NEW ZEALAND April 2018
First day in New Zealand, Saturday April 7
I arrived to Queenstown Saturday at 9 AM after a long duration of travel that had begun Thursday at 5:30 PM in Boise, Idaho. Due to crossing the international date line, Friday just didn't happen. I caught the bus to Queenstown for $10 to the center of town. I had approximately a four block walk to Southern Laughter Backpacker Hostel, where I was able to store my bags in their locked room and request an early check in.
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| Shoreline of Queenstown |
I then proceeded to town to explore. I had a fabulous brunch on the
beachfront at The BathHouse, an eggs Benedict Florentine. Very tasty. Fairly expensive, a trend that I would later realize on this trip.
I explored some more, especially now with some strong coffee, a Café Americano,
in my system waking me and helping with acclimation to the 18 hour time
change. I returned to the hostel after
locating some souvenirs for later purchase. I settled into the double twin
room. I then again returned to town and shopped in art galleries and
explores the Sat market.
Shortly later Krista Bush, who would be my roommate for the next two weeks, arrived and we went to dinner at Pog Mahone's Pub. We both enjoyed a beef burger, fries, and wine. It was a great burger! We then went to Onsen Pools for a tandeki soak and massage. We had the couple’s treatment it turns out. Something I haven’t even experienced with my husband, so here with a new friend, it was giving us a quick introduction to one another. After relaxing with the spa treatment, we returned to the hostel to catch some zzzzzs.
Shortly later Krista Bush, who would be my roommate for the next two weeks, arrived and we went to dinner at Pog Mahone's Pub. We both enjoyed a beef burger, fries, and wine. It was a great burger! We then went to Onsen Pools for a tandeki soak and massage. We had the couple’s treatment it turns out. Something I haven’t even experienced with my husband, so here with a new friend, it was giving us a quick introduction to one another. After relaxing with the spa treatment, we returned to the hostel to catch some zzzzzs.
WWE
Day 1, Sunday April 8
We woke up in our hostel. We walked just across the street for breakfast at Bespoke with another Cafe Americano. After checking out of the hostel, we loaded up our bags – me with my “turtle” method due to a tendency to over-pack - and walked the couple blocks to the station to begin our Wild Women Expeditions adventure.
It was challenging initially to find any other members of our group. We were early for our 9AM meetup, and yet only Krista and I were outside. Wandering inside The Station, I found Raney (Eleanor Self) and Jen Klen (though her official surname is actually much longer). Shortly after introductions, the WWE bus and trailer pulled up with our guides, Holly Adams and Claire Hesselin.
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| Our fancy bus in transit to Te Anau |
Our motel in Te Anau included pleasant accommodations. Dinner was prepared by our guides, and included venison with plum sauce atop mashed potatoes, with green beans, broccoli, and roasted carrots. Dessert was a poached pear with a side of soft cheese. I didn’t realize we would have a gourmet chef. I slept great despite being a bit sore.
WWE Day 2, Monday April 9
We woke an hour before our alarm. Breakfast as a group at 8AM; it included eggs, bacon, and toast. I learned a new breakfast of toast with peanut butter and bacon. Surprisingly, it was pretty good!
Misplaced money belt so I unpacked and repacked a couple times, and finally found it. When we were back on the bus, we were bound for Lake Te Anau. We were bound for a catamaran boat ride across Lake Te Anau. It was very windy you top but the views were impressive. The destination included a glow worm cave tour. I saw the lit tails of the glow worms like the newer white Christmas lights, others saw as green, and others yet see it as purple.
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| Glow Worm Caves map |
We later enjoyed a picnic lunch of sandwiches and peach fizzy drink. As we got on the road again, bound to hike, we were hopefully going to arrive before the weather further deteriorated. Our bus took us to the northern end of the Routeburn (root-burn) Great Walk where we hiked 3 miles and ascended 1,460 feet up to Key Summit, then back to the bus.
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| Key Summit, spur trail from the Routeburn Track near The Divide |
After the hike drove to Milford Sound through the Homer Tunnel, 1,200 meters
long through granite! Arriving at the sound, Mitre peak was
visible. We were able to get some pictures
and then returned down the road to the motel accommodations. The rooms were great; good sized and updated
with a picnic table on the patio with great views of the peaks around.
