Tramping in NZ

It has been over a week since our last shower, but in many ways we've been spoiled over the last week. We've just spent seven nights in the "backcountry" of New Zealand's Fiordland and Mt. Aspiring National Parks. By backcountry, I mean we carried our own supplies, but we were by no means roughing it. The major treks in New Zealand are connected by a first-rate network of huts, which on the "great walks" include bunk beds with mattresses, indoor hangout space with a fireplace, stoves for cooking, running water, and flush toilets. As far as backpacking trips go, we were living large.

We began our tramping in New Zealand with the Milford Track, which is a highly popular, world-renowned trek. It's so popular in fact, that we had to book this last July to secure a place. The area is gorgeous, with high mountain peaks and U-shaped glacier carved valleys. The trip began with a boat cruise on Lake Te Anau to the trailhead, a trip which which in itself was amazing. Imagine being on a enormous lake surrounded by peaks that shoot stright up out of the water. The scene was made even more dramatic by the misty clouds that settled between the mountains. And after a few days of camping in the rain, we were grateful for a sunny day. We learned that the area gets around 9 METERS!!! of rain per year, as it sits just inland from the Tasman Sea, so we felt lucky to see the sun at all.

The hike was gentle, and the three-mile first day was short and easy. At the first hut, we met the ranger, Peter Jackson (not the film director) who did a great job of teaching us all about the natural history of the area. We loved it, and learned that New Zealand has a fragile environment, similar to any isolated island. It evolved in the absence of land mammals (except for a few bats), so there weren't any big predators. The island was a bird haven, and birds grew to be huge. One bird called the moa grew to be three meters tall (!), and many other birds like the kiwi lost their ability to fly. This was great until people brought new animals to New Zealand. Many of the bird species have suffered from predators like stoats (weasels), rats, and possums. It seems that one of the biggest conservation efforts in New Zealand is to eradicate these animals. Luckily, some birds are still doing okay, including the kea (shown in photo), which is the only alpine parrot in the world. They are also one of the smartest birds in the world, but can be very naughty if you give them the chance to get into your things. Peter also did a night hike with us, where a group of people walked the trail without lights. We saw glow worms and ended the evening with star viewing. The stars were incredible, far from any city and light pollution. Drew and I were excited to once again see the Southern Cross, and the night sky in the southern hemisphere.

We were lucky to have great weather during our whole Milford trek, and only had a few minutes of rain the whole time! We hiked over one pass and the views were magnificent, with beautiful razor sharp peaks. We also passed many gorgeous waterfalls, and crystal clear rivers. Sutherland Falls is the highest in all of New Zealand - over 500 meters high. The water is so clean, that you can drink straight out of the rivers without filtering. The rivers were also a great place to clean ourselves off after a long day of walking. The whole trek was about 32 miles long, which we walked in four days.

Between treks, we had one night in Milford Sound, where we stayed in a lodge and got to shower and sleep in real beds, then we were off the do the Routeburn Track. For all the good weather we had on the Milford, we had our fair share of rain for the Routeburn. We began on a rainy day, which didn't cease for the rest of the evening. It reminded me of the Pacific Northwest, and once you resign to being wet, it is actually quite beautiful in the rain. The forests were dripping wet, full of ferns and moss-covered trees. It also makes you appreciate the warm, dry huts, once you get there.

The next day was socked in as well, but the rain slowed. We hiked through a forest that reminded us of "The Lord of the Rings" movies, and then hiked up onto a ridge. It was nice, even though we only got glimpses of the mountain views across the valley. The clouds swirled around us, and at times a window of sun would dance across the mountains. As we descended down into the next valley, the weather began to clear, and we made our way to the most beautiful hut for the night, next to a huge waterfall with expansive views of the surrounding peaks. Our last day was sunny and beautiful and the drive out of the hike was as stunning as anything we've ever seen.

Now we're back in civilization, spent a night near Queenstown, which is the "adventure capital of the world." We treated ourselves to huge Fergburgers (thanks for the tip, Sheena!) after too many freeze dried meals, and spent the night camping. We hiked up Queenstown Hill the next day and got great views over the area. Now we're in a small town called Wanaka, which is just another gorgeous place in New Zealand, on a lake surrounded by more mountains. We're planning on spending the next week around this area, relaxing and settling in a bit. Today, we're even going to take showers!

View from Queenstown Hill

Erin