January 19 - February 10, 2023
I've been told New Zealand is a lot like our BC. The moutains and the ocean, yes. But the tropical vegetation and volcanoes, no. We were warned about the ever changable weather, especially in the Alps. Little did we realize what we were in for: their wettest summer on record! We were on the South Island when the flooding of the Auckland airport in the north became global news, four days after we arrived. Not only that, but after we flew home, we missed Cyclone Gabrielle by three days, which was declared a "national state of emergency", only the third in New Zealand's history. Add to that the ferry that broke down two days before we had to cross and the landslide that cut off the beautiful trail to Cathedral Cove the very next day after we hiked it! So we're thankful we got to stick to our loaded itinerary as planned.
Us four ladies made a great team. I had put together the itinerary, Janice reserved all the campsites and tours and was real good at packing all our big backpacks and small suitcases into the small space in the back of our car, Denise and Wendy did all the driving (on the right side) and navigating and I documented & photographed the trip.
We did our trip from south to north, from the remote mountainous regions in the south island to the volcanic hot spots in the north island. From nature and hiking enthusiasts to tourists and sightseeing. From tents to hostels and ending with some luxury wining & dining in the big city where a third of New Zealand's population resides.
It was a full-blown adventure, in more ways than one.
Jan. 19 - 21: Wendy & I flew a total of 14 hours on Air New Zealand, with a stop-over in Los Angeles, arriving in Auckland at 6:00am. The Ibis Budget Hotel hotel was a 10-minute walk from the airport and we could leave our airport cart there. Janice arrived later in the morning.
We took a taxi to the center of the city, to visit the Winter Gardens, established in 1913.
Silver Cockscomb.
Blooming Magnolia tree.
1) The Sweetbay Magnolia blossoms. 2) Flame Lily
1) Rimu tree 2) Totara tree
Fallen but still living.
A ficus tree.
Close to the gardens is the 328m high Sky Tower built in 1997.
And he jumped!!! Notice the three cables that minimize how far he swings.
1) An inquisitive seagull. 2) Montebretia - these grew in abundance along the roadsides.
Jan. 22: Not wanting to spend more money on a taxi, we searched for somewhere to go that would be within walking distance. We ended up walking about 15 km return (mostly on road) to the historical Stone Hedge site. I learned quite quickly how harsh the sun can be, suffering a sunburn to my legs and shoulders. I was glad I threw that long-sleeved cotton blouse in my backpack at the last minute. I ended up wearing it alot.We were quite limited as to how much we could take along for a backpack trip, sightseeing, and walks in all sorts of weather. Everything had to fit into our overnight backpacks except for 7 kg in our carry-on luggage. So I thought I'd buy the sunscreen in New Zealand. After this day, I didn't go anywhere without it. Fortunately the temperatures stayed in the 20s so getting wet wasn't as big a deal.
This Octuatuana settlement was built on volcanic maunga by the people of Waiohua. Pits and lava tubes in this area were used for ancient Maori burial sites. The rock walls that were built on higher ground overlooking the harbour, were used as protection from enemies and also for vegetable gardens that were fed by fresh water springs.
1) African Lily 2) Dates
An advocado orchard.
A seashell beach in Manukau Harbour.
1) Rata 2) Morning Glory 3) Balloon Cotton Bush
The only clothes shopping we did -- without spending money! Wendy & Janice were pretty happy with their shirts that would protect them from the sun.
We met up with Denise at the airport and immediately checked in for the 1 1/2 hour flight to Queenstown. We stayed at the Aspen Hostel that night and did not go back as planned after the backpack trip. The whole place was run down and not all rooms were accessable from a hallway so our room became somewhat of a thoroughfare for the ladies in the next room to get to the kitchen.
Jan. 23 - 26: The Routeburn trek + Milford Sound. Check in my other blog on Trekking in New Zealand
The night of the 26th we stayed in Eglinton Valley at Knobs Flat campsite. There we could do our laundry, dry our tents out in the sun and prepare dinner. Denise had fallen and injured her hip a few weeks before the trip. So carrying an overnight backpack was not an option for her. Her plan was to buy groceries for dinner for when we returned from our backpack trip, and go on a helicopter ride. The latter never happened because she ended up getting sick with a nasty flu that left her sleeping all day. Thankfully that was the last of her misshaps and she was able to join us on all outings for the remainder of the trip.
After four consecutive days of hiking, we were glad to have a nice hostel in the heart of Queenstown: the Absolute Hostel. I ate mostly prepackaged salads with a tin of beans for dinner.
We needed to dry our tents that were still wet from dew the night before. In this small town with umpteen outdoor clothing and gear stores, this didn't look out of place at all.
It took a few days to get into the rhythm of unpacking, packing, remembering what items you put into which pockets, buying groceries and charging phones & batteries. I learned to stock up on food and use the restrooms when available.
