Day 75: Wanna Go to Wanaka?

The moment we entered this part of the South Island I knew that this area just might be my favorite. With its vast lakes, rolling hills and mountains, and incredible winding roads through some of the most beautiful valleys I have seen. Aside from the weather being rather chilly, we were fortunate to move on to Wanaka during Autumn and it was stunning. We spent a week in the area, living at a camp site in Albert Town about 10 minutes from Wanaka. We did a lot whole and a whole lot of nothing. Wanaka town reminded me very much of Canmore. Maybe why I loved it so much here. It is a lovely town, very dependent on the tourism industry, but absolutely gorgeous with plenty of activities and outdoor fun to be had. Wanaka is also famous for its unique movie theater, or so we were told by every one we met along our way down south. It truly was the most unique movie viewing experience I have ever had. There are two screening rooms in this theater, both filled with couches, some old plane seats and even an old car to make for a very comfortable time. The theater also has an intermission in all their movies where they serve homemade ice cream and cookies. Could it get any better than that? Unlikely. They definitely make you want to come back for more.

 

Taking advantage of our surroundings we went for a lovely stroll along the Clutha river, enjoying the absolutely stunning views. After a few hours of walking we decided to head in the direction of the main road as we were soon going to run out of daylight. We successfully found ourselves a ride back into Wanaka, where we picked up some supplies for dinner and then found ourselves another ride back to the campsite. (Don't worry Mom, she was a lovely old lady who made sure we had enough warm blankets, clothes and ensured we were taking care of ourselves).

It had been a while since I did any proper hiking so one day I decided to conquer Roy's Peak. Roy's Peak, a 16 km return track, with a 1,578 m summit that gives you a beautiful panoramic view of Lake Wanaka and the surrounding areas. As I started walking up the path, though sheep paddocks, I was not sure I would make it up this mountain. It was an arduous, steep climb with paths that never leveled out or went down hill. I fortunately met a kind girl from the UK and we pushed each other to make it to the top. By time I reached the summit my body very thankful for some flat ground to sit down on to enjoy the view. And the views were worth every step up this mountain. 

Sadly, we had to move on from one of my favorite areas in New Zealand after just over a week of enjoying the lovely town and becoming very attached to it. The drive further south proved to be worth moving on to. Cardona Pass connects Wanaka with Queenstown and my goodness gracious, it was spectacular. The surroundings were a serious distraction while driving. Everything was just sooo gorgeous. Unfortunately there were only a few opportunities to stop and photograph the incredible views of the pass but I will forever vividly remember it in my mind. 

Day 64: Copland Track

The story behind this drawing began with me tripping and nearly falling face first in the water/mud while hiking the Copland Track. My clever friend said, without pause, after this near disaster and said "Did you bring your snorkel and goggles?" because if I did fall I likely would have drowned without them. Maybe too much of an inside joke but I laughed so hard I nearly peed. One of us was rather frustrated with the conditions of the trail at this point.

Having been told by some Israeli travelers we met in Taupo about how amazing the Copland Track in the Tai Poutini National Park was, with its hot pool and beautiful views, it was an obvious "must do that" when we are in the glacier area, It was an anticipated part of our journey around the South Island. We made plans to spend two nights at the Welcome Hut, an 18 km trek from the carpark. We had been warned that there were a couple river and stream crossings throughout the track. However, we had not expected a river crossing in the first minutes upon starting the trek. Now the pictures make it look small but it was a very wide stretch of river with very few places to cross without getting your shoes wet, and it was deeper than it looked.

After ditching our shoes and forging the river barefoot, we made it across. What an annoying way to begin a hike! And this was only the beginning. Never have I ever been on such a wet and muddy hiking trail. There were four instances where we had to take off our shoes to cross the rivers/streams that had flooded the once passable path. But it was a beautiful trek.

       

   

Arriving tired, hungry and with sopping wet socks and shoes, but it was clearly it was all worth it. We spent two nights at this wonderful hut, miles away from civilization. It was glorious. Choosing to spend two nights was the best decision ever. The majority of people only stay for one night then either hike further on the trail to other huts, or they head back to the carpark. We spent the majority of the second day alone in the hut. We went on a venture further up the trail to find our way to a glacier that was apparently 45 minutes from the Welcome Hut. Unfortunately 10 minutes into the walk we came across mud and water so turned back to keep our dry shoes dry for our hike to the carpark the next day. What we were able to see was beautiful. 

The best part of the day was warming up by spending a few hours enjoying the glorious hot pool and the breathtaking views of the Sierra Range. There were three hot pools, all being different temperatures, which was perfect for lounging in all afternoon. 

 

We had a lovely day for our hike back to the car AND the trails had thankfully dried up some meaning we only had to take our shoes off once. We hiked out with an Israeli guy, having some interesting conversations and even some tunes along the way. Copland Track lived up to the hype and has become one of my favorite places in New Zealand. 

Once on the road, we decided to stop in Haast for the night due to the fact that we were both exhausted from hiking the 18 km back to the car earlier in the day. After a quick dinner, popcorn included, at a nice picnic table at a petrol station we found this wonderful spot right by the beach to camp out for the night. 

