Over the last couple of weeks I've been traveling along the east coast towards the fiord lands in the far southern end of New Zealand. Spent a few days camping along the beaches and searching for muscles, scallops, and crabs for dinner... sadly we didn't see any sea food for dinner.
The scenery is spectacular, better than in the movies! We stopped along several waterfalls and lookouts along the way, including the "famous" Niagara Falls. Don't go there! It was the biggest disappointment I've had yet. It was just a little ripple in the water, that didn't even resemble Niagara. The worst Tourist trap I've ever been to!
Any who... We stopped along this great spot called Nugget Point where there was a little light house and plenty of wildlife. We got to see the rare yellow eyed penguin as it came in from the ocean, being chased by a seal.... as well as the whole colony of seals. In fact, as we pulled out the binoculars, we were able to identify a strange screeching from one of the animals... it had just given birth to a pup. Isn't that cool? I've got some great photos of the area, just spectacular scenery!
Later we moved on to Invercargill, a sleepy little town that was made into a big movie not too long ago. A guy by the name of Burt Monroe set out from this town back in the mid 30's to set the land speed record at the Nevada salt flats. All based on a true story. Back in this time it was very difficult to travel, and what he was trying to accomplish was a huge feat. Well he made it to the US, and after several trials and a lot of error, he managed to get a classic (even for the time, 1920's model) Indian motorcycle to break the land speed record at 185.5 mph.
I was happy to find an exhibit to dedicated to him, and better yet, the Burt Monroe Challenge, a thrilling motorcycle race happened to be going on the very next day. Well the races had actually been going on for three days, taking place on beaches over motorways, and in a loop through the city. After several crashes, s nice sunburn, and some good photos, I have to say I had a pretty good day.
On a side note, I have to say that you meet people in the strangest ways when you are traveling. While I was trying to take pictures over the large hay bales, my little legs just weren't tall enough, and I hopped on the shoulders of one of the guys who was staying at the hostel. After an exciting race, I set my camera aside and introduced myself to the guy I was sitting on top of. That was Kyle by the way, a Kiwi guy who was astounded to meet an English guy, Scottish Bloke, and American girl randomly traveling together.
After a great time in Invercargill, Will, Blair and I headed towards Te Anu, a great little touristy city at the gateway to the most beautiful region in new zealand, the fiord lands. We managed to get a cheap little hostel right on the lake front (with GREAT views by the way) for like $23 a night ( It had a spa, HOT SHOWERS, a theater, and I got a queen bed too!) Pretty good for the money I'd say. So we decided that being in such a nice area we should do a little backpacking trip.
Now to be honest, I've really only done a one day trip into the mountains, and that was kind of by accident- by that I mean I was prepared, but I really didn't know where the people I was with were going or how long... (8 hours later...) Any who, since Blair was somewhat of a rookie, and I was too (but didn't realize it at the time), we decide three days was a good starting tramp. Well, the excitement piled on, and three days quickly turned into five days. You though I was leading up to some terrible story of the mountains... to be honest the bruise I got from falling at the waterfall (I jumped in the day before) look a lot worse than anything from the trip. I must say again, I was surprisingly more prepared than I thought considering the conditions.
With about 10 blisters on each foot (they were wet a lot) and a couple big rashes on my hips, they matched quite nicely with the purple one on my leg. (I have more now... but I'll have to tell you about that later : ) ) IT WAS ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!!!
We stayed in huts along with way, and got to enjoy a variety of terrain and heavenly scenery. Every single rock in the river was a tealish green, a natural limestone color, and gave the crystal waters a unique baby blue color. Ooo it was so inviting! On our journey we walked to the peaks of several mountains and through the valleys where we could see distant snowy mountain horns pierce through a middle layer of clouds. The valleys were green meadows that rose into rocky mountain peaks, passing through bushy green forest and wrapped around endless waterfalls. Despite a bit of rain, the sun shown often, and warmed the trail with a yellow glow.
A picture can tell a thousand words, though a thousand words could not describe what I saw. In those five days, I traveled across canyons filled with glacial water and monstrous trout, climbed rooty pathways to the saddle of the mountains, then walked above marshy swamps painted with flowers of pinks and purples. Traveling the Greenstone and Caples tracks was one of the most memorable experiences I've had. It was my first long, multiple night tramp. I managed to carry a fully sustainable pack- everything I needed over five days to tramp and live somewhat comfortably. The three of us rustled those bags over rugged terrain and multiple river crossings for well over 60 kilometers. I'm so proud of myself!!! YAY!!!
Needless to say, when we finished the journey we all enjoyed a well needed hot shower, and the biggest best meal of my life!
I'm say to say we parted with Blair partway along the journey, due to time restrictions, and sent him on a ferry to make his way back to the north island. The next two days, I had to keep from looking back to check if he were there .
It's been a such a fantastic time traveling with these guys! So... I'm sure you are tired of reading... you are not caught up just yet! That is a minor outline of what I've done by the way, and I'll out another post about what I've been doing in Queenstown- the Adventure capital!!
