Li Downunder: September 2010

These past three weeks turned out to be far better than I could have imagined. They were full of adventure, exciting weather, new friends, old friends, and scenery that left me speechless. It seems impossible to relate everything that has happened, but here's a snapshot:

1. I hiked the Heaphy Track over 4 days with two people, Maria from Spain and Juan from Argentina, both who I had never met until the day of the tramp. How did I meet them? Online :) Tramper.co.nz has a great tramping forum to find tramping partners in NZ. Perhaps it was a bit bold, but it turned out to be an incredible experience that I'm pretty sure we were all blessed by. The Heaphy Track is the longest Great Walk in NZ, about 82 km (51 miles), and is located in one of the most remote parts of New Zealand. It begins near Collingwood and ends north of Karamea. I have never started a track in such a remote place. Over the four days, we saw only one person hiking the other direction. The scenery changed with each day and the weather with each hour, from sun to clouds to rain and hail and back again.

We spent our first night out of the bush in Karamea at a funky hostel called Rongo's that hosts the town's only radio station. We even got to talk on the radio station live and join in the Thursday night potluck that brought heaps of food to the table, lots of single middle-aged men, and a Taiwanese family. An experience the still baffles my mind.

2. Maria and I got along well and continued to travel down the West Coast together. We visited Punakaiki, where we saw the famous Pancake Rocks and went on a few day hikes, one that required us to cross a wide river that was a bit deeper than expected. With no one around except a few horses and not wanting to have wet pants and wet boots (they finally dried after being wet for 4 days), we crossed holding our pants in one hand and boots in the other. It wasn't as risque as it sounds. The weather was gorgeous, crystal clear and sunny. Our hostel was right on the beach. We were more than a wee bit happy!

3. In Franz Josef, I ran into American friends who I knew from Christchurch who had a car. They offered to give us a lift to the start of the Copland track. We had planned to hike as far as Welcome Flat. The weather, however, worsened. As we stood there at the carpark for the track with the rain pouring down on us, we read the warnings that many of the streams crossing the track can be impassable and dangerous in heavy rain; we humbly decided that nature had spoken. It wasn't safe to hike this track. Thus, we hopped back in the car with my friends and ended up continuing on with them all the way down to Queenstown. That was probably the single best decision we made the entire time we were traveling. The next day was a beautiful surprise.

4. After a conversation with the DOC and a few short deliberations, we decided to hike part of the Routeburn Track, which begins about an hour away from Queenstown. A famous track and one I've always wanted to do, this seemed like quite a pleasant surprise. The drive to the trailhead was beautiful, with Lake Wakatipu showing itself off, as stunning as usual. We hiked into the Routeburn Falls Hut, which is perched up on a mountainside near a stream. Further on was a gorgeous bowl that we explored until dusk. We went up to Harris Lake, but the track beyond that is unsafe in the winter due to avalanche risk so it becomes an out and back track. That area was one of the most amazing places I have been. It defined beauty. I was in awe. And this is where I turned 26.

5. We had planned to do a night on the Caples Track as well, but couldn't get to the track because of the fords (rivers) in the road and didn't want to risk it with the rental car. Thus, I pulled out my topo map and we found another trail. We headed along Lake Sylvan on the Rockburn Track to the Rockburn Hut. This trail provided a fun challenge, although I think some enjoyed it more than others. Lots of downed trees. Some bushwacking. Swamps and sticky mud, i.e. balancing on logs floating in mud and ending up with wet boots. The destination was a quaint, musty old hut near a river, with beautiful open river beds nearby and of course, beautiful mountains. A little fireplace in the hut and wet wood kept us busy all night trying to stay warm. Special spot. Can't wait to go back!

6. After saying farewell to dear Maria, my roving holiday brought me to Wanaka to visit Corrie and Thom Parks, friends from California. It was lovely seeing them, catching up, and getting a glimpse into their life in Wanaka. Great food, nice walks, and most enjoyable conversations marked my days there. Straight off the bus, we headed to Cinema Paridiso, a very unique and famous movie theater. An array of couches to sit on. Fresh hot cookies at intermission. I think every trip to Wanaka should start like this. Other highlights included getting some cross-country skiing lessons from the patient Corrie at Snow Farm NZ, drinking a Cadrona Ale, hiking up Mt Iron, exploring West Wanaka, hiking part of the Minaret Burn Track, and simply soaking in the beauty of the area. Oh yeah, and Kumara chips! I ate well in Wanaka. Thank you, Parks!

7. My last days in Christchurch have been heaps of fun. Hanging out with my good friend, Claire, and her flatmates, has been wonderful and I even got to go on a nice hike with one of them yesterday. I just might be tempted to stay if they had an extra bedroom.

The past 12 weeks in New Zealand have been SWEET AS. I am thankful. And although it's always hard to leave this country and the Kiwis, I am ready to head home, to see my family and some other special people, to go back to grad school, to enjoy what's left of California's summer.

Cheers!

Sea foam on Heaphy Beach. Looking south just after sunset.