Jan. 27: This was a full day of driving, about 8 hours. First to the coast east of Queenstown and then northwest to Mt. Aoraki / Mt. Cook National Park.
The Moeraki Boulders on Koekohe beach. Why are they so round?
Scientists have often wondered why these hardened masses of carbonate formed around dead organisms, with round shapes and sharp boundaries with the surrounding material, typically in marine mud and mudstone. Contrary to former belief, its now recognized that the balls form fast, in under two years.
These Elephant Rocks were used as a filming location for the first Chronicles of Narnia movie in 2005.
This limetone was first exposed in large unbroken sheets by tectonic proccesses. Erosion by wind, rain and ice left behind these isolated "elephants".
The Clay Cliffs.
Box canyons, towers & pinnacles are the result of a sequence of weak sedimentary deposits. The grey and white sandstone & siltstone were formed in an ancient lake that once existed here and the yellow & brown gravel conglomerate with silt layers were deposited by an ancient river.
A viewpoint off of the road with Mt. Cook (3724m) being the highest peak.
Lake Pukak along Hwy. 80.
We stayed at the Hermitage Hotel for two nights (lower left). Mt. Sefton (3151m).
Did a quick grunt up to Tasman Lake to catch the sunset.
Mt. Sefton & Mt. Cook. A large monument of Sir Edmund Hillary stands infront of the Hertmitage Hotel. On May 29, 1953 he became the first mountaineer to summit Mt. Everest. He trained on Mt. Cook.
Jan. 28: We hiked up to the Mueller Hut. (in my other blog).
Jan. 29: With a forecast of rain for the next days, we decided to attempt Avalanche Peak a day earlier.
So we drove four hours to Aurthor Pass where we stayed two nights at the Aurthor Pass Motel. We started hiking at 3:00pm. (in my other blog).
Jan. 30: We were now to embark on a different phase in our journey. With all but one of the hikes behind us and a change in the forecast from sun & cloud to rain & cloud, we headed for the west coast, as planned. This weather stuck around for the next eight days, off & on. We were thankful to have missed the flooding in the north part of the north island. It had rained 245mm in one day! In less than one hour on the 27th, Auckland got more than its monthly record of rain. It was not only Auckland's wettest month on record, but also it's wettest January on record.
Rata vines covered tree trunks. How fitting to have rain during our rain forest walk through the Hokitika Gorge. Normally the river is a vivid turquoise color but because of the heavy rainfall and rushing churning water, it was a murky dull grey.
The track (trail) took us through a mature podocarp and hardwood forest.
The Alpine Fault lies about 200 km beneath New Zealand. It's where the Australian & Pacific plates meet. This is what created the Southern Alps and what causes the earthquakes and landslides. It pushes up the Southern Alps by 10-20mm annually.
The wettest place in New Zealand is west of the Southern Alps and 10km north from this gorge, by the Cropp River where they get an average of 12m of rain a year.
Black Tree Ferns provided a canopy.
Rimu.
Flaxlily.
We had to drive all the way up and then down the west coast, doing a narrow 3 1/2-hour horseshoe to get to these two glaciers. Clouds abscured the view and we didn't have time to leave the path and get closer to the glacier.
The 15-minute walk to this viewpoint got us 3000m from the toe of the Franz Josef Glacier.
The Fox Glacer walk was a 45 minute return walk.
1) Spotted Felt Lichen 2) Ochre Bracket
This viewpoint got us to within 2600m of the Fox Glacier.
We spent the night in the Franz Glacier Village hotel. This day we had driven a total of 3 1/2 hours.
Jan. 31: We now drove north along the west coast and checked out this driftwood competition in Hokitika.
This kiwi got first prize from the public.
Motukiekie beach walk to sea stacks.
Boulders made up of stones and home to clams.
An Oyster Catcher started diving towards Janice's head. She got too close to it's nest.
Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki.
When the tide is high, this blow-hole comes to life.
A Weka.
The Truma track.
Kiekie finding a home on the tree's trunk.
The Ballroom.
Limestone carved by the sea.
This was our smallest hut for four, at the Kaikoura Beach holiday park where we stayed two nights. . Because of the wet weather, we upgraded to this tiny cubicle, as ended up happening for the remainder of the trip. Most of the campsites offered this option for only $20.00 or so more. They were much like a hostel where there were communal kitchens and bathrooms.
Ahhh. The Cecadias! For a small bug, they made a big noise! It was worst at this location. We had to keep our window closed at night which wasn't very nice when our hut was so warm. They can sound like electrical wires that are short-circuiting. This day we had driven a total of 3 hours.
Feb. 1: Foulwind, so named by James Cook in March 1770, is a 2-hour coastal walk.
A Fur seal colony in Tauranga Bay.
There were two pups trying to scramble up to their parents (right).