Land of the glowing skies, Stewart Island - Rakiura track

After a crazy ferry journey watching Bullers and White-capped albatross play in front of the setting sun from Invercargill to Stewart Island we eventually landed on the Island at about 5:30ish. We made our way through the tiny little township of Oban and to the Stewart Island backpackers where we were able to settle in for the night.

The previous day in Queenstown i had come accross information about the Rakiura track, one of New Zealands great walks on Stewart island. The walk can be done in 3 days and i was really keen to give it a go as i had enjoyed the Heaphy track so much. The Rakiura track is only 30km so some people could do it in two days and i even met a guy called David who was crazy and had done the track in 6 hours!

I really wanted the chance to see a Kiwi and the word was that they could be seen on the island, you've just got to be in the right place at the right time!

Day 1. Rakiura track: Oban - Fern Gully car park to North arm hut, 11km, 4-5hours.

I had been advised by the lady at thdde DOC centre in Oban that i should walk through the forest first and do the track in a clockwise direction. The weather was pretty bleak, grey skies and heavy rain would not have made for great walking along the coast.Whilst in New Zealand i have definately learned to take adbice from the locals. So i put on my wet weather gear on, i wasn't going to let the weather stop me exploring this island! The going was fairly slow as the track was very muddy, i didn't stop much as i was getting pretty wet as it was and just wanted to get to the hut and light a fire! Along the way i spotted some Kiwi probe holes and saw a white tailed deer leap off through the forest. The weather made things pretty tough, but you find that you have conversations with yourself and you manage to keep yourself motivated, i guess it's part of the challenge and good for the soul. As i approached the hut i noticed a pair of hiking boots, i wasn't going to be alone tonight. A lovely Austrian guy called Florian had beat me to it and had already lit the fire. He then told me he was going hunting in the beach for shell-fish, he later came back with a bucket full of mussels, we steamed them, they tasted so fresh, i love free food, such a treat! We were later joined by Lucy a French girl who had walked some of the track in the dark, she had marshmallows, so we toasted them on the fire!

Day 2. North arm hut  to Port William, 13km, 6 hours.

Well we had heard lots of Kiwi during the night and we had even gone out to look for them, but unfortunately a sighting wasn't to be, however we did see a Weka bird and a possum. Luckily the clouds had cleared and i started the second day walking through the forest as the sunlight glinted through the trees. It felt like a completely different forest, and i could just imagine seeing a kiwi beneathe the ferns that scattered accross the forest floor, you could even imagine donosaurs living in this type of habitat it felt very prehistoric. Eventially Florian was able to catch up with me and we competed the second day together. Florian was ineterested in wood and tree fibres and structure of wood! so we were always stopping for him to take a closer look at the bark of the magnificent trees that lined the paths and i tried to locate the birds who's echoing calls filled the forest. I could just make out Tui birds fighting over the berries in the trees and robins, fan tails and bell birds lined our walkway. Florian was also very close to being pooped on by a New Zealand pigeon which was pretty funny! The Austrain at 6 foot plus had much longer legs than little old me and therefore he led the way. We crossed several creeks and also came accross historic tramlines and log hawlers that were once used to transport huge trees up from the valley. Eventually we could see the sea and we were able to hear it too. We reached the hut and dumped our bags. I was just making a brew when i realised i couldn't my phone! I had checked everywhere, i thought i had left it on the bunk back at the North arm hut, after 30 minutes of worrying and thinking of ways i could possible get it back i couldn't believe it, it was clinging on for dear life on the inside of my backpacks raincover, as it had fallen out of my raincoat pocket! How it hadn't fallen out i had no idea, i took it as a sign, to slow down, to take my time and not to rush, it's when you rush that things can go wrong. We wee joined by 3 French trampers and later that night Florian and myself went looking for the Kiwi again, this time only to find a Morepork owl and again another Possum. Time to spot a Kiwi was running out as it was our last night, i was starting to get worried.

Day 3. Port William to Lee Bay car park, 8.4km, 4 hours ish! (it took me waaaaaay longer as i stopped every 10m to take photographs)

It was 6am when i was awakened to the sound of a screaching Kiwi, i heard Florian say "Jenny did you hear that...shall we have a look?" We headed out with our torches and headlights and stood and listened. We turned our lights off and just waited. Eventually the rustling came closer, i told Florian i would put the light on and to be ready with his camera. I turned on my light to see a Stewart Island Kiwi feeding along the edge of the bush. "Oh my god Florian it's an actual Kiwi!" I whispered, Florian went to get the French people and i stayed with the Kiwi to keep track of it. Then to our amazement another Kiwi appeared. We learned that if you stand still with your torch off they will litrally come right upto you as they are blind and use their hearing and whiskers to sense things. I felt so lucky to have seen them out in their natural environment, with kiwi mission complete, we went our seperate ways and i continued on to Lee bay car park. This part of the walk was the most beautiful, at one point i found myself walking along a beautiful golden beach, then as i returned into Oban a beautiful rainbow appeared.

