Hiking/Trekking

Far, Far Away

Posted by pdittman on November 26th, 2019 in '19 - New Zealand

From all our research, there were an amazing number of trails to choose from on the south island, so it seemed like a likely “target” – providing many opportunities for adventure. Of course, first we had to get there – no small feat when it’s nearly halfway around the world!

We decided to center our adventure in Queenstown, giving us relatively easy access to Milford Sound, the southern section of Mount Aspiring national park, and access to parts of the Milford Track and the Routeburn Track – two of the Great Walks of New Zealand.

Oh, and lets not forget that some nearby vineyards – which we’d heard about from a fellow traveler we met while in Sydney!

All of the locations shown are within easy driving distance from Queenstown.

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Queenstown Hill

After our morning hike/walk around Lake Alta, we wanted to get out and stretch our legs a bit more. This walk was a great option. And while its name suggests something small, compared to say, Queenstown Mountain, or Queenstown Summit, this walk amounted to about 1500ft elevation gain over about 2 miles – not insignificant. As we’d been experiencing, NZ had many “big bang for the buck” hikes – Queenstown Hill was no exception. The trailhead was literally in a

Lake Alta

This began our fifth full day in New Zealand. We’d had three solid days of trekking, on the Ben Lomond, Roy’s Peak, and Routeburn tracks, each with some fairly significant mileage and elevation gain, followed by a full “zero” day, where we enjoyed some local vineyards and a touristy visit to Arrowtown. We were looking for a bit easier day – not quite a “zero”, but something without the bigger elevation and mileage numbers. Lake Alta sounded like a perfect fit – near Queenstown,

Milford Track

It was the Milford track, and the connection with Jeanne’s hometown of Milford Connecticut, that really sparked this whole trip. No, we’re not going to create a list of all the “Milford” locations in the world, but this was really peaked our interest – Milford, trekking, vacation – a trifecta of enjoyment! Multi-day trekking is a different kind of experience – carrying all of one’s gear to cover many different weather conditions, brings in additional planning. Doing all that when

Routeburn Track

With soaring mountain peaks, huge valleys, waterfalls and jewel-like lakes the Routeburn Track is another of New Zealand’s Great Walks. It follows a point-to-point path from the Routeburn shelter on Glenorchy (Lake Wakatipu) to the Divide on the road to Milford Sound, linking the Mount Aspiring National Park with Fiordland National Park. The plan was to begin at the Routeburn Shelter trailhead, north of Glenorchy, make our way to the Routeburn Falls hut, and return on the same path – roughly a 12

Roy’s Peak Track

This hike got all sorts of rave reviews in AllTrails and the other hiking apps. Part of the appeal was the switch-backs – while a bit on the boring side, it tends to diminish the steep elevation gains. A bit plus for this hike, while completely exposed, it promised some amazing views AND the closeness of Wanaka provided a bit of an after-hike “reward”. Early research showed this was another track with some stunning photos – listed as one of

Milford Sound

One of the highlights of our trip, and a cornerstone in its planning was visiting Milford Sound – special for Jeanne having grown up in Milford, CT. We were fortunate and splurged a bit to find accommodations at the Milford Sound Chalet – basically the only accommodations in area. Not much in the way of hiking opportunities, this was really just a time to relax and recharge from the natural beauty of the surrounds. Not noted for nice weather, we

Ben Lomond Track

This was our first full day in New Zealand – and while we’d been on the other side of the world for a few days already, our biological clocks were still a bit off. Even so, we wanted to get out on the trail – and this trek had a starting point which was within walking distance from our AirBnB. Remember, driving in NZ is on the other side of the road – we were still getting the swing of

Lake Marian

After the torrential rains and winds we experienced the day before, we were blessed with another beautiful day as we left Milford Sound. Packing up and saying goodbye to the area, we headed out, stopping for one final look at the tunnel separating what felt like serenity from the rest of the world. Shortly afterward, we arrived at the trailhead parking area and got geared up. Heading out, we see, surprise, a bridge and stream crossing! As we’d been coming

Keplar Track

Following our wonderful few days in Milford Sound, and on our last full day in New Zealand, we stayed in Te Anau, which was on our way back to Queenstown. Unlike the point-to-point routes of the Milford and Routeburn tracks, the Keplar track is a 3-4 day, roughly 60km loop with a trailhead not far from Te Anau. We knew we couldn’t do the whole loop, so we decided on a section, departing from Te Anau, headed southward or clockwise