The group reconvened this morning for breakfast at a lovely restaurant in Queenstown called Halo, and we set of in the van about 9:30 towards Wanaka , a charming lakeside town that seems like a smallish Queenstown. We drove over the Cadrona Saddle through the Crown range, and it was so foggy that we wondered if there might even be…
Author: lkcopeland57
Day 16: January 16, Queenstown
A day off today, no van travel and no planned activities. Most of the group went off on their own adventures today; Queenstown is adventure capital of New Zealand and there are so many choices. Here is the birthplace of bungy jumping and commercial jet boating, and other adrenaline-fueled activities. People have been drawn to the area starting with the…
Day 15: January 15, Milford Sound to Queenstown
The night in the Milford Sound Lodge was fine, despite the shared bathrooms and the wind which was howling most of the night. Because this was the only place to stay in the area there were many backpackers and families and some rooms with bunks. The doors opened right to the outside and the so it was it was a…
Day 14: January 14, Lake Manapouri to Milford Sound
Day 14: January 14, Lake Manapouri to Milford Sound What an incredible day. A short drive from the scenic spot of our hotel on the lake brought us to the Kepler Track. There are 9 Great Walks in NZ, and this is one of them, and the only one to be created specifically as a Great Walk. Which simply means…
Day 13: January 13, Mt Cook to Manapouri Updated
Today was the longest of the travel days, but it was beautiful landscape out the window and nicely broken up along the way with a stop in Queenstown for lunch. I’ve been unable to upload my photos for posting in the blog, which is so unfortunate, because this has been the most jaw-dropping scenery I have ever seen… every corner…
Day 12: January 12, Mount Cook–Updated
After an early breakfast, we headed around Lake Pukaki to Mt Cook National Park, for a day hike. Our destination was Mueller Hut, at 6,000 feet, with a stop for lunch at Sealy Tarns (4,260 feet). From that spot we would have a great view of the Huddleston Glacier, Mt Cook and the lakes below. After a stop at the…
Day 11: January 11, Christchurch to Braemar Station
I met up with the tour group from Active Adventures New Zealand at a hotel just about a block from the one that I stayed in. There were a lot of people there, and it all came clear when we realized it was 2 groups — one doing the Rimu trip northbound, and one doing it southbound. I had been…
Day 10: January 10, Wellington to Christchurch
Another travel day, but what a glorious sea- and land-scape to view. The ferry from Wellington is a HUGE boat, holding 800 cars plus people who walk on — we were greeted on deck 7 like we were coming onto a cruise ship. The trip goes across the Cook Straight, which is 22 km across at it’s narrowest point, and…
Day 9: January 9, National Park to Wellington
It dawned a beautiful sunny day, so gorgeous that it was hard to believe that it poured rain in buckets all day yesterday. I had hoped to get a chance for the 2-3 hour Silica Rapids hike this morning, but ran into some difficulty in getting a transport up to Whakapapa Village, where many of the day hikes start from.…
Day 8: January 8, Tongariro National Park, NZ
Tongariro National Park is NZ’s oldest park and the only one with dual World Heritage designation, for the historical and cultural Maorian importance and the volcanic features. It is almost 200,000 acres with three active volcanos, Tongariro, Ruahepu and Ngauruhoe, all between 8,000-9,000 feet. It’s the only place on the North Island with a year round snow cover making for…