Photo Friday: Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Yes, I know, Photo Friday is happening on Saturday this week. I've been very busy writing that new novel! This will probably be the last of the reports from New Zealand, freeing me to start in on the travels we've done in the US since returning!

As we made our way up the North Island to meet our flight home from Aukland, we were able to explore one of the most striking New Zealand landscapes: Tongariro National Park. Picking just enough photos for a blog post was very, very hard.

New Zealand's oldest National Park, Tongariro is also a World Heritage site preserving Maori culture. We would look into some of that later. For our time in the park, we merely tried to be sensitive about hiking around a mountain sacred to the Maori people (Ngauruhoe). The Tongariro Northern Circuit, most of which we hiked, starts out between Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe, and circles the latter. Part of the hike, along the northern side of Ngauruhoe, is also part of the insanely popular Tongariro Crossing, which has justifiably (but regrettably) been touted as one of the best dayhikes in the world. As a result, even in the late-season when we were there (April), the crowds on the Crossing are dismaying.

Our departure was delayed for a day by high winds, which closed the high saddle over Red Crater, intended to be part of our first day's hike. We were able to cobble together a trip going the other direction, starting a day later, however.

We started under clear skies, though the wind was chilly. A mile or two brought us to the impressive Taranaki Falls, where the creek drops off the edge of a lava flow.

Taranaki Falls, a nice dayhike from Whakapapa Village

Not far from the falls, we caught up with the front, and the sun and wind changed to... snow and wind.

Ruapehu came and went behind us as the snow-flurries moved in and out.

About ten miles brought us to Waihohonu Hut, where we could watch the sun set on both Ngaurahoe and Ruapehu. The views, combined with the amenities of the very new hut, made this one of the two best we stayed in during our whole time in NZ.

Sunset and fresh snow on Ngauruhoe

Sunset colors snow both old and new on Ruapehu

Not surprisingly, the night was cold (the hut, however, was fairly warm, thanks to an efficient wood stove). In the morning, everything was frosted (including the steps up to the outhouses--watch out!).

Waihohonu Hut, with solar panels, view windows, and a lot of frost.

The ground that had been wet from the storm the previous afternoon froze. In places, long, delicate crystals formed under the surface, pushing the outer layer of dirt aside.

2" long ice crystals in the dirt

Morning light on Ngauruhoe reflected in the windows of the hut.

The next day's hike was quite a bit shorter, but the views started as soon as we'd climbed out of the trees, and they basically didn't stop. We topped out the ridge above the hut and enjoyed the sweeping view of Ruapehu (which at the time we thought might be our last).

After dropping through a beautiful forest (where we were protected from the wind on that frosty morning, and the birds were singing--something we didn't hear much of on this tramp), we climbed another ridge, and began crossing the vast moonscape that surrounds Ngauruhoe on at least two sides.

Note the line of blue poles telling us where to go.

The hike was shorter in miles, but the scenery and the ups and downs through the volcanic landscape meant it still took us all morning. We reached the Oturere hut in time for lunch, and to be almost the first to arrive, as most people were hiking the other direction (and thus had a much longer and harder hike).

Another hut in a stunning setting, though in contrast to the previous hut, this one was small, dark, and crowded, and you had to go outside to enjoy the views.

In an effort to beat the dayhikers who would be climbing over Red Crater on the Tongariro Crossing (as many of 5000 in peak season; we would count about 1000 that day), we started as soon as it was light. That also meant hiking though an other-worldly landscape under low morning sun.

First man on Mars?

As the sun rose, so did we, drawing ever closer to the steaming vents at the saddle by the Emerald Lakes.

A detour to the Blue Lake, a kilometer off our route, had us approaching the mountain and the Emerald Lakes across a lava field.

Looking over Red Crater to the volcano, which last erupted in 1977. We saw wisps of steam coming from vents near the summit (for the record, Seattle's Mt. Rainier also has steam coming from vents on the summit).

The Emerald Lakes lived up to their names, turned brilliant green by the minerals washed out of the steam vents. They are sacred, so are not to be swum in, but it would be foolish to do so in any case (due to the minerals), as well as probably destructive of their beauty.

