Zealand to hike the countryside.<br />I knew before I started that this journey would be more then just walking.<br />Over the past few months I have experience and enjoyed so much Kiwi hospitality,<br />and have seen some of the most beautiful, ever changing scenery. Its really difficult<br />to pick out a favorite moment or event because I have enjoyed it all. I have made it<br />to Wellington from Cape Reinga, roughly about half way, and have decided to end my<br />hike and go back to Lake Tahoe. I would like to thank everyone that has helped us <br />along the way. It has truly been a humbling experience. So, being my last entry<br />I want to wish Dennis and Alice the best of luck and blue skies on the remainder<br />of the hike. <br /><br />Lane<br /><br />P.S. These are a few pictures that have been the highlight of my trip.NZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-49606365539518386222007-11-26T12:24:00.000+13:002007-11-26T13:19:11.285+13:00Halfway!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7GiRokEaht5kNdJxMWx2F_xuI_k6w9Tf8i1m-c03-EiJbgRYY_bRk6cghGe2KSTbFMp23bGGphG5cNDOa_5kd4OW7MFSoodFpFsYbKNIOfQN449hrc3NKE1odRDx17kvn5PWNSMr/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+347.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7GiRokEaht5kNdJxMWx2F_xuI_k6w9Tf8i1m-c03-EiJbgRYY_bRk6cghGe2KSTbFMp23bGGphG5cNDOa_5kd4OW7MFSoodFpFsYbKNIOfQN449hrc3NKE1odRDx17kvn5PWNSMr/s320/Akld-Wgtn+347.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136936871106495202" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKX5H8L6_OoOa_ujdNb6jWZUGaXrFV58vxvA3o4jLpe0I1IlO8c82pNLxdwYTWbflzlOZLnzZ-570Vkjgkxw2CwewpLj6JwEbB5xTCnQ7eHEIluHMccQkGSdbczZDqZV_e67jIQHdW/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+356.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKX5H8L6_OoOa_ujdNb6jWZUGaXrFV58vxvA3o4jLpe0I1IlO8c82pNLxdwYTWbflzlOZLnzZ-570Vkjgkxw2CwewpLj6JwEbB5xTCnQ7eHEIluHMccQkGSdbczZDqZV_e67jIQHdW/s320/Akld-Wgtn+356.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136936888286364402" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyAI2oFiVT9I7j2evRfgUdJdJHG3QzUpY0iXiMWPMFTVZM_OTgyOMYhdWGsTNG97xPw1g9I1RP2xjN6WIhvkqA_YNfRG-4NtbZAnlRozcCqvQZ_vpFp9wZ-xuwHTzBOgpV9G0OrfM/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+365.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyAI2oFiVT9I7j2evRfgUdJdJHG3QzUpY0iXiMWPMFTVZM_OTgyOMYhdWGsTNG97xPw1g9I1RP2xjN6WIhvkqA_YNfRG-4NtbZAnlRozcCqvQZ_vpFp9wZ-xuwHTzBOgpV9G0OrfM/s320/Akld-Wgtn+365.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136936901171266306" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYa1uenWq51ORnJqjVvZuORLIfGv5Ou5gfRyHO12zXUE_UF6w0A18wUi6woeaVtAsKlKu5udJo5HYhmhUf3xWUk2FhG5rOaj2Y8XYL54TCgEG3kyrHn4H0A8inZz6R3wDWXUzSahEB/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+376.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYa1uenWq51ORnJqjVvZuORLIfGv5Ou5gfRyHO12zXUE_UF6w0A18wUi6woeaVtAsKlKu5udJo5HYhmhUf3xWUk2FhG5rOaj2Y8XYL54TCgEG3kyrHn4H0A8inZz6R3wDWXUzSahEB/s320/Akld-Wgtn+376.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136936914056168210" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrD-T3P1RZDvvZGCCXRM7ZiAc5sIXMvV0FCKxxXuy9FcwXmzbRN7PATyrRk4Eq4nC22sPLYvN30p_-pcmpcqaTtTx0ELZ6cBTENFFketBhkpe0FxyuAZJrVtqDvvhlXMKg0klNaRZ/s1600-h/Akld-Wgtn+412.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrD-T3P1RZDvvZGCCXRM7ZiAc5sIXMvV0FCKxxXuy9FcwXmzbRN7PATyrRk4Eq4nC22sPLYvN30p_-pcmpcqaTtTx0ELZ6cBTENFFketBhkpe0FxyuAZJrVtqDvvhlXMKg0klNaRZ/s320/Akld-Wgtn+412.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136936926941070114" /></a><br />We've made it halfway! We're in Wellington at the bottom of the North Island hanging out for a few days enjoying the sunshine before starting on the South Island. But, I get ahead of myself, there were five days of walking before we got here.