Day 61: Franz Josef and Fox Glacier

Frans Josef and Fox Glacier are about a 20 minute drive from each other. We found a free campsite, Gillespies Beach, near Fox Glacier. On the road to this campsite there was an incredible view point of Fox Glacier. We ended up spending a lot of time at this view point due to the fact that the free campsite we were staying at was absolutely infested with sandflies making it unbearable to be outside longer than it took to run to and from the toilet. Seriously. You opened a door for 5 seconds and there were hundreds of sandflies inside. Insane. But thankfully there was a lovely picnic table at the viewpoint so we could sit there and enjoy breakfast in peace with out being attacked by the beasts. We never actually went on the walks up to either glacier, mainly due to the rain and cloud cover the whole time we were in the area, but also due to the fact that a glacier is a glacier, once you have seen one you have seen them all I'd say. Seeing Fox Glacier from a distance was good enough for me. 

One day we randomly found ourselves on the Tatare Tunnel walk in Franz Josef town. This walk was in a random residential area and started out on a well worn vehicle track, becoming narrow and steep as we got closer to the old water tunnel. Randomly finding this hike meant that we were unprepared for the long, dark tunnel with ankle deep ice cold water. Walking along the tunnel by the light of my phone, enduring the ice cold water and enjoying the few glow worms along the way. We made our way through the tunnel to the Tatare Gorge, not the most spectacular of views. However after some off the beaten path climbing and exploring, my friend was able to capture the beauty of the gorge. 

Day 58: Abel Tasman Coastal Track to Hokitika

The Abel Tasman National Park is the smallest in New Zealand yet the Abel Tasman Coastal Track is 60km along the northwestern coast of the south island. It is a beautiful track that weaves through beautiful forest and beaches. Due to our lack of lightweight hiking/camping gear we only spent one night and two days on the track. Thankfully we had acquired a new travelling mate who had a tent big enough for the three of us so we did not have to bring our sad broken and not compact tent. And just to be clear when I say big enough for the three of us, picture three grown adults, including two tall Germans, squishing into a "3" man tent along with our bags. All I can say is that it was an entertaining night. Between the three of us we were able to pack all our gear and hike to the Totaranui Campsite. We started at the Wainui Car Park, hiked up to Gibb's Hill and on to our campsite. A much shorter hike than we had expected but it gave us plenty of time to enjoy the campsite and make some new friends. AND have my one and only camp fire of my whole trip. It was amazing. Fire bans are seriously the worst when you are camping for months. Camping just does not feel complete without a fire at night to sit around and enjoy.

Our day ended with an absolutely stunning sunset. Seriously. The last leg of the hike took so long because we were all in absolute awe of the beauty of the sunset (and because my blisters were back with a vengeance but I thankfully discovered walking barefoot does wonders to solve that problem). We were on our way to our next campsite and unexpectedly met a woman on the road at a "bridge" trapped in a flooded river with sand filing up under her car. Meaning we had no way to pass until her car was moved. The "bridge" was no bridge at all. It was called a bridge however it was in fact a small ditch that was covered in concrete to create a road for passing. It was obvious that this happened often but not obvious why on earth they did not just build a bridge there. After spending roughly an hour trying to push, pull and literally dig this car out, even stealing boards from neighbors fences to shove under the tires for traction, all the while avoiding the eels flowing down the river that formed over the road, getting drenched and cold, we gave up. There was no hope for this car unless someone came from the opposite side of the road to pull the car out. And then came the French!...well a French couple, with a sturdy camper van equipped with a hitch. Our knights in shining armor! With a lot of team work and some friendly Frenchman's engine power we freed the car and could finally be on our way. After plunging our way through the river we drove a couple hours to a campsite very well off the beaten path. The drive there felt as though it would never end. Winding and weaving down unsealed, crumbling roads we felt as though we may never get to the campsite and may also be slightly lost, but we kept on truckin'. The dark, mountainous gravel road, torrential rain for days, hunger and late night driving does not bode well for an enjoyable drive. FINALLY we arrived at the Cobb River Campsite. I thought we would never get there and never have I ever been so nervous driving anywhere. We slept...very poorly, due to discomfort and extreme coldness and poor choice to all sleep in the car instead of setting up our tents, and woke up to find that we had made our way down into a very beautiful valley. We appreciated the beauty for a short while and decided to make our way back up out of the valley. I will say the roads were not nearly as bad in the daylight. However, they were still awful and soo narrow. If you met a vehicle someone had to back up in order to find a wider part of the road. Only slightly terrifying.

The following days were filled with "on the road housekeeping", hanging out in Takaka, Uruwhenua Reserve site where we had incredibly beautiful star filled skies to stare at for hours. 

Te Waikoropupu Springs are the largest freshwater springs in New Zealand and are recorded as being some of the clearest water measured in the world. The following is from some of the information boards they had at the springs. 

Te Waikoropupu Wai Ora (Water of Life)

"Life cannot survive without wai (water). For Manawhenua Ki Mohua, water is the source of all life and the waterways carry the lifeblood of the land. The waters of Te Waikoropupu represent the lifeblood of Papatuanuku (Earth Mother) and the tears of Ranginui (Sky Father). Wai Ora is the purest form of fresh water. It gives and sustains life, can rejuvenate damaged mauri (life force) and counteract evil. The waters of Te Waikoropupu were used by tupuna (ancestors) for cleansing and spiritual healing."

 We then made our way 400km south of Takaka to Hokitika on the west coast. 

The beauty truly never stops here.