The track up the cinder cone (Red Crater) looks benign, but is actually very steep, and the cinders are loose and deep. It's a workout!

We finally summitted Red Crater not long after the first wave of (most fit and/or most early-rising) dayhikers arrived. It would have been nice to be there ahead of them, but we couldn't quite do it.

Into the crater. If you see anything other than an old steam vent, for shame!

Looking NE, we could see past the Blue Lake to the much larger (and lower) Lake Taupo, sometimes called the Tahoe of NZ. You can just make out water and islands beyond the hill.

Heading down the other side, we had ample opportunity to note how many of the people struggling up were probably in over their heads. The signs in the outhouses do their best to filter out those people and prevent the need for rescues (an effort that keeps the number of rescues to... two per week).

As we were going down, opposite the direction of the dayhikers, it was comforting to know that the easy part was starting.

By the time we were getting near the Mangatepopo hut (and a half hour beyond it, the car park where we hoped to pick up a ride), the shuttles had long since dropped off their last passengers, and we had the track more or less to ourselves again. That gave us the chance to contemplate the minerals turning the water on this side of the mountain red-orange, rather than green.

The end of a long hike.

We had to wait a little while, but found some hikers willing to give us a lift back to our car. Another six miles of walking would have taken us there under our own power, but somehow our feet said no.


I'll leave you with a very hopeful sign! There are too few places in NZ (and thus anywhere in the world) where you might need a warning sign about kiwis crossing the road. We didn't see or hear any where we hiked, but it's good to know they are out there, in the more kiwi-friendly parts of the park!

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2019
As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated!

Photo Friday: South Island Road trip, Part I

Still working my way through the photos from our time in New Zealand! Back in late February, we did a trip from Christchurch down the east coast of South Island all the way to Invercargill, then up to Te Anau, the launching point for our Milford Track tramp. I've picked a few highlights from the trip south, into an area that gets a lot less attention than many parts of the island. We weren't sure what we'd find, but we found more than enough to fill our 4 days

Oamaru: Steampunk HQ
This trip included not only our 21-y.o. son, but a friend of his as well (I'll call him Friend B). It was in part with the boys in mind that we planned a visit to Steampunk Headquarters. We didn't regret it.

At the entrance. Kind of a Mad Max feel.

 Out back there were a lot of interesting machines welded together from stray parts and a lot of imagination.

Definitely a Mad Max feel.

 One of the fun things was the Metagalactic pipe organ, which played sounds picked up from around the universe when the keys were pressed.

Friend B playing the organ. In a way, I was sorry the pipes weren't hooked up!

Moeraki Boulders
These spherical rocks are concretions of Paleolithic mudstone. I'll let you look it up yourself if you want more specifics about how that worked, but the result is fascinating spheres that have eroded out along the beach by Moeraki, like giant dragon eggs.

As you can see, they are near to hatching. 

This one hatched, but the baby dragon was long gone.

Dunedin--the Otago Peninsula
Dunedin town was mostly a place to spend the night, though it's an attractive setting and if we'd had more time, a bit of an explore of NZ's most Scottish city would have been fun! The real attraction for us was the Otago Peninsula, renowned for wildlife and spectacular beaches.

Allen's Beach was justly renowned for being a glorious expanse of beach. We had to walk wide around the occasional seal or sea lion.

Eldest Son looking small in the vast expanse of sky and sand.

In other places, the kelp clings like a hula skirt to the rocks.

Sandfly Beach was another noted for the sand, surf, and seals.

A nice breeze kept the namesake insects from being nasty.

We drove up Sandymount, between Allen's Beach and Sandfly Beach, for great views of the area.

A two or three mile hike around the Sandymount took us to various scenic features, like this arch dubbed "Lovers' Leap."

We eventually continued our journey south, stopping not far along to admire the Nugget Point lighthouse.

It's fully automated now, but I'd assume someone still needs to polish the lenses.

