Knobs Flat, Milford Sound

Well we made it back to California safely after a 12 hour flight yesterday. It is a little bit of a shock to be back but it is always nice coming home. This morning I finished downloading the rest of my pictures and I realized I missed blogging about an important part of the trip. So I thought I would add another post about our couple days down in the Milford Sound area. We headed down there from Queenstown after finishing our bike tour and before going on our trek over Ball Pass. Milford Sound is in the Fjordland National Park at the tip of the west side of the South Island. Milford Sound is one of the world's top travel destinations and was previously named by Rudyard Kipling as the eighth world of the world. The sound runs 15 kms inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by shear rock faces that rise 1200 m or higher and rainforests that cling to the rock faces. Many waterfalls can be found streaming down the side of the rock depending on the amount of rain. There are temporary ones and permanant ones. 

The road into Milford takes you along beautiful alpine scenery and is 121 kms long. We stayed at a place called Knob's Flat which is run by the Department of Conservation and is 60 kms in off the road to Milford. It was an incredible spot. We had our own self contained cabin with kitchen, bathroom and a great view of the mountains from our window. Unfortunately, it rained two out of the three days we were there and the third day we had some sun with increasing clouds as the day went on.

The view from our window in knobs flat in the early morning. This is the bluest we say the sky as clouds continued to buildup. 
On our way to Milford Sound from Knob's Flat we stopped for a short 40 minute hike. The track brought us up through very wet rainforest to this alpine Lake Marion. It was very steep but well worth the views at the top.
We took a late afternoon 2 hour boat cruise on Milford Sound after our hike up to Lake Marion. It was pretty cold and cloudly but no rain yet so the views weren't quite as spectacular but it was still fun to get on the water. 
We took a small boat out on the water with a 80 passenger capacity as compared to most of the other tourist boats that were twice the size. It was much quieter and not too many tourists. 
This is a picture of another tourist boat getting a close encounter with a waterfall. The captain brought us very very close to the waterfalls. Some of them were gigantic and it was really cool to look up directly below them. The boat took us all the way out to the Tasman Sea and back and we saw seals basking on the rocks and a group of dolphins enjoying the wake of our boat. 

Northland, North Island, New Zealand

I am here at the Auckland Airport waiting to board to come home. Yes our trip has come to a close. It has gone by so fast. I thought I would do one last post before we leave. 

On sunday we flew from Christchurch to Auckland, hired a car and drove north to the tip of the country. It takes about 5 hours to drive to the tip but we did it more leisurely, stopping alot to see the sights and shop. We spent one night in the Bay of Islands which is on the east coast of the tip and then two nights at a little surfing town of Ahipara on the west coast. We really liked Ahipara. It was located at the start of 90 mile beach which is an endless beach with hard sand for driving on and not many buildings around. It is not actually 90 miles long though. Apparently this weekend there is a marathon on the beach. Too bad we will miss it. 

We found lots of arts and crafts to shop for in all the little towns and our last full was spent on 90 mile beach boogie boarding, swimming and relaxing on it after taking a 1 1/2 hr run down the beach right from our backpackers. The last night was totally clear with no clouds which made for great viewing of the southern hemisphere stars. It was a great end to the trip with no rain lots of sunshine and warmth but a few sunburns! 

Our last night in Ahipara enjoying the sunset and a bourbon and coke.
The very very remote beach on the karikari penisula driving to Ahipara. Only us and the birds. Very peaceful.
A very tasty breakfast we enjoyed at the treaty grounds near the Bay of Islands. It was a pancake pileup with blackberry sauce, mango compote, yogurt and bacon. Some of the best pancakes I have ever eaten. The kiwis like to but bacon on all their pancake meals.
One of our lunch stops along the way-pork and salami make your own sandwich at Cable bay near Cooper's Beach. The seagulls really wanted to eat our food as John tempted them with chips.
Our backpackers lodge in Ahipara. We loved this place. It was right next to the beach and we could see and hear the waves from our room.

More Ball Pass

 So I couldn't resist adding more photos. I got so many great shots. This is only a very small showing!