<br /><br />After Levin we headed back into the mountains to the Tararua Ranges. Our first peak was Mt Thompson which we almost didn't make it to due to a little discrepancy on our map. We were heading along a forest track and came to a fork in the stream. Both our paper map and the map on our GPS showed that the trail we wanted was directly opposite this river fork. So we crossed over and when we didn't see anything obvious we started hunting around. About an hour later, feeling scratched up from the bushwacking and very frustrated we decided to head back to the road and walk around. A little ways back down the trail we saw a separate fork that we had missed earlier which turned out to be our intersection. It wasn't the first time our maps have been less than accurate but it's still frustrating. <br /><br />After a few days in canoes then another four walking along the beaches, it'd been a while since we'd had to walk up any hills. We sure made up for it with the walk up to Mt Thompson. It was endlessly steep, and one of the hottest days we've had yet. Sweaty back syndrome was at an all time high. But we were rewarded with amazing views back to the coast where we'd been walking a couple of days earlier.<br /><br />After some more forest and farm sections we were on to the Southern Crossing of the Tararuas. This is one of the most popular routes through the Ranges. It was a fun few days with lots of elevation changes, stunning views (sometimes) and cool mossy trees that made me feel like I was in some kind of enchanted forest. We stayed the first night at Field Hut. I've really built up huge respect for all the pioneers of the tramping tracks around New Zealand. This hut was originally built in 1924, pit sawing the wood on site. It certainly makes our journey much easier with ready-made huts, light gear and an established track. <br /><br />The next day we were heading over the 'tops', a razorback ridge above the treeline where the trail dropped sharply away on both sides. Over the previous few days the weather had been overcast in the morning, with the sun coming out and burning off the clouds by lunchtime. We were expecting some stunning views over to the coastline on both sides of the island so we had a late start to wait for the clouds to disappear. We reached the Kime Hut for lunch and decided to hang out for a bit because it wasn't clear yet. <br /><br />After a long while and lots of snacking the clouds actually started rising back up again so we decided to go for it. We reached Mt Hector, the highest peak, and had a stunning view into nothingness. Just as we were heading off the summit the craziness started. The clouds started moving faster, the wind started whipping and it got a whole lot colder. Even though we didn't get a view, the winds actually made it really fun. I was keeping the boys amused with my drunken looking stumble along the ridge. The winds were so strong you had to lean right into them to stop yourself been blown off the ridge one way, but then you'd reach a calmer spot and almost topple over the other side without the constant resistance of the wind. It was great, although we could see how unprepared trampers could easily get caught out without the right gear. We did get the occasional glimpse out to the eastern coast, and yes, it did look gloriously sunny out there.<br /><br />We came into Wellington along the Hutt River Walkway and even managed to come across the Lower Hutt Christmas Parade. I think that's about as Christmassy as we'll get this year. Who knows where we'll be for the actual day. Probably in the middle of nowhere, treating ourselves to an extra serving of dehydrated vegetables. <br /><br />We're staying with some of my relatives in Lowry Bay. We had our first swim in the North Island at the beach by their house. So far whenever we've been by water the weather hasn't been warm enough to inspire us to jump in. Thank you to the Lynskys for having us to stay. It's always nice to have a place to relax on our days off, and one with such an amazing view of Wellington harbour is even better!<br /><br />It'll be a while before you hear from us again. We have a nine day section between towns at the top of the South Island, our longest yet. Not looking forward to putting on our heaviest pack yet for that one. Lane's leaving us now to head back to the States. Lane, it's been fun. Good luck for the winter and get lots of powder days in for us.