My dinner included prawns, salad, and orzo, followed by a fruit crumble. Yum! New Zealand is very accommodating of menus, making gluten-free and dairy-free enjoyable for the full vacation.
My dinner included prawns, salad, and orzo, followed by a fruit crumble. Yum! New Zealand is very accommodating of menus, making gluten-free and dairy-free enjoyable for the full vacation.
WWE Day 3, Tuesday April 10
I woke a few times during the night to the wind. After waking up, we learned of the 17mph winds. Breakfast was a buffet with warm oatmeal, toast, fresh fruit, and coffee.
We all loaded the bus and headed out to GO Orange to see if we would be kayaking or cruising....and cruising out into the fiord it was due to the winds. By that time the winds were at 30 knots. From the cruise, the views were spectacular! The boat went nose first into Sterling waterfall; it was epic! In the same area, we also saw one seal laying out on a boulder and numerous dolphins!
We all loaded the bus and headed out to GO Orange to see if we would be kayaking or cruising....and cruising out into the fiord it was due to the winds. By that time the winds were at 30 knots. From the cruise, the views were spectacular! The boat went nose first into Sterling waterfall; it was epic! In the same area, we also saw one seal laying out on a boulder and numerous dolphins!
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| Waterfall up close from the Go Orange boat in Milford Sound |
We made a quick side trip for a coffee to go - though I got a gluten-free
caramel slice and chai tea - then foot back on the road we came down yesterday,
tunnel and all. We had a rainy bus ride
back to Queenstown.
Our next stop was a wayside stop with a nature walk at The Chasm. Back at the parking lot, we saw a kea - the good sized parrot type bird of New Zealand, not the car.
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| Kea |
WWE Day 4, Wednesday April 11 – Krista’s 45th birthday
We met up with our fellow travelers and went to breakfast without guides to Bespoke making for a tasty start to the morning. Then we returned to our hotel to meet up with our guides to walk to the gondola.
We took a quick gondola ride up the hill to access a trail to Ben Lomond. Snow was present right at the start of the hike from overnight snowfall. The trail began uphill quickly. Over 2.5 miles we climbed 1800 ft to the saddle. Along the way we were treated to some fantastic views. We had a great salad at the saddle, after first layering up to adjust to inactivity and the cool temps. After lunch, Holly and Claire treated Krista with a surprise birthday eclair with candle while we sang.
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| Our group along the trail to Ben Lomond |
Report from someone who submitted included waist deep snow at the summit, confirming we really didn't want to summit, eliminating the final 1,500 feet climb. The clouds rolled in and we lost our views, resulting in a decision to get on with hiking down.
Return to the hotel allowed us to clean up and proceed with interviews with
Lindsay. Unfortunately, Lindsay didn’t
have her microphone, so I believe that they were not usable. Then out for a
nice dinner at Ivy and Lola's for Krista’s birthday.
WWE
Day 5, Thursday April 12
We started the day by loading the bus with our gear and then walking to breakfast. It was a great meal, and then only a brief drive to our hike location.
We hiked mount Crichton loop track in a light rain with scattered areas of sunshine. This region was a gold mining area and had a sleuth tunnel as well as to Sam Summer's hut. The hike was about 4 to 5 miles long with 722 feet elevation gain and loss. We did get treated to a double rainbow on our hike.
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| Gold mining region |
We
then loaded up the bus and backtracked to Queenstown and proceeded on to
Arrowtown. My lunch was a fantastic lamb burger! We explored around Arrowtown for an hour
after lunch. I bought a beautiful merino wool infinity scarf. Then it was time
for a longer drive on to Wanaka.
Our room in Wanaka had a great view and just a hop skip and jump from downtown. After cleaning up, Krista and I explored the town, finding some more swag and enjoying a glass of pinot noir. Then we met up for dinner. Mine was a fabulous duck, the best I've ever had! Even though my first time having duck, I would probably feel the same next time.
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| Duck, ooh so good! |
We then relaxed and repacked for the next day’s adventures, and I got to hear
my hubby's voice for the first time on the trip.
