Continuation of Active New Zealand Rimu Multi-Sport
Okarito - Makarora - Queenstown - Milford Sound - Mount Cook National Park
fuschia
Hoktika - we stopped here to visit the Jade Factory & to just do a little shopping in general
this map shows why we had to do a lot of riding in the bus--there is no direct road to Mt Cook from the west coast & no road down the west coast to Milford Sound--we had to go through Queenstown
Okarito is a small town with only about 30 inhabitants & Active New Zealand bought this B&B so its guests would have somewhere to stay.
the B&B consisted of several different houses--this is the one I stayed in
the highlight of the visit to Okarito for me was a sea kayak trip in the Okarito Lagoon
we paddled up the lagoon and then followed a river until it simply disappeared then we had to turn around and return
we hiked UP the Trig Walk to the viewpoint and then continued on the coastal walk to The 3 Mile Lagoon
the Okarito Lagoon as seen from Trig Point
the ocean as seen from the trail to 3 Mile Lagoon
The Homestead at Makarora--VERY comfortable & it is one of two places I stayed in on both trips
before dinner snacks prepared by Jacqui
Jacqui fixing dinner
it was chilly at night & the fire felt good
view from the road of Lake Wanaka
on the way to Queenstown we stopped & did a short loop hike--up, across, and down Mt Iron
Mt Iron is one of several hills and islands in the Wanaka area that portray the sculpting impact of glaciers. Upstream faces have been rounded and streamlined into distinctive hump backed shapes that give rise to the geological name, roche moutonnée (sheep rock). On the downstream side the rock faces are steep and craggy caused by the overriding ice working its way into cracks in the rock and splitting off boulders.
a Manuka tree, which is the name of the next 14-day Active New Zealand trip that I will be taking
An 1857 watercolor of Lake Wanaka. The view is from Mt. Grandview. Mt. Iron is depicted near the center of the painting. The sharp mountain is Black Peak.
views from the top of Mt Iron
Queenstown (
'fit for a queen') is set amongst some of the most scenic spots in New Zealand with breathtaking views of the Remarkable and Eyre mountains and snuggled against lake Wakatipu. The area was settled by sheep farmers in the mid 1850's but in 1862 two shearers discovered gold on the banks of the Shotover river creating a rush of prospectors to the area. Within 12 months Queenstown was a vibrant mining town of several thousand people with four paddle steamers and many other boats plying Lake Wakatipu.Today it has a population of about 8,500 and is
the adventure capital of New Zealand. You can bungy jump (choice of 4 sites), jet boat, raft, pan gold, hike, ride a horse, fly by wire, hang glide, 4WD, mountain bike, rock climb, follow a wine trail, join a lake cruise or scenic flight, water ski, yacht, ice skate, play Frisbee golf, etc. The Remarkables have three mountain basins that have been developed into a commercial ski area and some of Australasia's best skiing and snowboarding options exist on Coronet Peak and the Remarkables, with their fine powder snow and amazing vistas.In Queenstown we stayed for 2 nights at the Beech Cove Apartments--Seven fully detached fully equipped villas set in 2.5 hectares of bush on the edge of Lake Wakatipu & 3 kms from Queenstown
Beech Cove
Beech Cove
a group picture on the balcony of one of the apartments
a view from my balcony
ditto
Lake Wakatipu--to get to Queenstown from our lodgings we hiked along the lake (the Remarkables can be seen in the background)
Val's birthday occurred the night we were in Queenstown
As we drove through Eglinton Valley towards Milford Sound the first cycling opportunity occurred--the 50 mile ride mentioned in the itinerary became a 40 km ride (however, it rained & only Robert finished so the length wasn't important)
Steve, Val, & Jody
a waterfall on the trail up to Key Summit
i
t started raining before we reached The Divide and continued raining on the hike up to Key Summit--after the hike waterfalls were coming down everywhere as we drove into Milford Sound
some of the backpackers cooking dinner in the communal kitchen at Milford Lodge
the lounge area of the Lodge
my room
the view the next morning
Milford Sound is not actually a sound but is a fiord by definition. A fiord is a valley which has been inundated by the sea as the result of glaciers eroding the valley floor below today's sea level. Milford Sound is the most accessible of 14 fiords in the Fiordland National Park and one of the most spectacular. All 14 were erroneously named sounds by Captain Cook. The current population of Milford is less than 150. Hanging valleys carry fresh water through the rainforest and into the sea in majestic waterfalls. The rainfall is one of New Zealand's highest (6,240 mm or 245.67 inches annually). The road to Milford Sound is one of the world's finest alpine drives. From Te Anau the road winds down the Eglinton and Hollyford Valleys then through the Homer Tunnel to be met by Mitre Peak towering from the glassy waters of Milford Sound. Mitre Peak is a perfect cone when viewed from land, but it is part of a chain of peaks when seen from the water, and it is one of the world's tallest mountains which rise out of the sea.
