New Zealand South Island

Hi folks, we find ourselves leaving Australia in about a week and frantically catching up on the blog, here is New Zealand South Island all in one go!

October 18th, Day 10, New Zealand

Picked up our new rental car - I chose a RAV4 this time out of fear that we might want 4WD on the South Island, so our car rental fees were almost doubled here and the weather was better than it was on North Island, oh well. The plan was a 4 hour drive to Punakaiki, a little town on the west coast where we were staying for the night. It took us 7 hours, but it was a blast despite the terrible road conditions. We stopped in a couple little towns and walked around, getting coffee. The scenery was breathtaking with mountains and rivers all around. Once we got to the coast we saw a sign for fur seals so drove up to check it out. It was a park with a short walk to a platform where you had a close view of a plump (aka group of seals on land) of New Zealand fur seals! It was one of the best animal encounters I’ve ever had, we stood and watched them interacting with each other so clearly. You could see the males trying to establish dominance, cubs playing together, it was beautiful. Eventually we had to leave and get to our hostel where we had a tiny tent in the woods with a clear roof designed for star-gazing. Of course it was cloudy when we were there but still fun. We went to the beach in the afternoon and found lots of sea life and little fish, plus fossils in the cliff rocks. After dinner we went on a night walk to search for kiwis and penguins but got skunked. This was also the place where I watched in horror as a fellow hostel guest made a lovely chicken dinner, then washed everything with cold water and a towel - she cleaned utensils contaminated with raw chicken without soap! We now wash all dishes prior to using them as if they are covered in E.coli and salmonella. Total expenses: $123.14 (car, hostel, coffee)

October 19th, Day 11, New Zealand

Started off with a drive to Pancake Rocks - a geological formation of layered limestone deposits along the ocean that are stunning, another place I wish we had more time to spend. The goal of the day was Arthur’s Pass, a location made famous by David Attenborough clip on the kea, a remarkable parrot that lives in the New Zealand mountains. One of the smartest birds in the world, it is known to get into packages, open sealed containers, even break into cars. The minute we arrived in Arthur’s Pass we saw several keas, many trying to get food from people eating lunch. We saw one land on the roof of a car, then slide down the windshield, then do it again, apparently just for fun! Arthur’s Pass is very small, with 2 restaurants (one closed after lunch), a couple of accommodations, and a public restroom. Not sure why so few people come to Arthur’s Pass, it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We checked into our hostel and decided to go for a little hike. It ended up being one of the toughest hikes we’ve ever done - we gained almost 4,000 feet in less than 2 miles, pulling on roots and rocks to climb the trail. The top was stunning with spectacular mountain views, and of course, a kea. We couldn’t finish the trail due to snow so headed back down. Had dinner at the restaurant which was better than I expected, then I went for a walk on another nature trail. Total expenditures: $217.90 (car rental, hostel, dinner, coffees)

Oct 18-19, In this video: Stargazer - our tight quarters, beach life, Weka, Fur Seals, Silvereye, South Island Oystercatcher, Pancake Rocks, Kea!

October 20th, Day 12, New Zealand

Went for a morning hike in Arthur’s Pass to get one last look at a kea before heading out. Drove 3.5 hours to Lake Tekapo, both of us sore from the previous days’ hike. Went on an 8 mile hike up Mt. John just outside of town, past an observatory crowded with tourists. Lake Tekapo is known for star gazing as it is relatively dark for a town of its size. As people who hike in the mountains, it didn’t seem that dark to us, but the lake, mountains and farmland were lovely.  Total expenditures: $231.26 (car rental, hostel, gas, grocery)

October 21st, Day 13, New Zealand

Got an early start to hike the 6 mile Hooker Valley Trail near Mt Cook, which is known to get very crowded, so an early start is vital if you want to avoid crowds. We got there at 7:45 am and there were already quite a few people there. The hike was stunning, Mt. Cook stood majestically over most of the trail surrounded by Southern Alps. We saw a New Zealand falcon sitting next to a bridge, a beautiful bird. By the time we got back to our car, the massive parking lot was full, I can't imagine how it is in peak season. We then drove down to Queenstown, known as the adventure capital of the world. This town was brought to fame when President Clinton visited in 1999 and reported it was one of the most beautiful places he’d ever been, or so we were told by several Kiwi’s who blame that report on Queenstown becoming over-crowded and over-priced. We checked in to our AirBnB and drove into town (through what we learned is nearly constant traffic) to take a walk. After driving around in circles for a while, we finally found free parking and walked around Lake Wakatipu and ventured into town. Their downtown is similar to a shopping mall but with more camping stores and packed with people. Went to the grocery store and it was packed too. I can see why locals are saddened by the changes related to the town’s rapid growth.  Total expenditures: $307.46 (car rental, lodging, gas, groceries, hiking supplies)

