New Zealand

Our incredibly fantastic, captivating, enriching, surprising, rewarding, enlightening and fun, active vacation in New Zealand in 2003. It was the perfect departure from the stressful, corporate rat race! Before describing what we did, we will explain why we went on an active vacation vs lying around drinking Mai Tais.

Why an “Active” Vacation?
Earlier in the year, Ann had asked David to accompany her to a beach resort in Phuket, Thailand at the end of a rare “boondoggle” business trip of hers. David replied that he wasn’t that fond of a “just lay around the beach” vacation but would prefer a more “active” vacation instead. Will this come back to haunt him later? Yes!

After using a complex algorithm that considered several factors, including scheduling conflicts, an upcoming cycling 109 miles for charity as well as tour company options, we picked the southern hemisphere to visit. We signed up for a 14-day, Active New Zealand trip in December 2003 — where summer would be just starting!

New Zealand History
Dutchman, Abel Tasman, first sighted New Zealand in 1642, but it wasn’t until 130 years later, that Englishman, Capt. James Cook landed and explored its lands. For those of you interested in imperialism — New Zealand became a British colony and remained such until 1947.

Traveling To New Zealand
San Jose — Los Angeles — Auckland — Christchurch — Kaikoura
Frequent flier miles can really make a difference! By combining our frequent flier miles, We were able to obtain first class seats for the long haul over the Pacific Ocean. We experienced a thrilling, first class takeoff from Los Angeles followed by 13 very bumpy hours (the “inter-tropical convergence zone” — the region where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together, caused significant turbulence). While descending into Auckland, We saw the sunrise on the left-hand side of the plane and a full moon setting on the right! Wow, what a memorable start!!

However, there was one mitigating aspect to the trip’s start. Ann made a nearly vacation-stopping-mistake by staying up to 4AM the night before trying to accomplish some last-minute corporate work before departing. She subsequently caught a cold upon arriving, which later turned in to laryngitis during the first backpacking trip!

After a short layover in Auckland, we arrived at Christchurch Airport. There, we met up with the rest of the tour group comprised of 15 participants and 2 guides. The group had a quick lunch stop on the beach at Gore Bay and a three hour drive up the coast to the seaside town of Kaikoura, where we spent the afternoon and evening in a nice bed and breakfast. That evening, the group had a “getting-to-know-you-dinner” at Mussel Mans restaurant, where mussels (a local industry) were prepared in a variety of delicious ways.

This is also when the group noticed just how much longer the days were in New Zealand this time of year — the sun didn’t set until 10PM and would rise by 5AM.

Backpacking in Nelson Lakes National Park
The Active New Zealand brochure proclaims, “You don’t need experience in any of the activities you will undertake – our well-trained guides and top-notch equipment means that even if you have not been hiking or backpacking before, you’ll really enjoy yourself. The hiking in the national parks is simply stunning, and we hike in some of the most pristine and secluded areas of New Zealand.”

Stunning for sure! We were stunned at how challenging the backpacking trip turned out to be! In retrospect, we really enjoyed the trip and were rewarded with spectacular views and a sense of accomplishment having stretched beyond our comfort zone. Type II fun!

The brochure also described the trip as “being designed for active people with a reasonable level of fitness and interest in outdoor activities.” Cool! That sounded perfect to us. “You don’t need to be a triathlete,” the brochure explained. “But it helps,” it should have added! One of our tour mates completed a world-champion triathlete event in Queenstown just the week before!

One of the more challenging factors of the trip was navigating the terrain — steep climbing, rock scrambling, rushing river crossings and narrow ridge of broken rock hiking — all with a heavy backpack! The night before we started the backpacking, known as “tramping” in New Zealand, our lead guide did a gear check for the 3-day trip in order to ensure that each participant had enough warm clothes while still having room for the group’s food. In each person’s pack was a heavy sleeping bag, clothes, bug repellant and other toiletries, and a portion of the group’s food for the next 3 days. The weight of the pack was about 35 pounds.