This is a view of the Hooker Glacier from the track coming down the Hooker Valley on the other side of the Pass. The picture does not do is justice. It was huge and really cool to look down on it.
Walking down the Hooker Valley with Stephan, our guide, in front followed by Anatoily and John with my tagging behind taking photos.
John in full gear-helmet, ice axe, harness- at the top of the Pass anticipating the long descent down.
Kea in mid hop from rock to rock. I liked this shot because it shows the colors under his wing!
Another view of the Caroline Hut with the toliet just down to the right. 

Photos of Ball Pass Crossing

Here are some more pictures from the trek.

Our first lunch break on Day 1 only 45 minutes into the walk which was mellow. After lunch the steep climb began. It was a beautiful valley. We were sitting right above the Tasman Glacier which is the largest glacier in New Zealand.
Mt Cook from the ridge climbing up to the top of Ball Pass just as the sun was coming up. The mountain is the tallest in New Zealand reaching 13,766 feet high.
John early in the morning just as the sun was coming up on Day 3 just about an hour above the Caroline Hut heading up to the summit of the Pass.
Me in front of what I believe is Mt Minert on Day 1.
Mt Tasman at sunset on Day 2 from right outside the hut. The rock face in front is Mt Cook. We were hearing huge ice and snow avalanches come crashing down the Caroling face of Mt Cook just as the colors of the sunset peaked!

Ball Pass Crossing, Southern Alps

So we just got back from a 3 day trek in the Southern Alps crossing over Ball Pass which takes as close to Mt Cook as possible without climbing it. It was an amazing trip. It was a guided trip as it would have been very very difficult to do it alone and by doing it with a company we were able to stay at their private hut up on the mountain. Yes they own a hut on top of a mountain in a National Park. The hut was called the Caroline hut and was built in 1991. It was very cozy and incredible views. We had two guides with us and two other clients. The hut had sleeping bags and some food so all we carried in our packs was some clothing, water and some fresh food. 

Day 1 consisted of meeting our guide early in the morning to organize gear and then drive one hour to where the walk would start. This took a while and we did not start walking until about 1130. Our climb up to the hut was very steep and we had to do some rock scrambling which was difficult with heavy packs. Awesome views the entire way despite clouds. We made it to Caroline hut about 4 pm and started the fireplace to warm up along with tea and cookies. Dinner was eaten soon thereafter and then a game of cards before bedtime.

Day 2 we would just do a day hike from the hut and then back to the hut for the evening before climbing over the pass and down into the Hooker Valley the next day. We headed up towards the summit of the pass and then up a small peak next to Mt Cook. Stefan (our guide) showed us how to use crampons and a roping system we would use to cross some ice, snowy spots the next day. It was another great day with awesome views and we were back to hut about 4 to relax and enjoy the place. We had a great sunset.

Day 3 was an very early start waking at 530 and leaving the hut by 7. Sunrise was amazing and the almost full moon was still out. It was going to be a sunny day! We headed up to the summit of the pass which took 2 hours and then down the very long downhill into the Hooker Valley. We had to rope up across a couple of sections that were steep and icy. It was a long day hiking 9 1/2 hours but more incredible views and the weather was great. We got back to the car about 430.

Some random photos from the trip. More to come.

This are Kea birds which are alpine parrots. They were surrounding our huts and making crazy noises. They were very curious and would come right up to you.
The group- Stefan, John, Me and Anatoily (from russia but lives in New York). Mt Sefton in the background.
Inside Caroline hut. John relaxing and reading.
Sunset right outside the door.
John and I taking a break to enjoy the views.

Queenstown, New Zealand

We just returned from having dinner on the wharf in Queenstown and thought I would post some more photos from biking. Our total distance for the 8 days was about 600 kms. That's the most biking I have done in 8 consecutive days!

Lunch break on Day 5 right before our climb up Haast Pass.
Rainbow views from the road just after leaving Makarora early in the morning.
John just before our last few climbs into Makaroa. See the blue sky!
The famous venison burger at Bushman's Centre. Wish I could eat one again.
A much needed water break halfway up Haast pass. It was rather hot and the water was freezing!

Tomorrow we are headed to Milford Sound after we do some shopping around Queenstown!

8 Day Biking Tour West Coast, New Zealand from Christchurch to Queenstown

We just finished our bike tour down the west coast and access to computers was scarce. We started our biking in Christchurch on the 27th. We hired all our equipment over here from a company called Natural High including the bikes, panniers, helmets, tools, tubes, etc. Our journey did not start until the next day when we headed over to the train station from our backpackers on very heavy loaded bikes. This was a first for both of us touring on bikes. It took a while getting used to riding such a heavy bike.