Hooker Valley Track

October 22nd, Day 14, New Zealand

Drove out to Glenorchy, a little town just north of Queenstown, to walk on a trail through the marshes and go birding. The area is known to be a birding hotspot but apparently we picked the wrong day as we hardly saw any. We did encounter several groups of tourists, along the narrow boardwalk paths, not quite the experience we’d been hoping to have. Drove back towards Queenstown and stopped at Bob’s Cove to go for a walk along the shore. Koji was feeling tired so I walked the 8 mile trail while Koji rested in the sunshine - it was first warm day of the trip. I saw lots of birds here including the Australasian grebe, far more birds than we saw on the birding trail. The trail was beautiful and relatively empty once I got past the trailhead, and Koji enjoyed relaxing in the sun.

Total expenditures: $243.41 (car rental, lodging, gas, groceries)

October 23rd, Day 15, New Zealand

Drove down to Bluff to catch the Stewart Island Ferry, the southernmost point of New Zealand. It was windy and rainy so the ferry ride was pretty bumpy and we couldn’t see much. At Stewart Island we checked into our hostel and asked the young woman behind the counter for ideas on what to do. She suggested taking the water taxi to Ulva Island. We dropped off our gear and dashed to the water taxi office to see if it was still running in this weather. It was and we got a spot on the next taxi, yay! Ulva Island ended up being one of our favorite places in New Zealand - it’s a predator free island with massive old growth trees, a variety of ferns, and lots of birds. We only had 4 hours to spend on the island but it’s pretty small and the trails are limited so we easily saw all that was accessible in that timeframe. We saw a weka family, kakas, yellowheads, South Island robins, bell birds, saddlebacks and more. Took the water taxi back to Stewart and got to work drying things out as much as possible - the rain never stopped. After dinner we went on a hunt for kiwis and penguins as this is known to be one of the best places to see them both. After hours of traipsing through town in the dark, we finally found penguins. They were tucked away and making noises that sounded like mating was likely, so we let them be. We walked back towards our hostel and close to midnight we met a couple of young women, clearly drunk and staggering. They walked over to us asking if we’d seen a kiwi. We said we hadn’t so they excitedly showed us the video of the kiwis they just saw right outside our hostel, the place we started. After breaking free from the young women (they really wanted to keep chatting) we went to the hostel to look for kiwis but again were skunked. Apparently kiwis don’t like sober people. Total expenditures: $378.45 (car rental, parking, lodging, gas, Stewart ferry, Ulva water taxi)

Ulva Island

October 24th, Day 16, New Zealand, Raikura Track

Woke up after a fitful night sleep due to the constant sound of pouring rain. Packed up our damp clothes and went out for a fantastic breakfast with sweeping views of the harbor under torrential rain. After fighting the strong desire to cancel, we set out on the Raikura Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks, a 20 mile loop hike done over 3 days and known to be extremely muddy. It was the first of our 7 backpacking trips done nearly back to back so I didn’t want to break the streak before it even started, but going out in that heavy rain was really tough. The hike started out along an old road in gnarled second growth forest, continued to a trail where the mud started to appear. We reached the hut by 2:20 and set about getting things to dry. Found out that our packs weren’t waterproof as we had thought, everything was wet including our sleeping bags. Koji got a fire going, we made tea and watched the rain, it was heavenly - I love hut-hiking! We were joined by a Frenchman, an osteopath from Reunion, followed by 2 young women from Brazil living in New Zealand for a year, a lovely little group of people. We had planned to search for kiwis here but the rain and the fire convinced us to stay inside. Total expenditures: $189.93 (car rental, parking, Raikura track fees, breakfast)

October 25th, Day 17, New Zealand, Raikura Track

After a leisurely morning we headed out on the trail and the rain actually stopped! The trail was much prettier here and we even heard birds for the first time on the trail, when the mud started. It was mud like I’ve never seen before, I was worried about getting stuck. The mud pulled off one of my shoes at one point, where I learned how hard it is to put your shoe on while balancing one foot on a rock surrounded by mud. It was mid-mud trail that we met a woman who appeared to be in her 70’s doing the trail in one day - quite inspiring! She just ran through the mud without seeming to notice while we worked hard to avoid the worst parts by clinging to vines and trees. We finally reached the hut, much larger than the other one, located on the beach in a picturesque bay. Soon people started arriving, including a large family who came in for the night from Invercargill. The teenagers in the family were fascinated with our lack of TikTok trend knowledge, and did their best to educate us in an area without any cell service. We don’t remember much except for their obsession with Crumble Cookies. Went out to search for kiwis that night but were once again skunked. Total expenditures: $160.70 (car rental, parking, Raikura track fees)

