Favorite Things

To take a line from a popular "Sound of Music" tune...

"These are a few of my favorite things".... about New Zealand.

1.  Backpacking the Milford Track.
Mark and I did the same trip 20 years ago, but it was such a great experience to take our girls backpacking on one of the Great Walks of New Zealand.  The overnight on the Milford Mariner capped off the trip.  The girls were so ready for something other than noodles and it was a great example of Kiwi humor and hospitality, plus the food was really good.

The start of the Milford Track

Day 2, along the Clinton River, before the sandflies found us.

Water along the Milford Track is safe to drink without treating, here Mark (in bright blue), fills our water bottles.  You can see the source (the waterfalls) cascading down the mountain.  

Skyler making it on an uphill section to Mintaro Hut.
Although Fiordland was suffering a drought, it was still pretty green everywhere.

Looking up the Clinton River Valley to Mackinnon Pass.

Day 3:  at the Mackinnon Monument at the top of the pass.

Mackinnon Pass, high point, getting ready to start the very long downhill section.

Day 4: Sunrise on the Arthur River Valley.

Family shot at Mackay Falls.

Mackay Falls

Another swinging bridge, over the Arthur River.

A small section of the big "Fern Umbrella" tree.  Actually called Mamku or Pitau in Maori.

Dead frog pose at the end of the Milford Track.

The little red boat that will take us to the town of Milford Sound.
The only way to get to the Milford Track is by boat and the only way to get off of it, is by boat.

Sign at end of Milford Track, obviously some shoes don't go home with their owners.

Prior to boarding the Milford Mariner, notice that no other passengers are near us, we have just gotten off the Milford Track, 4 days of constant sweating and no showers.  We are looking forward to the hot showers on the boat!

Mark doing one of his favorite activities, kayaking, in Milford Sound.

Mark jumping off the boat into the Tasman Sea, he said it was warm.

Skyler getting ready to kayak faster than the sandflies in Milford Sound.

Debby in a kayak, the long sleeves did not deter the sandflies, only the sun.

Finally Mckayla gets to kayak!  Almost every kayak company had a 14 year minimum age requirement,
but she was able to kayak here in the Milford Sound.  Yeah!

Kayaking in Milford Sound.  Couldn't stop paddling or the sandflies would eat you alive, yikes!

Chilly morning on the Milford Mariner looking for dolphins and fur seals.

Stirling Falls in the background, Milford Sound.

Stirling Falls.  The legend says that if the spray gets on you, you will wake up looking younger the next day.  The water is 300 meters deep at this spot.  Our sailboat motored right up to the base of the falls.

Milford Sound, notice the glacier top right and palm looking trees in foreground.

Mckayla (aka card shark) beating Mark at another round of 5 card poker while waiting
for the shuttle in Milford Sound.

2.  Visiting beaches on both islands.
Experiencing a variety of beaches from black sand to white sand, to rocks and sea stacks was a definite highlight.  The oceans were a tad cold, but the girls did brave a swim in the South Pacific at Cathedral Cove.

The break at Opunake on the North Island (east coast).

Black sand beach at Mokau on the North Island (east coast).

Looking south at Mokau.

Pancake Rocks, west coast of South Island.

Pancake Rocks, west coast of South Island.

Nagaranui Beach, west coast of North Island.

Paekakariki Beach, west coast of North Island.

Sunrise, Tasman Bay, Abel Tasman National Park.

Sea Kayaking tour group, Anchorage Bay, Abel Tasman National Park.

Punakaiki Beach, west coast of South Island, just north of Paparoa National Park. 

Kaikoura, east coast of South Island.  

Coromandel Peninsula, east coast of North Island, the South Pacific Ocean.

Hahei Beach, east coast of North Island.

3.  Tongariro and Abel Tasman National Parks
Although the Tongariro Crossing was closed just after Red Crater due to volcano vent activity, it was still an impressive out and back hike (aka Mt. Doom).  The campground there was our top favorite of the entire trip.  We were hiking across a volcano but staying in a lush green forest setting at night.