<br /><br />Alice<br /><br />Pictures:<br />Alice on the trail up to Mt Thompson and views back to the west coast<br />Dennis on the Southern Crossing trail<br />Kime Hut with the rising clouds<br />The track we followed along the ridges<br />Lane and Dennis, their first New Zealand swimNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-88103259336636961452007-11-19T18:48:00.000+13:002007-11-19T19:12:39.436+13:00No more long walks on the beach<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rHEL0MDoKJYpreeTDBkQUO-vtWknpv6gIWIerGSowa4UxmGQPuBZM7dcr8-eVMRNPsI3ygG7WPwkQ39mhWPjn0P6EcVQbbxydo0fIBRgBaJSHSgBhw7m2sxyVyE8i9hBa5_KeBDr/s1600-h/Picture+001.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rHEL0MDoKJYpreeTDBkQUO-vtWknpv6gIWIerGSowa4UxmGQPuBZM7dcr8-eVMRNPsI3ygG7WPwkQ39mhWPjn0P6EcVQbbxydo0fIBRgBaJSHSgBhw7m2sxyVyE8i9hBa5_KeBDr/s320/Picture+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134430405501960770" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPAXfeuYecHCvpdU9XJeZv5VqVh6fFrc5MAPsqYmPu9-G5prqKLG9TuYQzLTh_joV7NRI4h9K1imEehR-gpOwFoPVmzWDYZYknajowXFQ9IMckS7dQlzsB4SPdWkVyVC-M_QMXATX/s1600-h/Picture+002.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPAXfeuYecHCvpdU9XJeZv5VqVh6fFrc5MAPsqYmPu9-G5prqKLG9TuYQzLTh_joV7NRI4h9K1imEehR-gpOwFoPVmzWDYZYknajowXFQ9IMckS7dQlzsB4SPdWkVyVC-M_QMXATX/s320/Picture+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134430414091895378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOcHA80q4jtSylL2U7qt47zBL1JujEUIXwYHlMulCUsVezMHL_gHqHGfz2ZT-P7Ml0FPOugH8k7gc6I9zhALt2KfBZ-hbrfsib25y3WLztPNtb4N-GMKmtfjGKN-yEojhOPOJiPP5/s1600-h/Picture+003.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOcHA80q4jtSylL2U7qt47zBL1JujEUIXwYHlMulCUsVezMHL_gHqHGfz2ZT-P7Ml0FPOugH8k7gc6I9zhALt2KfBZ-hbrfsib25y3WLztPNtb4N-GMKmtfjGKN-yEojhOPOJiPP5/s320/Picture+003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134430418386862690" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ4JKnReXuZSZBw4uD6slrIz4VUalN1YcEIyzjgQSt8iBUQJ5shlroGEn69lIPkBdG8oh_4Dyq6ZzQD8b3RmxZ2vkZfjc9XGW_Yp2VBDZqBhQ3USrd5KcnNc0Koroi__CxJD4puTs/s1600-h/Picture+004.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ4JKnReXuZSZBw4uD6slrIz4VUalN1YcEIyzjgQSt8iBUQJ5shlroGEn69lIPkBdG8oh_4Dyq6ZzQD8b3RmxZ2vkZfjc9XGW_Yp2VBDZqBhQ3USrd5KcnNc0Koroi__CxJD4puTs/s320/Picture+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134430422681830002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY4KJEYhuvJIvrbjVlIHKMkVo6ZDEMOmDKAGuuC1h3gIUe_RiXbUNUPA4yYCWjBSmC76nvTRAs_kigP2NaCn6nSg2WexgOsCyfLpq5NZ7kzMWRvCx8Qm7oFH5SLG7otOvIc_LgisY/s1600-h/Picture+005.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY4KJEYhuvJIvrbjVlIHKMkVo6ZDEMOmDKAGuuC1h3gIUe_RiXbUNUPA4yYCWjBSmC76nvTRAs_kigP2NaCn6nSg2WexgOsCyfLpq5NZ7kzMWRvCx8Qm7oFH5SLG7otOvIc_LgisY/s320/Picture+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134430426976797314" /></a><br />As Alice alluded to in her last post, it was a touch windy on the final two days of canoeing. Apparently two houses had their roofs blown off in Wanganui. I'm not a wind guy by trade but that's windy. <br /><br />Can't say that I'm joyed to leave the sand. This section was quite nice. It started off in a pumpkin. Literally. There is this park in Wanganui called Kowhai Park which is full of giant concrete fairytale structures. We actually had an interview with the Wanganui Chronicle inside it. <br /><br />We left Wanganui for the beach. The beach walking differed from our really, really long walk on 90 mile beach because it had a few more things along the way for visual stimulation. Yeah it had it's fair share of dunes and waves but also had many people along the way to stop and talk to. I learned about how fishermen use these things called Contiki's to fish for sharks from the beach. They're kind of like mini submarines that take your line out 1-2 kilometres into the sea so you don't have to cast from the shore. Also learned about whitebait and how the locals call it white gold because there's never enough caught to fill the demand.<br /><br />We enjoyed a few really nice days strung together. Hardly any clouds, just sun. Not even any wind which was nice.<br /><br />There was only one difficult part, the river crossings. When Alice and I planned the route we had to go on information that wasn't so up to date. The rivers regularly flood which means they change from season to season. There were three large uncrossable rivers, so big that we would need a boat to get across, or did we?