The Catlins (Cathedral Caves, McLean Falls, Petrified Forest, Slope Point)
The Catlins is the farthest-south region of South Island, encompassing both the Catlins Forest Park and some amazing coastline with a few hidden gems. We stayed two nights in Fortrose so we could spend an entire day exploring. Since at least two stops were dependent on the tides, we had to time things carefully.

Cathedral Caves are aptly named, as the sea-caves have vast vaulted ceilings. Openings are accessible only for a couple hour each side of low tide, so visitation is concentrated.

Openings of two of the caves, which connect farther back in.

 The cliffs are limestone, which lends itself well to cave formation.

Eldest Son and Friend B rounding the point to look for more caves (they found them).

Some of the cracks didn't look promising, but led far back under the cliffs.

Eldest Son disappears into the depths.

Go toward the light!

As this post has become terribly long, I am going to break it here and continue next week!

Patterns in a beach stream

 ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2019
As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated!

Photo Friday: Paddling and Hiking Abel Tasman NP

It's been a while since I got out a photo post, but I haven't forgotten that I've a bunch of trips and sights still to share! I also realize I still haven't shared a couple of other trips we did before this one, including the Milford Track, but since I've started here, I'll do this and get back to the others.

Our visit to Abel Tasman National Park on the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand (got all that? :D) was a special one. We broke from our standard hiking pattern, as well as from the huts, and rented kayaks and reserved spaces in the beach-front camping grounds. The three-night, four-day trip involved two days of kayaking, then two days hiking back.

Abel Tasman is probably the most heavily visited of New Zealand's national parks, with as many as 5-7000 people on the water, beaches, and trails on a peak-season day. I could see why (and was glad that we were a bit off the peak).

On the drive north from Christchurch, we spent 5 or 10 minutes waiting while this crew figured out how to get their very oversized load around the curve at the end of the one-lane bridge. New Zealand driving has its own challenges!

After getting into camp in Marahau just at dark, we grabbed a quick dinner and a night's sleep. Our trip began early on the first day, with a quick orientation from the rental company, and an even quicker on-water test to see if we could paddle the kayak.

Our first effort went well, but we were missing a crucial element.

A second attempt went better, and we passed our on-water test and headed out with food and gear for 4 days loaded into the boat.

Photos on the water are all done with my somewhat antique cell phone. Apologies for the quality!

The route up the coast included several islands that serve as nesting and resting areas for birds and seals, as well as for kayakers unused to spending long stretches in the boat. We were happy to reach our first stop on Fisherman's Island, both because we needed to get out and because our long crossing of Sandy Bay was a bit more wind-blown than was comfy for rank amateurs just starting out. We enjoyed wading in the water, as ocean temperatures were mild and the day warm.

A short time later, we stopped at Adele Island to enjoy a snack, the bird life, and a little psyching up for the "Mad Mile" we'd have to traverse to get to camp.

Making sure the boat is well above the tide, which in fact was going out.

Going to launch the boat again on the lee side of the sandspit where we'd stopped, we discovered just how heavy that boat full of food and gear was. Happily, we were able to team up with another couple who'd stopped there, and four of us managed to drag the two boats over to launch. 

The Mad Mile proved well within our ability, and we soon landed at our night's lodging. The campsite at Te Pukatea was small, so it had a wilderness feel we got nowhere else in the Park.

Te Pukatea Bay was about as perfect as you could get.

We had time for a walk before dinner, and a 2 or 3 mile loop took us to visit the giant, bustling campsite at nearby Anchorage.

In the forest

Sunrise from camp

Day two saw us back in the boat early. The idea was to do the paddling in the mornings, before the wind picked up in the afternoons, and it worked especially well the second day. We enjoyed cool temperatures and calm water (especially appreciated when we were doing our awkward landings and launches).

Our route to camp 2 was not that long, so we had plenty of time to explore some beautiful lagoons on the way. Happily, Sandfly Bay didn't live up to its name, and we enjoyed the calm water.

Deep into Sandfly Bay for a preview of the trail we'd hike out.

Bark Bay had another large campsite on the sandspit, but we paddled farther in and enjoyed the quiet, making it back to the entrance just in time to avoid an awkward portage over the bar!