So day 1 we took the Trans Scenic train from Christchurch to Greymouth with our bikes in storage. It was a 4 1/2 hr ride through the mountains. Unfortunately it was rainy and so the views were not great. We arrived in Greymouth, changed into out biking gear and were off. Departure time was about 230 and it was still pouring rain. We only had to go 40kms and it was pretty flat but very very wet. Night one was spent in the small town of Hokitka.

Day 2 woke up again to a very rainy day after the night seemed like a hurricane came through. Not too excited to get back on the bike to be wet all day and ride for 72 kms. We sucked it up and headed out about 10am with our destination being Hari Hari. Rain and wind on and off all day with a giant downpour just as we got into town. The highlight of the day was our lunch stop at the Bushman's Centre where we got the most tasty and interesting vension burger.

Day 3 woke up to some pieces of blue sky amongst the clouds after another night of downpour. Today we were biking to the very small and remote coastal town of Okarito. The ride was about 60kms. It rained on and off again but as we rolled onto the coast it started to clear. This spot was beautiful and probably one of our favorites. Very quiet, no shops, no restaurants, no bars, but a beautiful coastline and we stayed in our own self contained cabin facing the water. Okarito is also a very popular spot for spotting kiwis at night. We didn't see any but we had an amazing sunset on the beach.

Day 4 woke up to completely clear sky. Thank goodness! Today we biked to Fox Glacier which was about 60 kms. The first two hours were mellow and we were so grateful for sun and our first views of the Southern Alps. We stopped in Frans Josef for lunch and back on our bikes for the final 20kms push to Fox. However, this took us much longer than anticipated as the hills we climbed were never ending and steep. This was our first taste of pulling a heavy bike up steep inclines. Luckily the last bit was downhill into town. Fox Glacier was full of tourists with the main attraction being the glacier. 

Day 5 would be our longest day with 120 kms of riding to the town of Haast. The morning was crystal clear again with more magnificent views of the Southern Alps. We were both very anxious about the long day. By the time we made it to Haast, we had been on our bikes for about 9 hrs and did not get to town until 630pm. The highlights of today were the salmon farm cafe where we got lunch and had a yummy salmon sandwich and the ride down the coast with beautiful views. We were totally exhausted. It felt great to shower and get some food.

Day 6 was another brutal day of climbing over a very steep mountain pass. We were heading to Makarora.  It was only 82 kms but the killer Haast Pass was 10 kms of climbing up 600 meters on a very hot day. It was a beautiful ride through a river valley and no rain! 

Day 7 we knew some rain was coming today but it turned out not too bad and some great views in the morning with misty clouds over the mountains and the sun peeking through. We had rainbows on and off over the lakes which made for some great photos. Today we were headed to Wanaka and only 65 kms of riding past two giant lakes- Wanaka and Hawea. We rolled into town about 230pm enough time to clean up and do some shopping. This was another favorite place. The town was an alpine village right on the lake.

Day 8 our last day. Our ride would take us to Queenstown through the Cardrona Valley over the Crown Range which is the highest highway in New Zealand. Fortunately, the weather was nice again. After getting a latte in the town we headed out early. The climb was not too bad and more gradual until about 5 kms from the summit when it got much steeper with no breaks. We both made it without stopping and we had great cloudy views of Queenstown. The downhill into town was very steep and zigzagged alot which made for tired hands from braking so hard. We arrived into Queenstown late afternoon, checked into our backpackers and headed down to town to return the bikes. It was very sad to give them up and we are not looking forward to getting back in the car. We had an amazing but exhausting experience on the bikes. We got to view New Zealand from a much different perspective. It is definitely something I would love to do again.

So here are so random photos taken during our bike tour.

Our morning ritual of stopping for Lattes before heading out in the morning. They definitely gave us a burst of energy.

Sunset along the beach in Okarito.

Me powering up the hill over the Crown Range into Queenstown.

Matheson Lake from reflection island in Fox Glacier at 8am in the morning. Southern Alps in the background.

Bruce Bay-Snack stop during our longest day from Fox Glacier to Haast-120 kms and 9 hrs.