<br /><br />We knew they were coming up so along the way we would ask the fishermen on the beach if they had any local knowledge. Wow, did we get some differing answers. Take the Whangaehu, where it meets the sea its 90m wide at high tide. One guy said "Yeah, the Whangaehu, I know it. I drove my 4WD over it no problem." Another said "Oh no way, it'll be over your head. You'll be swept to sea. One of the strongest currents in the world, it'll take you to Brazil." How do you decide with those two answers? You don't, ask more. We were trying to get a consensus either way, not possible. I don't think there were two answers that were the same, or even similar. To make a long story short, we took a look, decided it was too wide, deep and fast moving to cross. We ended up detouring around, was an extra 25km and an extra day but worth it. We were told the next day that the river was extremely acidic due to the lahar runoff from Mt Ruapehu, "It sustains no life". Maybe that explains all the dead cows we came across on it's banks. Huh.<br /><br />Unfortunately there was no easy way round that one. The next two large rivers were much easier thanks to the help of two boats. Walked up to the Rangitikei river bank, saw a boat, waved frantically, and got a ride from the 'Brown's Bunch'. At the edge of the Manawatu we waved at a few boats and jet skis over the course of an hour or so with no luck. Finally got the attention of a passing boat and jet ski. The guys from the Manawatu Coast Guard came over and gave us a lift across. Thanks so much to both boats for the lift, you have no idea how much it helped us out.<br /><br />Fitting end to the beach: a bonfire, nice sunset and now we're off to the Tararua Range. See you in Wellington.<br /><br />Dennis<br /><br />Pictures:<br />Dennis by Whangaehu Highway Bridge crossing<br />Brown's Bunch<br />Ultra light plane over the beach near the Rangitikei River<br />Manawatu Coast Guard<br />Bonfire on beach at sunsetNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941702150798741867.post-53809391562701179202007-11-15T23:06:00.000+13:002007-11-15T23:32:19.926+13:00On the river<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmR5GeiBkqt8jOSzbiY0hBbWfRIT6TmyI5EnEyiLE6bXSyweEL4HR5pGPF6azdexHRxpEiLNYhEg9vN5g4FFNQbii4o3QbgNYFpzAOSqA3I8PeVQ7Tceic3zo-9WDG3iO8k3qkzAU/s1600-h/hike+285.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmR5GeiBkqt8jOSzbiY0hBbWfRIT6TmyI5EnEyiLE6bXSyweEL4HR5pGPF6azdexHRxpEiLNYhEg9vN5g4FFNQbii4o3QbgNYFpzAOSqA3I8PeVQ7Tceic3zo-9WDG3iO8k3qkzAU/s320/hike+285.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133008578053456290" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO193CkN-2BqUH7nHUxF4P85S3W5tRQKVukGB2GZiVZGDDXAkNHKj0kFBiwc6Whk8NGNe9M9t60VcCuCZqMbECwUXq3PcjpXgClk9zPtajORJB1zse9i-LhsalWiNeO-Sa9wsV89ko/s1600-h/hike+290.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO193CkN-2BqUH7nHUxF4P85S3W5tRQKVukGB2GZiVZGDDXAkNHKj0kFBiwc6Whk8NGNe9M9t60VcCuCZqMbECwUXq3PcjpXgClk9zPtajORJB1zse9i-LhsalWiNeO-Sa9wsV89ko/s320/hike+290.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133008582348423602" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRgcLhlc3_Hsd5f0CAQy4aq9_MBNmlGO9GCXsFbShicZt2tDkPF50lkC1XH_VlepuifJ3cwNaf-HAq_wSiWWGKnf5Yr9m51JkGfy_Jo68IXgJKrGyCgMB7MXTLq6t88R8puVrQLwx/s1600-h/hike+316.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRgcLhlc3_Hsd5f0CAQy4aq9_MBNmlGO9GCXsFbShicZt2tDkPF50lkC1XH_VlepuifJ3cwNaf-HAq_wSiWWGKnf5Yr9m51JkGfy_Jo68IXgJKrGyCgMB7MXTLq6t88R8puVrQLwx/s320/hike+316.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133008599528292802" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqFokySjsC85l4C7STlDPl33-vZ7uJhI-bC02G0pw3OgDme1voq9kWSMFEHIkwos92u94C0CTnQmMkQWYkjdiXJXT4t1_cwjwGHYwrBopRSwQwhnE1hSQwpAzqw1VTmjB87WB4uNG/s1600-h/hike+305.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqFokySjsC85l4C7STlDPl33-vZ7uJhI-bC02G0pw3OgDme1voq9kWSMFEHIkwos92u94C0CTnQmMkQWYkjdiXJXT4t1_cwjwGHYwrBopRSwQwhnE1hSQwpAzqw1VTmjB87WB4uNG/s320/hike+305.