Limestone Caves :-)

Whilst making our way to Invercargill, our driver 'Beanz' told us to wear clothes we didn't mind getting dirty and to bring a torch. He had a little suprise in store for us. Most of us had guessed it would be caving and we were right! i was pleased as i havn't been in any of New Zealand's caves yet. It was like entering into another world, not a good place to be if you get chlostophobic though. The limestone had formed various features and the surface was slippy. There was lots of ducking and bending down and a few sore heads when we had finished. There was sign of previous cave dwellers as cavegraffitti lined the walls. The walls and ceiling wee lined with glow worms which was pretty cool to see. Eventually we had to turn around when we came to a small pool, it is possible to swim through and continue, but that was a bit too adventurous for us, so we turned back and eventually found the light. It is fairly easy to direct yourself in and out of the cave as whit markers take you in and yellow reflective markers take you out, it was a wicked moment and made me think aboutball the caves still yet to be discovered.

welcome to Gunn country - Gunns Camp

We made our way from Milford Sound to Gunns Camp. Here once whole families lived during the depression era of the 1920's/30's while the men worked hard to build a connecting road to Milford Sound. We stayed in small log cabins, heat came from a wood burner and electricity came from a generator and came on at 5:30pm and was off at 10pm, i had one of the best showers i've ever had here! The camp is set on the banks of a glacial stream down the Hollyford valley, it truley is off the beaten track and very isolated. The camp is very quirky and a great place to be for walking and a bit of peace and quiet. There is no intenet or phone signal here, so it was nice to have a break from it all.

It's definately worth spending a night here just to step back in time and imagine what lif was like for the families who lived here and the men who helped to connect the area to the rest of New Zealand.

Mighty Milford Sound :-)

Milford sound is actually a fiord in the South West of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National park. The mighty Mitre Peak is its best known feature and is actually the worlds highest sea cliff at 1692m It is a unique area for wildlife as the water itself has a layer of fresh water which rests ontop of the salt water eventually making its way to the Tasman sea. Unfortunately we didn't see any dolphins but they are seen in the area, but we did have the pleasure of basking New Zealand fur seals, albatross and other oceanic birds. Again we were fairly lucky with the weather, with patches of blue skies and fabulous clouds!

The waterfalls were also pretty amazing and the boat took us right upto them so that we could feel the spray of the water which was pretty refreshing and a wicked experience. I watched as a rainbow appeared in the rushing water, it was pretty magical, yet completely natural.

I found myself completely in awe of the hugeness and greatness of the surroundings of Fiordland... we were all pretty quiet throughout the cruise because the scenery kind of takes your breath away.

Mirror Lakes a little treat

As we Strayed towards Te Anau from Queenstown we stopped at a beautiful spot called Mirror Lakes. This was a great place to see the reflective views of the Earl Mountains. The walk is only 10 minutes and 62km north of Te Anau so acts as a great stop off point if your headed to Milford Sound.

Beautiful Queenstown

I Arrived in Queenstown and there's a really cool buzz about the town. After enjoying an incredible Big Al' from the famous Fergburger we all headed out to the bar below the hostel for free drinks and a bit of a dance! The bars here all have a pretty cool atmosphere and everyone seems to be here to have fun, at one point in Buffalo bar we were dancing on the bar and then onto World bar where we were dinking cocktails out of tea pots! Our night ended in the morning at 4:30! But Queenstown is also actually a really picturesque place with lots to see and do...

The next day i decided to visit the Kiwi birdlife park, as a YHA member i was able to get some discount, but later discovered i could have got an even better discount through 'Book me' online, but live and learn. The park was set in the middle of Queenstown it was set up to display and protect the native birds of New Zealand. The setting was beautiful and i was able to see 3 kiwis being fed and watch and listen to a conservation show which was quite inteesting as we were able to see the wildlife up close.

I then took the Skyline ride where again i had a 10% discount due to yha membeship which was good. This little trip is definately worth doing, howeve you can also walk upto the viewpoint which is an hours walk and you can save some money. The cable car or Gondola ride takes you to the top of Bob's peak where you are treated to incredible panoramic views over lake Wakitipu. I definately recommend doing this trip when the weather is good so that you get the full beauty of the mountains. Being so high up felt like i was on top of thee world and the water in the lake was so calm which created a very calming atmosphere, it was beautiful.

I had then treated myself to two Luge rides (the luge is like a toboggan) it was so cool to be surrounded by mountains and incredible scenery whilst speeding down the sides of the Peak.

The following day i decided to see the views from the lake. and through 'Book me' i was able to get onto a scenic cruise for just $15. The cruise was lovely and lasted just unde two hours, with free ta, coffee and biscuits! I was lucky as the sun was shining and the lake acted like a natural mirror reflecting the beautiful surrounding scenery. The autuminal colours were stunning and the cloud formations were constantly changing.

The next day my friend and i headed out on an Icebar crawl as there are two icebars in Queenstown. I had neve experienced an icebar before and they are just how you imagine, every thing made of ice, even the glasses we drank from! it was pretty COOL!

So here are a few pictures of my time in this stunning part of New Zealand...

A very lucky chance to stand on Franz Josef Glacier :-)

We had arrived in Franz Josef on the 13th may, pretty excited about our glacier hike, however unfortunately the whole day had been cancelled due to low cloud which made the helicopter ride too dangerous, we were all so let down, but again it highlights the fact that most things in New Zealand are weather dependent!

Things looked brighter the next day (just)...

We were suited and booted for our hike with crampons and wet weathe trousers. The next thing i know im in the front of a helicopter, the scenery was awesome, and then i saw it, a 12km long glacier, the fastest moving in the world at 1.5 m a day! 

Unfortunately the weather changed and our trip was cut short as the cloud came in, we managed to spend about 40minutes on the ice which was a real treat, i felt for my friends as they were in an other group and the day had to be cancelled. I was very lucky as i was the first person bar the guide to step on the freshe ice that morning, an awesome feeling and very lucky.