Another hour of paddling, and we rounded Foul Point and crossed more open(ish) water to circle Tonga Island. The law said to keep 5 boat lengths off to protect the seals and birds, but that was close enough to enjoy the wildlife. The rocky shore didn't exactly beckon for a landing in any case! Finally, after our longest span in the boat, we drove right in to Onetahuti Beach for our camp, and managed our most graceless landing yet. My bum had gotten so stiff sitting on the hard kayak seat and pushing the rudders that my legs wouldn't work right! I narrowly avoided taking a swim right there (which wouldn't have been that bad except for the embarrassment. The water was nice, but there were too many witnesses).

This campsite was quite a bit larger, and much busier, though we got there before most people (in time for lunch) so got our choice of tent site.

I always like a room with a view.

 After lunch, the water taxi came and hauled away our boat. It was feet from here out.

A little sad to see it go. We enjoyed the paddling, and it was much faster than hiking.

 Again, we took the afternoon for a modest hike, following the Abel Tasman Track on to the north until we reached a viewpoint that allowed us to gaze off into eternity. We caught a glimpse of the long sandspit that is the northwesternmost bit of South Island. Beyond that, continuing in a straight line, you might just catch the north end of North Island. If you missed that, you'd keep going until you ran into eastern Siberia. 

My camera couldn't pick up Siberia, so I stuck with Awaroa Bay. That's the last pick-up for water taxis, and as far as rental kayaks are allowed. I suspect the coast, and the track, get a lot wilder from there.

 The main track is pretty much a highway, complete with some fantastic bridges.

Avoiding a wade across the end of the estuary.

The Onetahuti campsite is well-used, and the wekas (chicken-sized flightless birds with a taste for people-food and trouble) know it. Here and the next night, at Anchorage, pretty much anything that wasn't nailed down and zipped in was subject to theft by weka. We speculated that there must be quite a bit of trash in the woods around the camp, because we stopped several thefts from other peoples' camps, and were unable to stop several more. Most of what they took wasn't edible (like our map, which we got back).

A weka pulling snacks from an unattended pack.

The next morning saw us loading our packs and hitting the trail/track in the more usual way. We still wanted an early start, since even with the season shifting on towards fall it was plenty warm at mid-day. In any case, the light is best early and late.

It was interesting to walk back along the coast we'd paddled. Particularly fun was crossing the high bridge and taking the trail around the back of the lagoon at Bark Bay.

We'd paddled into this just 24 hours before.

We bypassed the chance for a 4-mile RT detour to Cascade Falls (by this point in our NZ trip, we'd seen a LOT of waterfalls!), but dropped our packs and took the shorter trip to Cleopatra's Pool. Lots of folks dayhike there from Anchorage after boating in, so it wasn't a solitary spot. If it had been, I'd've been skinny-dipping in there!

Even with the detour, we managed to reach camp by early afternoon, and were able once again to pick a site with a water view. It was a bit of a madhouse for much of the day.

Serious kayak parking lot.

Once the last water taxis left, however, things got a lot quieter and we enjoyed a peaceful night--aside from periodic weka attacks, which fortunately ceased with darkness. In the morning, the beach which had been teeming the previous afternoon was utterly deserted when we started off at 7.

For a coastal walk, we found that the track did a lot of climbing and descending. One of the biggest climbs was up from Anchorage (the other biggest was just before dropping into it at the end of the previous day), but the view back was worth it.

Looking back in the early light.

The last day's hike was the least scenic, but it was still worthwhile as we circled above one cove after another. Nonetheless, we were happy to reach the trail's end (or beginning), though we had to flip a coin to see who'd walk another 3/4 of a mile to get the car (actually, I volunteered, as my husband was having foot issues).

 

Another trip successfully concluded! The kayak rental included showers at the end of our trip, even though our boats had been returned two days before. So we were able to eat lunch in a civilized manner before driving to Picton to catch the ferry for the North Island.

Half fish & chips, half vegetable sandwich. Our last meal on South Island.

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2019

As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated!

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