There were two reasons why I loved the South Island as much as I did: it's basically one huge playground in terms of outdoor fun and I got to share it all with my three steady travel companions, Angela, Corentin, and Guillaume.
Queen Charlotte Trek
Hiking and camping 71 kilometers in only mildy rainy conditions.
Abel Tasman National Park
Kayaking, seals, and stalking a fairy penguin!
Pupu Springs
Unbelievably clear water.
Cape Fairwell
Cape Foulwind
I think the name is a pretty damn accurate description but it fails to mention all of the seals who come ashore to rest!
Pancake Rocks & caves
Hokitika Gorge
I wonder if any camera can actually capture the intense turquoise/blue/gray color that results from rock flour (ground up rock), melted glacier ice, and river water.
Franz Josef Glacier
Mt. Armstrong hike
I've never simultaneously loved and hated a hike as much as this one. For Corentin and especially Guillaume, it was a prime example of what happens when Kathryn isn't fed in a timely manner. Somewhat surprisingly, we all made it back down alive.
Rob Roy Glacier
Isthmus hike
If your looking for some cheap entertainment, get a couple of French guys to say “isthmus.” This was a good and steep hike on a sunny day but I think the highlight might have been the group of hunters we met on the way down. They were so impressed with my deer spotting abilities (sans binoculars, thank you) that they offered me a job on the spot.
Christmas
Homemade stockings, a slew of wrapped presents, tinsel, a huge meal, and reindeer shadow puppets!
Milford Sound
In a word: beautiful!
Doubtful Sound
In two words: very beautiful! I wasn't sure that it was going to be worth the time and money to see both sounds, but it absolutely was. And we completely lucked out with unusually clear weather and wildlife spotting: fairy penguins, seals, and dolphins!
Ben Lomond hike
Me versus an impending storm. I won!
Remarkables hike
A sunny New Year's Eve day saw us going for one final hike of 2013.
2 Responses to South Island’s west coast, New Zealand