WWE
Day 6, Friday April 13
Breakfast at out hotel was followed by an hour of relaxing before loading the bus.
We hiked in the Diamond Lake Conservation Area, taking the Rocky Mountain track to the summit. The distance was 7km and nearly 1,500 feet vertically in fast fashion, up a ton of steps and a few switches, to reach the most magnificent views ever!
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| Summit from Rocky Mountain Track in the Diamond Lake Conservation Area |
We had lunch at the summit.
Before long, it was time to descend and return to Wanaka.
We picked up Raney (her foot issues preventing her from joining us on any of our hikes) and proceeded first to a pullover to see the Wanaka tree, then to the outskirts of town for a wine tasting.
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| Wanaka Tree, and not, this isn't high tide, this is where the tree chose to thrive |
We
sampled a chardonnay, it turned out to be quite good. Next was a 2013 pinot
noir, followed by a 2015. Despite enjoying red wine more than white typically, the best one sampled at this winery was the chardonnay.
We returned to town for gelato, and
near the shop found a cute store that I wished we had time to explore. I did
like the abstract landscapes of Esther Dexter, a local artist in Wanaka, but we
had to get on the road.
We arrived to rustic A-frame cabins in Makarora.
They were cold on
arrival, lots of beds, though only one queen. Mattresses were pretty aged...at
least for the twins and the space heaters slow to respond. The shower
however was hot and fabulous. The
setting of Makarora is limited with these A-frames really the only
accommodation option. They did have a
great group shelter that our group had included, reserved just for us with
kitchen, living room, wood stove, and dining room.
Holly and Claire prepared dinner in the group shelter, beginning with muscles appetizer. Dinner included salad, potatoes, lamb, and fish - gurnard. They even made dessert! Fruit crumble.
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| Cabin 9 in Makarora |
Holly and Claire prepared dinner in the group shelter, beginning with muscles appetizer. Dinner included salad, potatoes, lamb, and fish - gurnard. They even made dessert! Fruit crumble.
WWE Day 7, Saturday April 14
We woke and readied for our packed full day. We started with breakfast a-la-Holly, eggs, bacon, toast, avocado, cereals, coffee and hand and spreads. We then trekked across the street to catch a flight to Siberia with pilot Will. First up were Claire, Jen, and Lindsay.
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| Will takes the first half of our group into Siberia |
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| The best views are those in my memory, just couldn't live behind the camera here |
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| The sun has finally begun to hit our boots to help dry them |
Then we caught the jet boat! It was so much fun!! I was not disappointed by the ride at all. Alec was a great driver of the boat, sliding into a turn, then gunning it. The boat only requires four inches of water to be afloat!
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| Jet Boat ride, a must do on a river in New Zealand! |
WWE
Day 8, Sunday April 15
Woke to a cloudy morning, but the clothes and boots from yesterday were found to be fully dried from being near the space heater all night. We had another great breakfast, this time with toast, croissants, yogurt - even dairy free, hard boiled eggs, and fresh fruit of blueberries and banana.
After vacating our rooms, we loaded the bus for a short Bush walk to the Blue Pools.
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| The Blue Ponds |
They were vivid blue - the color of glaciers - fed from a glacier. A shore nearby was full of rock cairns.
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| My favorite rock cairn from the shore |
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| Suspension bridge |
The hike distance was 2 km round-trip, had two suspension bridges, and impressive forestation along the way.
Napping was unavoidable to many on the bus, 2 hours in to our drive we stopped for lunch at the Wrinkly Ram. They had a great gift shop full of merino wool, a variety of sheep that thrive in the region.
Later, as we arrived into Mt Cook National Park (Aoraki - pronounced ow-rack-ee), we quickly set down our gear, then headed out for a short but steep hike. We climbed approximately 1,400 feet using primarily steps sans railings. We did get plenty wet. Upon mine and Claire’s return to the hotel, we found that Krista and Jen weren't back from the hike, despite leaving the summit first. Claire did found them and Krista got back to the hotel after I had finished my shower.
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| The clouds moved in while hiking in the rain up the Red Tarns Track |
WWE
Day 9, Monday April 16
Pouring rain began the day, with variations from steady rain to downpours. Our group ate breakfast and decided to check out the visitors center and revisit whether or not to hike in the afternoon.