DAY 1; Kaikoura — Nelson Lakes National Park — Lakehead Hut
After a very early breakfast, the group drove north for a couple of hours north of Kaikoura to Blenheim. Blenheim is in the Marlborough region, which is New Zealand’s premier wine-making area. The group stopped at Forrest Estate Vineyard for lunch and a wine-tasting — perfect fuel right before an afternoon of backpacking? About half the group went on the 3-day backpacking trip option, while the other half either sea kayaked or cycled during that time.

The backpacking trip started at St. Arnaud, where the group was warned sand flies would attack immediately upon disembarking the bus. Sand flies are tiny black flies with bites that itch worse than a mosquito’s. We still had bites visible nearly two weeks after the entire trip ended! Some of the locals joke that sand flies are the reason the South Island remains relatively uninhabited.

The first day was spent tramping along Lake Rotoiti, one of two large lakes in Nelson Lakes National Park, to the beginning of the Travers Valley. Here the group stayed the night in a small mountain hut, called Lakehead Hut. This Hut, like the others kept by New Zealand’s Dept. of Conservation, had running water (from a large bucket of rainwater) to a faucet in the food prep area, a small heating stove, and an outhouse several feet away. For sleeping, everyone lines up his or her sleeping bag, like a sardine, on a sleeping platform. Imagine a giant bunk bed that holds about 20-30 people!

DAY 2; Lakehead Hut — The Big Climb — Angelus Hut
The group was up and out by 7:30AM after having breakfast and preparing sandwiches for lunch. Ann’s cold had turned to laryngitis, which meant no one would hear her complain as the backbacking turned strenuous and technically challenging. The hike, which was up the “Casscade Track,” began immediately with a river crossing. It was up to our knees and it was necessary to interlock arms in groups of three or more. This was meant to keep the current from sweeping people away! We had to cross wearing their tramping boots for better footing, which meant continuing on in wet boots and socks for the rest of day.

Then the group walked along the Travers Valley through native beech forest. At the junction of the Hukere Stream and the Travers River, the group turned right and headed up towards Lake Angelus. In our pictures, you can see a couple of views looking back to a meadow where the group had eaten lunch, and also a couple of views looking up (just above the same meadow) to see the backpackers hiking from trail marker to marker (little orange triangles atop a 5-6ft metal pole).

Incidentally, this was the first time either of the guides had gone beyond this meadow — ever! They were relatively new to this particular tour and it was snow-packed on their previous attempts.

Total elevation gained that day was between 3,000 and 3,500ft. In the itinerary it said, “You may find it (the backpacking hike) quite challenging. You WILL find it very rewarding.” Both statements are correct! We definitely tested our hiking limits by carrying the full packs versus the day packs we were accustomed to. Frequently, we had to use both hands to balance and pull ourselves up many times, including rock scrambling!

As we all reached Angelus Hut, we were rewarded with a view of mountains reflecting in the lake. Late that night, the clouds fully dissipated, and we were rewarded doubly with a sky full of stars and a full moon reflecting in the same lake!! IT WAS AWESOME!!

DAY 3; Angelus Hut — “Pinchgut Track” — Punakaiki
After yet another early start, we were wondering if we had really signed up for boot camp instead of vacation. On this day, the group was instructed that they “just needed to climb 20 minutes to get out of the Angelus basin, walk about 6 miles along the main ridge, and then descend a series of well-graded switchbacks to the parking lot to get to our vehicle.” The brochure’s description of this day? “Although the terrain is rocky and broken, it’s NO GREAT DRAMA. You can take it as fast or as slow as you like.” “NO GREAT DRAMA,” we would later learn, was a slice of British (sarcastic) humor.

Just take a look at this video showing the spine of Robert’s Ridge along the appropriately named “Pinchgut Track“! We often were worried about losing our balance along the rockiest parts of this ridge. One misstep and one goes tumbling down those rocks to the valley floor! OUCH! During this ridge hike, David was heard to repeatedly say to Ann, “I am soooo sorry. We will ‘just lay around at the beach’ next time!”

