Arthur's Pass

I haven't much time. Went up the west coast and completed a giant loop around the South Island. It was weird to drive roads I had been on two months ago but with Autumn as copilot. Anyway, I headed up the Waimakariri River valley for four nights. My intention was to explore the hut system in the upper reaches of the river. I arrived at my first hut (Carrington) at noon and decided to keep walking. I reached Waimakariri Falls Hut at 4pm in overcast conditions. After photographing a curious rock wren I went into the hut and knew my plan would have to be altered. The hut was super. A southwestern view of Mt. Murchison in this cozy 6-sleeper. I stayed there 3 nights (every one of them woken up at 6am by the gang of 11 kea banging on the roof). On the second day I rested and enjoyed the perfect weather and view. On the third I climbed to the Waimakariri Col and hung out for a long while. Day four I went to a horrendously buggy Anti-Crow Hut. The weather worstened and I am now in Christchurch instead of hiking the Cass-Lagoon. I will probably take a 25$ bus back to the park when the forescast improves. Cheers!!!! :)

West Coast Pictures

In reverse chronological order: sunset near Wanaka, one of Autumn's last pictures at the lake in Wanaka, bowling league in Queenstown, palm in Queenstown, still swimming - near Jackson Bay, Jackson Bay itself, Copland track, Douglas Rock Hut, me in cozy Douglas Rock Hut, a mistly tree in Fox Glacier township (look for the Pukeko on a stump).

West Coast

Rainforest rocks are the most slippery rocks. For the past three days I've been trying to enjoying tramping in the rainforest by myself. It was everything you'd expect from a rainforest except it was not raining. Nonetheless, the trail was a virtual stream with heavily eroded sides and all the rocks were slippery, always wet, and you seemed to fall off of them before your foot even landed. I had many more close calls than falls, but my knees are bit banged. I started up the Copland Pass Track on Monday and headed straight for Douglas Rock Hut, a 24km walk. Douglas Rock Hut was a special spot, only an 8-sleeper and is my second favorite hut I've stayed in (behind Granity Pass). I stayed there two nights. On day two I headed up toward Copland Pass. In an avalanche chute, on some large boulders, I layed in the sun for three hours with a good view of the mountains ahead. I didn't feel like walking anymore so I didn't. Briefly, I headed up the avalanche chute toward the terminus of a glacier with a thin waterfall to its east thinking I would go to the bottom of the waterfall. I then heard a muffled groan, and another. I paused, being paranoid of rockfall. Nothing happened so I decided it was a plane. I took a step forward and suddenly, in the mist above, not 500 meters ahead I heard a giant piece of glacier or rock or both come thundering in my direction. I turned and started to run, laughing all the while. Not sure why. The thundering continued for a couple solid minutes. Nothing came over the edge of the cliff I was facing but I decided it was an appropriate time to head back to my cozy little hut in the bush for hot tea and ginger cookies. A couple hundred meters on, I was able to see into a cleft in the cliff face - there were huge boulders and fresh blocks of ice on a snowfield - obviously the source of the thundering. Today I walked out the 24km again and headed to Fox Glacier. It's good looking glacier, but cannot be compared to the Dart Glacier Autumn and I saw on the Rees-Dart. With all my time alone I've had ample time to think. I've decided that there is only one thing that is easier since Autumn left, deciding who drives.

Big Moves

Well, our adventure is taking another turn. Autumn is heading north: home. It is a very hard reality but she must be with her family. Who knows, she may get swallowed up by Los Angeles as we have not dealt with any of the domestic flight changes yet. We are in Wanaka and will be figuring out how best to spend our last two days together in New Zealand, going through a giant maze and illusion house or shootin' guns. What a whirlwind we've swept into. Here are Autumn's ten favorite moments (off the cuff anyway) on our fabulous adventure in New Zealand:

10. Falafel in Queenstown. March 3.
9. Sand boarding on the 90-Mile Beach Dunes. December 10.
8. McNaught Comet at the Born Farm in Upper Moutere. January 22.
7. Fred calling for his Mommy to sew his backpack on Stewart Isl. February 18.
6. Rees-Dart Valleys and Cascade Saddle trip. March 5-10.
5. Sailing the Abel Tasman. January 22.
4. Seeing a Kiwi up close and personal. February 21.
3. Sunrise over Mt. Cook from Mt. Ollivier. February 8.
2. Finishing the 125km journey around Stewart Island. February 24.
1. Sunset over the Firth of Thames in Te Mata the Coromandel Penninsula. December 18.

Rees-Dart Valleys

We have spent the past 6 days on yet another hike. The route followed the Rees River, to its source, over the Rees Saddle, down the Dart River, and we made a day trip up Cascade Saddle. What we were presented with were the most impressive mountain vistas we've enjoyed in NZ. We went over the Rees Saddle in 90-100kmph-driven rain in our faces. Literally blown off the track several times, it was an interesting crossing. While the trip is considered a circuit (loop) the end left us some 30km from the beginning - and our car, Papa. We could have spent $50 to get a shuttle ride that would have only returned us halfway. Time to hitch! Well, the first car was completely full - 6 people and gear (guided richies), the second and third vehicles... motorcycles! There are only a dozen or so in the country! But then our luck improved and we caught three rides (including the second unit Production Manager for the second Narnia movie currently being filmed in the Dart area) making the remote 30km trek in 2.5 hrs. We were totally impressed! I mean, these roads were gravel, rough, and included several fords, some about 0.5 meters deep. All-in-all some of our favorite experiences yet! Enjoy the rest of your winter! Muaahaha! Cheers.

Since Stewart...

Keep on your toes, this is entry number two - don't miss the newly added Stewart Island pictures in the entry below this! Here are some pictures of what we've been up to since Stewart. Including: Catlins, a cruise in Milford Sound, and hiking Key Summit in Fiordland NP. Enjoy all the pictures. Cheers.

Stewart Island Pictures

Top to bottom:
1) First day of the Northwest Circuit with 12 days of food on our backs. 5km down, 120 to go. 2) Bungaree Beach. 3) A rare dry patch of track showing the typical forest composition. 4) Us on day 6 at a "viewpoint." 5) Autumn knee-deep in mud (typical). 6) More mud. 7) Dune flora. 8) Smokey Beach dunes. 9) Orchid. 10) Heavy, heavy boots. 11) Kiwi tracks. 12,13) Sunset from Big Hellfire Hut. 14) Day view from Big Hellfire Hut. 15) Thompson Ridge view, day 10. 16) Julie, Fred (collectively ze French), and two Americans finally at the finish and out of the bush.