The SWAG shop was great and the visitors’ center was impressive. There were numerous tribute longs to the mountaineer that have perished here. All were young. Lindsay found a location for interviews and we finished those up.
We played some games; banana-grams was a fun game. Then the topic of food came up and Holly and Claire started to make scones.
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| Bananagrams with Jen, Holly, and Claire |
We all had tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch, then made a plan to head out into the weather to hike to Hooker Lake and glacier.
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| Windy stretch along the Hooker Lake Track |
We got rained on, pelted with ice shards, blown about by the strong wind, then some sunshine peaked out and Aoracki appeared through the clouds.
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| Aoraki, aka Mt. Cook |
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| Memorial to Mountaineers who have perished |
Generally a flat hike, 6 miles out and back distance, 3 swinging bridges, and some lengths of boardwalk. The memorial is for all those mountaineers who have perished on Aoraki.
After showering, we had a celebratory drink at the pub, then returned to our place for dinner. We enjoyed salad, lamb sausage, chicken, and potatoes, with a vegan mousse for dessert.
Later Krista, Holly, Claire, and I played a couple games of cribbage!! Claire and Krista won both games though.
WWE
Day 10, Tuesday April 17 – Jen’s 40th birthday
We had our earliest breakfast, at 7:15 AM, consisting of hard boiled eggs, toast, cereals, fruit, and yogurt. We were slightly delayed in getting loaded as Lindsay was making plans to meet up with her new beau from Wanaka, requiring some travel logistics be sorted out. We did load prior to 8:30 AM and got on the road for our commute to Christchurch. Early along, there was a short leg stretching opportunity followed by singing happy birthday to Jen, complete with pop confetti.
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| Our final time loading the trailer with our WWE guides |
We dropped off Lindsay in Tekapo (town with the largest astronomy observatory due to being a preserved dark area) and then did a brief shoreline walk where they had the craziest automated leus. We walked to the small, famous church and a monument of a sheep dog - an ode to the working dog.
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| Church in the far left of the pano and dog statue in far right |
We stopped for lunch in a small town named Geraldine. Great day with the sun shining, we didn't need our jackets and were able to eat outdoors. We got to per the 6 month old Ted the mixed breed pup.
Our
group was then dropped at their respected locations by our amazing guides Claire and Holly, with Krista and I dropped
off at the Kiwi Basecamp hostel on Bealey in Christchurch.
It was a nice, clean, but rowdy hostel that we would be using for the one night. It was a bit of a trek however to get anywhere as Christchurch is not really a pedestrian town. I
downloaded uber and we caught a ride to a shopping center for grocery shopping
and a couple last minute items, such as a deck of cards. We ubered back to the hostel and packed.
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| Claire and Holly! |
After getting prepped for going to Queenstown for the Routeburn Tramp, we met up with Jen to celebrate her 40th at a restaurant. Ubering back to the hostel, we got plenty of whiffs of marijuana and the noise of the ongoing toga party at our hostel. Out came the ear plugs to be able to rise with my 4:15 AM alarm.
Routeburn Day 1, Wednesday April 18
We were awake at 4:15 AM to get ready to fly. The airport in Christchurch extremely casual, with no security checks for domestic flights. Arrived to Queenstown about 8 AM and bussed to city center. We hiked up to the hostel to squirrel away some bags, picked up our permit/tickets for huts - learning that the summit was closed and only able to do a hike in hike out. We modified our hut reservations and learned we would need to have the hut-tender call our ride to coordinate the alternate location and time pick up.
Our shuttle with Glenorchy Journeys arrived promptly for our 11:30 AM loading to go to the trailhead. We got hiking at 1 PM. I forgot my Nalgene in the shuttle, but was fortunate in that the water wouldn’t need to be treated.
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| View from the Routeburn Shelter |
We arrived at the hut, after 4 miles and 700 vertical climb, though the trail did roll a bit making for a bit more of a climb. Overall, it was nice and gentle for today.