Actually, we were blessed with perfect weather. There was very little wind, no rain, and lots of sun. Had one of those elements changed for the worse, you would have had to come get us by helicopter! It took us about 8 hours to get back down to the car from the hut. Remember that neither guide had tramped this particular section before, so they did not give us proper guidance. They later admitted that they were surprised at how challenging it was and how well novices, like us, did!

After reconvening with the kayakers and cyclers, the full group stopped at the tiny settlement of Charleston to pick up the quintessential Kiwi “on the road” dinner – fish and chips! After eating trail mix and sandwiches for lunch, we exclaimed that those were some of the best fish and chips ever. The group got to enjoy them on the beach before heading south to the tiny coastal village of Punakaiki.

Our first shower in days that night sure did feel good!

Sea Kayaking
Neither of us had ever sea kayaked before this trip. However, we quickly became self-proclaimed “experts” and proceeded to chase a dolphin pod!

Okarito
On the way to Okarito, the group stopped at Hokitika, a sleepy beach town, famous for its greenstone (jade) workshops and art galleries. In Okarito (population ~30!), the motel had a fabulous view of the Southern Alps — Mt. Tasman, Mt. Cook and Hooker Glacier.

Fortunately, the Okarito lagoon was fairly calm and shallow, allowing beginners, like us, to get initiated and practice synchronizing their paddling. It was so shallow in one place, that we had to portage. It rained quite heavily while on the lagoon, but it wasn’t cold.

In a tandem kayak, the front person sets the paddling pace and the back person has control of the rudder for steering. The paddling and navigation/steering are more difficult than they seem, and good communication is critical — we soon got the hang of it and were on our way to becoming darn good. Kayaking guides are quick to point out that learning to paddle a tandem kayak makes or breaks relationships — a good “team-building” exercise. We got to put this one in the plus column!

That afternoon the group relaxed and napped or read instead of doing the planned beach walk, as heavy rain set in. The rain did afford a unique opportunity to view a spectacular double rainbow over Lake Matheson the next morning on our way to Makaroa.

Milford Sound
In Milford Sound area, the group stayed at The Lodge, pretty much the only available accommodation there. It’s a basic place, small sleeping rooms with locker-room style bathrooms, and electricity provided by a generator, which is turned off during sleeping hours.

It was a super early start so the group could get out kayaking on the sound by 7AM, but it was worth it! We were now experienced kayakers, kind of. This day was much more work given the group would paddle roughly a total of 5 miles in under 5 hours.

The kayaking guides were tremendously professional and helpful. Milford Sound is the northern-most point of Fiordland. Here, the fiords are so immense it is actually difficult to get a real perspective on distance and size. For instance, there is a waterfall, Bowen Falls, which is 3 times the height of Niagra Falls, however Bowen Falls seems tiny in comparison to the fiords and doesn’t seem to look very big at all. Milford Sound is dominated by Mitre Peak, a 1,692 meter (5,551 ft) rock jutting straight out of the water.

Two different pods of dolphins! We were fortunate enough to have one of the groups of dolphins visit and put on a show, right in front of the kayak! There were so many — 7 or 8 — that our guide was giddy given they had never seen so many at one time and as close. The group was able to paddle amongst those dolphins for the better part of an hour. It was incredible!

Nature Hikes
The South Island offers such a variety of scenic opportunities, such as snow-capped peaks, glaciers, broad plains, farmland, and dense rainforests. On the nature hikes, we were able to experience a bit of each.

Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks)
The group had a breakfast of pancakes in honor of visiting the Pancake Rocks, near Punakaiki on the west coast. You can see from the pictures that the rocks look like pancakes piled one on top of the other. The rocks are ancient limestone. This is a short, scenic, well-paved walk.

Paparoa National Park
The group enjoyed a relaxing 3-hour stroll through Paparoa National Park, a rainforest on the West Coast. The South Island’s West Coast receives between 8 to 10 meters of rain (about 32 feet) annually! In the pitcures, you can see the density of the rainforest, especially in the picture of us with the Paparoa River in the background. There was also crossing of the Paparoa River during this hike, but this time we crossed in bare feet. The rocks were sharp and, ironically, it might have been better to have kept our boots on!