October 26th, Day 18, New Zealand

Got an early start to the day hoping to see kiwis which we heard but never saw. The weather was clear but windy and icy cold as we walked along some of the most beautiful, empty beaches I’ve ever seen. Got back to the town of Oban and sat in a cafe working on travel details and catching up on emails. Caught the ferry back to the mainland on one of the rockiest rides I’ve ever been on, the front 6 rows were blocked off due as they are the most common spots for seasickness, while a couple passengers gracefully dealt their illness outside in the back. Got back to our car and drove straight back to the Queenstown youth hostel we had booked. Total expenditures: $377.94 (car rental, parking, ferry, lunch, groceries, hostel)

October 27th, Day 19, New Zealand

Started our day trying to figure out our next trip, the Milford Track. This trail is often called the most beautiful in the world, and getting a reservation was very difficult, and required a separate reservation with a private company for transport. We had been getting emails from the parks department saying that they were considering canceling our trip due to avalanche risk and the lack of bridges. We had the first reservation of the year and they remove bridges every winter and replace them every spring, but this year the weather was too difficult to finish the job, and 2 bridges remained out. We called the parks folks and spoke to an optimistic employee who thought our chances of doing the track were good, but said that since it was a Great Walk, they have “Great Walk standards” and they would not allow us to walk on the trail if it wasn’t up to those standards. This felt a little strange to hear since Raikura was also a Great Walk and it was one of the worst designed trails we’ve ever been on. We realized that coming from Washington State where we have an amazing volunteer based trail maintenance organization (Washington Trails Association), we have a very skewed view of trails. The Great Walk standards appear to be way below Washington Trail standards. Not a complaint, it’s just helpful to adjust expectations. So we knew that either the trail would be closed, or it would be open but require an expensive helicopter ride (my hope), or it would just be open like normal. We dropped off the car, went shopping for supplies including the most expensive pack covers I’ve ever seen, and walked along the river before packing up for the trip. Total expenditures: $467.18 (car rental, hostel, hiking supplies, gas, groceries)

October 28th, Day 20, New Zealand

Got up early to catch the bus to Te Anau where the Milford Track transportation would meet us the next day. Had an amazing bus driver who introduced himself as a member of the FBI (Fijian Born Indian) and gave us great commentary along the route. Arrived in Te Anau with time to explore the town after dropping off our bags at the hostel. Checked in with the parks folks who told us the trail was probably open, but 2 bridges were still down and if it does open, we’d have to be prepared to ford the creeks which were likely full after recent rains. They did assure us that the avalanche risk was down due to the excessive rains washing much of the unstable snow away, so the helicopter was unlikely, they were trying to work out if the river crossings were safe enough to allow hikers. Walked through the local bird sanctuary (it was tiny with few birds) and through the town. Found a store requesting to have people to help knit a scarf so I sat down to knit and chatted with the owner. She was a native Kiwi who had spent over a decade living in the Alaskan bush off-grid, who told us we wouldn’t find a more authentically Kiwi town than Te Anau. We walked around the lake shore enjoying the views, it was a beautiful setting. Had dinner of local venison which was better than any game meat I’ve ever had.  Total expenditures: $199.17 (bus ride, hostel, coffees, dinner)

October 29th, Day 21, New Zealand

Started out the day in the ranger station to make sure the hike was still on and it was! Plus they repaired one of the bridges so we only had to ford one creek, yay! I managed to lose my gloves and had to run into town and buy a new pair, ugh. Met some of the other hikers and rode a bus to Te Anau Downs where we caught a small boat to take to the trailhead. The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny, making the boat ride spectacular. Started the hike to Clinton Hut, a short 3.1 mile trail through mossy rainforest. Saw a whio/blue duck family with 3 babies on the way. After getting settled at the hut we went for a nature walk, saw glow worms after dark which were super cool! The hut was really nice, the mattresses were comfortable and there was plenty of room to relax. Met some of the other travelers including couples from Toronto, Texas, and England, a family from Australia, a couple of Irish gals, solo travelers from China, Australia, the US, Israel, Turkey and Great Britain. Don’t recall meeting anyone from New Zealand on the trail but it was fun meeting people from so many places. Total expenditures: $355.77 (Milford track reservation & transport, gloves, coffee)