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| The Bush along the Routenburn Track |
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| Swing bridge |
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| View from the Routeburn Flats Hut |
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| Routeburn Flats Hut |
We played cards, cribbage and rummy 500. Had some great conversation and
dinner with Karin, Colin, Sarah, and Lauren, while the fire tending young kiwis
got the hut warm. Lights went out at 9 PM due to the limited hours of the operation of electricity as it is all solar powered.
Routeburn
Day 2, Thurs April 19
Woke at 730 to some chatter on the hut; I had a warm night’s sleep and felt well rested. Going outside for the outhouse, I was able to see a great sunrise.
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Sunrise at the Routeburn Flats Hut |
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| Routeburn Falls Hut to the right |
We had lunch, played cribbage and rummy 500, and stoked the fire. It was a couple hours before others began to arrive. We again got to meet up and visit with Karin and Collin from the last hut. Before and after dinner, we played more cards, including learning hearts and roomie (a German version that Karin new).
I slept great. Being the last to retire to the bunk house allowed body heat from the others to warm the room a bit. Crawling into my sleeping bag, I was only cool for about 5 min. I slept well, though did get warm around bathroom break time at 2 AM, resulting in stripping down a bit in my bag.
Routeburn
Day 3, Friday April 20
I slept in until 7:55 AM! I dressed in my sleeping bag and went out to make my chicken noodle soup and my mountain mocha. The communal area was busy and lively. After breakfast, we said goodbye to new friends and got on the track. We left promptly at 9:30 AM.
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| Our return hike had more waterfall action due to the rain and snowmelt |
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| The final swing bridge crossing in New Zealand |
Back at the hostel, it felt great to shower. We were able to get somewhat organized, shop, and have a sub-par dinner at the Prime. The ribeye was full of gristle.
Last Day in Queenstown, Sat April 21
Woke after a good night's sleep, packed, and went to breakfast at The BathHouse. They have the best breakfast and service on Queenstown, hands down.
Shopped to kill time in the shops and as planned at the weekend art faire, I definately found more swag.
Caught the bus to the airport around 1210. This day went on forever, since we crossed the international date line. I visited in Auckland with anther Boisean, Renee Kline, returning from working at the Common Wealth games in Australia.
Arriving in San Francisco for our 7.5 hour
layover, we went through customs, then found a location to store our carry-on
bags of size. Then Renee and I caught
the Bart to the Civic Center. We weren’t
sure how we wanted to go to the wharf, so after visiting with some locals at a
trolley stop, we decided to walk a block to the FORD GOBIKE station. We checked out a couple bikes and headed
towards the wharf.
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| Getting ready to bike San Francisco |
What we didn’t know is how lofty of a plan this
was. We ended up biking for about 1.25
hours, then parking them at a different docking station and calling for an uber from what turned out to be a
sketchy neighborhood. Our uber canceled
us! Luckily, a random cab came by and we
were able to get to the wharf. We were
amazed by the crowds, but it was sunny and it is a tourist destination.
Larry picked me up along with Farely and Daisy! It is good to be home.
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| My kiddos |
What I learned about New Zealander communication:
- Kiwis say "eh" as well as Canadians, though not as frequently
- Kiwis often use a vocal affirmation of listening, one that I had mainly heard Krista Tippet uses during her interviews for her show On Being
- Kiwis say "sweet as" similar to how Minnesotans use "You Betcha"
- Kiwis are swamped by Chinese tourists
- Not all international tourists are following the rules for enjoying New Zealand's National Parks
- Air New Zealand is a fabulous airline!
Female travel beliefs (Boys/men may want to tune out) that have further evolved with my travel:
- My Lena Cup is a must for extended travel where a period may be involved
- Lunette Menstrual Cup Wipes are also an essential for a period on the go
- A cold bottle of water can be of great use during a hot flash on a plane
- I love to travel
- WWE accommodates varied diets, mine being gluten-free and dairy-free
- WWE values protecting the environment
- I enjoy traveling with the same gender as there are common issues and generally less competitive on the trail
- Female guides are awesome
- Having a guided trip gives me the ability to learn about local culture, folk lore, and geological history all while doing the activities of the region
- WWE trips are well rounded adventures with many active options for hiking, my primary passion
.JPG)
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