Hiking adventures in New Zealand
Hiking adventures in New Zealand
Posts containing short videos
I had a great night sleep and woke up bright & breezy at 6am. We got going at 7.30am and immediately had a stream crossing - wet feet again! We launched into a 650m climb straight away up to the Bullock Bow Saddle, which took 1.5 hrs to climb up to 1682m elevation. On the way up we saw a 'tahr'. This is a large Himalayan goat-like animal which lives in the New Zealand mountains. It was on the ridge line for some time checking us out, and ran away when we approached.
Over the saddle...
Whilst Phil was slogging it out on the Goat Pass route, Mike and I had a leisurely morning. I got up at 8.30am, then we went for breakfast in the Arthur's Pass cafe. We were pretty excited about the brekkie, and although tasty, it was disappointingly small. After breakfast we went to the DOC office and then we picked up my resupply box from the YHA.
We'd spoken to DOC about the Avalanche Peak track, and at 11am we started up the track from the Avalanche peak side, up and over the 1833m...
If you're researching Te Araroa Trail and you're soon to embark on this incredible journey, you can look forward to a day like this. Most people have one - where the sheer gravity of your accomplishments hits you like a ton of bricks. It was my most memorable day on TA for so many reasons:
I woke early today as I had a big day of cycling between Lake Tekapo and Lake Ohau. The water was back on in Tekapo after being shut off early last night, so I cleared 40 people's worth of washing-up from in the sinks, stacked it all neatly on the side and washed a bowl, cup and spoon for my breakfast.
Today's adventure began by picking up my bike from Cycle Journeys at 7.15 am. Cycle Journeys took...
Awwww my poor feet! The foot blistering and itchiness is rampant and my feet haven't even been wet the past few days! I haven't been able to have my feet "in" bed for the past few nights as they itch sooooo badly! Last night I had to pat them down with cool salt water numerous times during the night to stop the itch. The skin has broken on top of the left foot, which is pretty gross, so I'm trying to keep that bit especially...
Today I got up and out by 7.30am. I had a short road walk to Raumati South, before hitting the beaches of the beautiful Kapiti coast. It was beach most of the way to Paekakariki. I was occasionally forced back inland onto the road by the high tide.
The Kapiti coastline was very lovely, with views out to Kapiti Island. It was a lovely day, sunny and windy, and not too hot. Perfect hiking weather.
After a while I hit the...