October 30th, Day 22, New Zealand

Got an early start to the day in hopes of seeing kiwis on the trail (we never saw one). The trail continued through a beautiful rainforest along a river, a flat easy trail in the sunshine, very pleasant. We finally hit the place where they reported the bridge was down and it was dry - just a quick rock-hop, easier than some parts of the trail we had already been through. We reached Mintaro Hut after walking about 11 miles. The hut was brand new, workers were there checking the electrical, it was really beautiful. The weather was starting to turn, we knew things were expected to get wet the next few days and I really wanted to see the pass. Koji stayed near the hut, birding at a nearby lake, while I climbed up to McKinnon Pass. It was buried in clouds by the time I got there and pouring down rain, our good weather was over. There was a hut at the top where I went to take a quick break before heading back down. I met a young Israeli man there who was on his way back down but waited for me - I’m pretty sure he was worried about me hiking alone. We walked down the steep trail in the rain. Got to the hut and set about drying the gear as much as possible before getting it wet the next day. We were told not to leave before 8:00 am the next day to give the ranger time to check for reports of flooding on the trail; I guess the rain can be dangerous here. Total expenditures: $275.30 (Milford Track reservation, Milford transport)

October 31st, Day 23, New Zealand

Woke up very early, 2:00 am, due to a fire alarm going off by mistake. We huddled under an awning, none of us going to the designated area due to the pouring rain and the low probability of the alarm being for an actual fire. After breakfast and getting the OK from the ranger that the flooding wasn’t dangerous, we headed up to McKinnon Pass. It was still too cloudy for a view, even colder than yesterday with pelting rain. We did see a couple of avalanches in the distance which was pretty cool, although the clouds blocked most of the view. Going down from McKinnon Pass was surprisingly difficult - the temperature dropped, the wind and rain picked up, and the trail was very steep and rocky. Fortunately this part didn’t last long and we were soon on the “emergency” route due to avalanche risk, which was overgrown but much less steep and windy. This turned to multiple staircases along the creek which was great, until that ended and the trail turned to just steep and rocky and very wet. Stopped at Sutherland Falls, the tallest waterfall in New Zealand, which was beautiful, even in the rain. Made it to Dumpling Hut after just over 10 miles by early afternoon pretty exhausted from the weather. Dumpling is the oldest hut, very rustic but comfortable and warm. Total expenditures: $275.30 (Milford Track reservation, Milford transport)

November 1st, Day 24, New Zealand

Today was all about timing - we had to walk out to the end today, down a 12 mile trail reported to be flat or downhill, and meet our water taxi at noon. We didn’t want to get there too early as sitting in wet clothes is not fun. They told us it took people 5-6 hours on average so we headed out planning for 5 hours, it took us 4 and a half hours due to our fear of missing the boat causing us to really rush. The rain remained heavy and the trail was rough, felt like walking through a creek over multiple trees, this area had clearly not been cleared this season. Made it to the shelter at Sandfly Point and caught the water taxi to the Milford Sound cruise terminal. The sky was beginning to clear a bit giving us spectacular views. We had booked a cruise up Milford Sound and actually had views the whole time. The cruise is known for spotting dolphins and penguins but we saw neither unfortunately. Caught the bus back to Queenstown, about a 5 hour drive, arriving at 9:00 at night. We were leaving the next day so had to do laundry, didn’t get to bed until midnight, long day! Total expenditures: $240.97 (Milford transport, hostel, food)

November 2nd, Day 25, New Zealand

Woke up early to get everything packed for our flight to Australia. Most things, including our shoes, were still wet despite being in a warm room all night. Went out for breakfast to Ferg Burger after hearing about them on the trail from several of our fellow hikers. Probably the best burger I’ve ever had, now I understand why there’s always a line out the door at this place. I found some more possum yarn (their fur is harvested in New Zealand, they’re protected in Australia) and we got an Uber to the airport where we walked onto the little plane without any security whatsoever. I guess flights within the country don’t require security? We transferred in Christchurch and flew to Melbourne where we took an Uber straight to Geelong to catch the ferry to Tasmania. We got a room on the ferry as the trip went from roughly 8:00 pm-8:00 am and we figured we would appreciate the sleep. The ferry was even bigger than the one we took in New Zealand and felt very luxurious after so many days of camping. 

Total expenditures: $531.46 (yarn, breakfast, lunch, Uber, snacks, coffees, ferry)