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133008608118227410" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAj2zuTyPNy4CKFo7a6PoHVCC8amCBcLBBqpSXH3XmmX7aKnGsSL1PMnqE0nYpY3Fv_Zt9wtHnKr6CDKJYyJxEcU7or76J_lstR9UXF-u_ynRmWlkAS1hG-QCq4keFtTLTMhtSVOC/s1600-h/hike+323.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAj2zuTyPNy4CKFo7a6PoHVCC8amCBcLBBqpSXH3XmmX7aKnGsSL1PMnqE0nYpY3Fv_Zt9wtHnKr6CDKJYyJxEcU7or76J_lstR9UXF-u_ynRmWlkAS1hG-QCq4keFtTLTMhtSVOC/s320/hike+323.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133008616708162018" /></a><br />We thought we'd go for a change of pace for this section. We were coming up to the Wanganui River and our options were walking down the road next to the river for three days, or canoeing the river for three days. The second option sounded much more exciting, and we decided it wasn't cheating because we were still using our own power.<br /><br />We rented canoes from Yeti Tours in Ohakune and along the way picked up a fourth person for the journey. Kelly is a guide for Yeti Tours and hadn't done the lower section of the river yet. It was refreshing to have someone else along, conversation can get a little stale when we're all together 24/7.<br /><br />The first day was great. We'd been warned that the section from Pipiriki to Wanganui was boring and had no rapids. Well, there weren't any rapids but there was decent current, good weather and the scenery was way better than expected - lots of big cliffs, steep hills and small canyons along the way. We cruised 40km and stayed in Downes Hut, a really cool and rarely used hut along the way, made even better by the fact it was painted magenta.<br /><br />That night it rained, and rained, and rained. The next day, the 14th, was my birthday. I had visions of spending the day floating down the river, beer in hand, the sun on my face. It was not to be. We waited out the rain in the hut and left late morning when it finally stopped. The good news was that it didn't rain again. The bad news was that the wind started. Now, this wasn't your typical headwind. This was by the far the strongest wind I have ever experienced on a river. At one point Dennis and I were in the middle of the river, the wind blowing spray into the air, and we were trying to paddle to the side. It wasn't happening. We tried to go one way but the wind was too strong, we tried to go the other way and the wind was even stronger. Eventually we battled our way to the relative shelter of the side. This was way too much like hard work and we were threatened with capsize a few times.<br /><br />It was a good birthday though. We weren't walking on the roads, Dennis had bought me some surprise presents in the morning including some very classy umbrella straws to put in our Tui cans, and we had an amazing dinner of burritos and chocolate brownies at camp that night - oh the joy of not having to carry it on your back. <br /><br />We got started early on the last morning to avoid the wind. It worked well at first, we even had a tailwind for a while! We made the most of it, doing some of the cruising we were hoping for the day before and we came across the coolest swing ever. It was a 15m pole at a 30 degree angle out from the hill for maximum swing over the river edge. You could get some serious height. We started off swinging from the base, but kept uping the stakes, swinging from higher and higher points, eventually jumping from the top of a massive fallen tree - well I didn't go that far but Dennis and Lane did. It was perfectly placed for our mid morning snack. And a welcome break because our last 10km into Wanganui was similar to the day before - fighting the wind, using all our energy just to stop the canoe floating back upstream. But its all fun, and we made it, even if we are a little pink from the windburn.<br /><br />Thanks Kelly for coming along, and thank you also to Gill and Jeff Brock, our hosts here in Wanganui. We'll happily help you move your El Pacas around anytime. <br /><br />Time for bed, till next time,<br />Alice<br /><br />Pictures:<br />Three of us in the canoes<br />Getting fancy with umbrella straws on Alice's birthday<br />Three of us and Kelly with our canoes<br />Dennis on the swing<br />Lane enjoying the swingNZunderfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11676734424255545106noreply@blogger.com0