Abel Tasman National Park is the most visited park in NZ (sound familiar GSMNP fans?), it is also the smallest.  This is where we noticed the most changes, tons of tours via water taxi, guided hikes and kayak tours and a lot more people in general.  Yet it is still a gorgeous location, one which we would visit again.

Sign at the start, notice the duct tape over the mileage due to the track crossing
being shortened because of volcanic vent activity.

It's hot, it's sunny, and we have to hike how far and up what?

Evidence of volcanic activity in the past.

Crossing South Crater.

Emerald Lakes, can't go any further on the track.  This picture doesn't show it, but we could see steam rising from the vents between here and Mt. Tongariro at several different vantage points during the hike.

Red Crater with Mt. Ngauruhoe (aka Mt. Doom) in the background.

Mt. Ruapehu, last eruption in 2007.  When we visited in 1993,  the volcano was cone shaped, not any more.

Mckayla contemplating the "March on Mordor", what we called the Devils' Staircase section of the hike.
The stairs went on and on and on....

Yeah, we can turn around and go down now!

Lunch with Mt. Ngauruhoe in the background.  There was no shade whatsoever.

End of the hike, finally resting in shade at the car park waiting for our shuttle.  Skyler finds the coolest spot.

Abel Tasman, view from Torrent Bay.

This is how they get the water taxis to the water at low tide.
Passenger actually ride in the boat on the way to and from the water.

View from swinging bridge on hike in Abel Tasman National Park down the Falls River.

Swinging bridge over the Falls River in Abel Tasman NP.

4.  Traveling in a Jucy Van and spending 24/7 with the family.
You would think that after a month of spending all of our time together in a van that we would be sick and tired of each other, but we weren't.  It was actually a great way to relax and enjoy the jokes, stories, and discuss what we were going to do and where we wanted to go next.  The campa van worked really well for getting us around NZ, providing us a place to sleep, and a way to cook meals.  The girls slept on the top pull out double bed and Mark and I had the fold out bed in the seating section.  It was quite cozy.  The van had a gas cooker, pots/pan/silverware/plates/bowls, cabinet/storage space, two pull out tables, a sink with water in a storage tank (not drinkable), power hook-up, and a small fridge.

First day in the Jucy campa van.  Mckayla dressed in the same color scheme, wasn't planned.

Two thumbs up campsite at Tongariro National Park.

Dinner in the campa.  Salad and probably pasta.

Reading the Hobbitt, preparing for a visit to Hobbitton, plus it was required for language arts homework.

Mckayla running and leaping from sandflies, no kidding.

Can you find our van?

Drying and airing rack for our hiking boots after the Milford Track.  Way stinky!

The girls always did the dishes, except for the morning of the cold scrambled eggs dare.
If they ate them, we did the dishes.  Their faces tell the story.

5.  Visiting movie location sites and Weta Cave (which Skyler has described in detail earlier), enjoying good cheese and chocolate (both girls have mentioned these), revisiting places from 20 years ago (Mark has posted pictures of these), toilets that have 2 flush modes (one for liquid and one for solids, no kidding, would like to put them in our house here), hot water dispensers in campground kitchens (no need to heat up water for coffee or Milo), kitchens, laundry facilities and hot showers at campgrounds, endless miles of sheep along every road, no billboards, funny warning signs, and of course the people of New Zealand.

What I won't miss?  Sandflies (I still have bites healing) and limited internet access.

There are places we didn't get to, people we didn't get to see in person, and things we didn't get to do, but in all, our month in New Zealand was a trip to remember.  The girls are already planning a 10 year anniversary return trip (the Milford Track is included, so I guess we didn't scar them too much with 4 days of backpacking and noodles).

Now it's time to return to our normal, daily routines.  At least until the next adventure...
Cheers!

**We shot video as well, once I have it edited and in a viewable version, I will post it on the blog, but it may be awhile.