Franz Josef Glacier
Due to rainy weather, the group was only able to approach the terminal face of the glacier. The weather didn’t allow us, per the plan, to helicopter up and hike on the glacier for about 2 hours — complete with crampons, ice axes and ropes! Nonetheless, the face is quite impressive, and the group was lucky to have about a 15-minute window in which to take pictures.

Makarora
At Makarora, the group stayed at the Homestead, a large house on the edge of the camp. After dinner that night, David and Ann took a short hike up to a pretty waterfall.

Queenstown
The group had an afternoon and one full day to themselves in Queenstown. For that first afternoon, we took an exciting ride on the Shotover Jet. The next morning, it was great to finally have a chance to sleep in! Later that day, we did a short hike up along the path of the local Gondola and had some terrific views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, a rugged range that is a spectacular backdrop to Queenstown.

The Divide — Key Summit
The Divide is the trailhead for the famous Routeburn Track and we hiked about halfway to Key Summit. Along the way was a beautiful waterfall where we could refill our water bottles. Yes, in most places in New Zealand you can drink the water straight from the streams/waterfalls! This was a big adjustment!

Mt. Cook
Braemar Station, a sheep shearer’s quarters with an exceptional view of Mt. Cook, is where the group spent its last two nights. The shearer’s quarters is on a 50,000 acre sheep station (“station” is the New Zealand term for farm). Imagine an old house with beds scattered throughout, a large kitchen, dining room and a giant yard!

The Station is about an hour from Mt. Cook village, at the head of Lake Pukaki. Here most of the group hiked up the Mueller Ridge, in the midst of the Southern Alps’ most imposing mountains, toward the Mueller Hut. The group was to keep its fingers crossed for good weather — as Mt. Cook (Maori name is Aoraki, or ‘cloud-piercer’) has a reputation for being shrouded in clouds much of the time. Unfortunately, the weather turned really windy and rainy and no one was able to get close-up, good views of Mt. Cook. Most of the group turned around before getting to the hut.

Helicopter to Mt. Totoko Glacier
After the weather forced the group to miss out on the helicopter option at Franz Josef Glacier, some of the group was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to take a helicopter ride up to Mt. Totoko Glacier, in the Milford Sound area. This was yet another first for us both! In addition to an exciting ride over the fiords and landing on the glacier, the helicopter ride allowed great views of the Sound, where the group had just kayaked that morning.

Biking
Finally, an activity with which we both were adept!

Te Anau towards Milford
The group started out with a spectacular ride through the Eglinton and Hollyford Valleys up to The Divide.

In New Zealand, lupine grows wild, and in many colors. There were beautiful views of lupine fields with the fiords in the distance. There was also an exciting drive through the Homer Tunnel — a 1km tunnel completed in 1940 after 5 years of construction, though not until 1953 was it was widened sufficiently to accommodate road traffic. After the tunnel, the group got back on bikes for a 3,000-foot downhill freewheel to Milford Sound. The scenery here was fantastic — the lush rainforest carpeting the lower slopes of the mountains gives way to the massively steep glacier-carved slopes and waterfalls of the Darren Range.

Te Anau to Lake Manapouri
There was another cycling opportunity from Lake Te Anau to Lake Manapouri. It was a great ride through some of New Zealand’s richest farmland. The group stayed at the Lake Manapouri Inn, which our guides described as similar to the hotel from the “The Shining” (for its eerie, huge dining area that was set up but never used).

Traveling From New Zealand
Christchurch — Auckland — Los Angeles — San Francisco
At the end of the tour, we flew directly to Auckland to spend the night before our return flight home. It was a shock to the senses to be in such a “big city” after being in the more remote regions of New Zealand.

As previously mentioned, we were able to obtain first class seats for the over-water segments of our trip. Well, nothing prepared us to have the entire first-class cabin of a 747 to ourselves on the fight home! A once in a lifetime occurrence! Yes, two flight attendants to wait on us hand and foot — one each! The attendants opened their collection of wines and we settled in for a 35,000 foot wine-tasting! However, the return flight proved to be even more turbulent than the flight out, cutting the tasting a bit short. No matter, we had a very thorough buzz!