The highlight of this visit was a 4-hour sea kayak trip.
all 8 of us are "rafted" together in front of Bowen Falls & the guide "Tex" Walker is taking the picture
Mitre Peak
we stopped to eat some "scroggins" (NZ trailmix) and this sea gull wanted a hand out
looking toward the end of the Milford Track
Mt. Pembroke
Shearers Cottage at the Braemar Sheep Station on Lake Pukaki with a GREAT view of Mt Cook
Mt Cook (3,754 meters or 12,316 feet high)
Mt Cook at sunrise
we encountered a New Zealand traffic jam on the way out to the main road
Aoraki means "cloud piercer" & is very approriate as the top often does pierce the clouds with the top & bottom showing but the middle covered by clouds
The magnificent alpine scenery has been formed by a combination of uplift and erosion. Rapid mountain building on the eastern side of the Alpine Fault line began about 2 million years ago. Present uplift is about 10 mm (.4") per year. However, the erosive forces of snow, ice, water, and climatic extremes have kept in balance with the uplift, creating the present rugged and spectacular landscape. The glaciers include five major valley systems: Godley, Murchison, Tasman, Hooker and Mueller. (Average rainfall is 157" a year and average # of rain days is 149 per year. )
On this my first visit to Mt. Cook we all started the climb to Mueller Hut. However, we didn't leave until 10:30 and were told that we had to turn around at 2:30 and be down by 4:30. Since the hike is shown as 3 hours 10 minutes one way and 5-7 hours round trip. I thought it "might" be possible. After reaching Sealy Tarns in 2 hours I realized that although I might be able to get to Mueller Hut (except for stopping short of the scramble over scree and snow) in 4 hours that I would be unable to descend on that type of trail in 2 hours. Actually only 3 of us make it all the way to Mueller Hut.
Congratulations John, Robert, & Jody!
the view down the valley on the trail UP
view from trail
this & the next 2 are views of Mt Sefton from Sealy Tarns
valley with Heritage Lodge on the right
Heritage Lodge with Zoom
Mt. Cook from Heritage Cafe
our last dinner on the Rimu trip back at the Braemar Sheep Station
After dinner we found out what a "Tim Tam Slam" is. Tim Tam is the name of a chocolate covered biscuit bar. First, you bite off two opposite corners. Then you stick one end in your mouth and the other end in a hot drink (hot chocolate or coffee) and suck some of the hot drink through the wafer.
The biscuit immediately starts melting and you quickly raise up and try to "slam" the entire biscuit into your mouth before part of it breaks and drops into the cup or your hand. It was very funny to watch each person try to do the "slam." When my turn came, I found out it tastes "very" good and I lucked out and was successful and did a good "slam."
we ended on a 2nd New Zealand traffic jam and this one included a shepherd (in a pickup truck) and 2 dogs
The tour ended where it began--in Christchurch--and I spent one night in a motel before starting the next 14-day hike (the Manuka) with Active New Zealand. All of the pictures of that trip aren't ready yet.
for pictures of other vacations return to the
Vacation Photos page
