Final Days in New Zealand

As the semester came to an end, our enthusiasm to travel was still thriving. We tried to make the most of our last couple weeks in New Zealand, even though the thought of finals loomed over our heads. While a couple of my girl friends headed to Wellington for the weekend, I stayed in Dunedin with Max, Luke, and Dave to see what kind of trouble we could get into.

We decided to take a trip to a winter hut about an hour and a half away. The night before we left, we found ourselves extremely bored and mischievous. We decided to pull a prank on the girls that had left. We discovered that they had all left their rooms open, and suddenly we thought up the greatest prank I have ever done in my life. We schemed a three-way room switch between Eliza, Ali, and Zoe. We took EVERYTHING from each room and reorganized it in someone else's room. Everything from the dirty clothes on the floor to the pictures on the wall, me moved it all. We replicated each girls room in a different location, and when they came back from Wellington they were confused, impressed, and a little bit mad.

The next morning the boys and I drove towards Middlemarch and started our climb to Big Hut. We hiked straight up a popular backcountry ski field and along the ridge to the hut. It was about 6km of extremely steep grass field that lead to an open ridge overlooking the valley. That night we stayed in the hut with a couple from the University of Otago. Big Hut is a popular destination for the Otago Ski Club and is fully equipped with a ping pong table. We had an epic ping pong tournament and Max ended up taking home the glory of champion.

The next morning we woke up to a trace of snow and the most intense wind I have ever seen. We whipped up some delicious breakfast burritos and bundled up for our trek back down to the car. As we got down off the ridge the sun began to shine and we embraced the great hike back down.

When we got back to Dunedin, finals started and we began to realize that our utopia of a semester was coming to an end. We had a great time in Dunedin cooking dinner, watching movies, and reminiscing on all our adventures. We all realized that the last five months was very unique, because we created a tight group of friends that explored New Zealand together. The memories we share from these adventures will always remind us that our semester abroad in New Zealand was a life-changing experience. With 6,000 miles of fun-filled road trips, late night camp fire stories, and some of the most incredible hikes of my life, I am grateful we took full advantage of our time in New Zealand. Every weekend we packed the car to the brim and hit the road to explore a new area of New Zealand's South Island. Most of all, I am grateful to have met such a fun-loving group of people. Leaving the most beautiful place in the world, my relaxed lifestyle, and my friends was not easy, but I look forward to going back to New Zealand.

Kepler Track

This last weekend was Luke's 21st birthday, so we celebrated by hiking the first part of the Kepler Track and spending a couple nights at Luxmore Hut. We left on Friday afternoon with 13 people for a great drive to Te Anau. That night we camped near Lake Te Anau, played an epic game of spud, and cooked dinner.

After some delicious breakfast burritos the next morning, we drove down the road to the trailhead. The first part of the trail followed the shore of Lake Te Anau and eventually turned into a series of steep switchbacks through the jungle. After lunch Luke, Eliza, Max, and I pushed ahead for the second half of the 16km and got to the hut in 4 hours. Luxmore Hut was a mansion compared to the huts we have stayed at in the past. It had 55 bunks, and we nearly had the whole place to ourselves.

Once everyone got to the hut we started celebrating Luke's 21st in proper fashion. The night was filled with whiskey slaps, card games, and brownie scramble. We have had about five 21st birthdays while in New Zealand, and every person has done exactly what they wanted. For Luke, spending the night in a hut in the middle of no where was exactly what he needed.












We all had a pretty late start the next morning. After some oatmeal and tea, we hung around the hut for awhile and said farewell to the majority of the group who had to get back to Dunedin. Luke, Max, and I decided to skip class on Monday and stay for one more night. That day we hiked to the summit of Mount Luxmore in the wind and rain. Although the view from the top wasn't the best, it was nice to get out. We had a relaxing day playing cards and farkel by the fire. We cooked up some great dinner and spent the rest of the night talking.

After a great night sleep we woke up to about 6 inches of snow. We were all so pumped to see snow! We had a speedy breakfast and packed up our gear to head out into the storm. We trekked for about 30 minutes through the snow along the ridge. The wind was blowing hard but we were all smiling the whole way down. When we got back to tree line the snow looked so majestic in the jungle. We made it back to the car park in 2 hours and 50 minutes and ate lunch under the shelter. On the drive back the boys let me sprawl out in the back and take a nap. All in all, it was an incredible weekend with the whole crew!

Mueller Hut

            This weekend we headed back to Mt. Cook for an adventure to Mueller Hut. Levi, another kid from St. Lawrence, joined us with his friends, Meredith and Shelby, who had been studying on the North Island for the past five months. After a big celebration for Melanie’s 21^st birthday, we left Dunedin around noon. We loaded up Peggy with five girls and had a beautiful drive all the way to White Horse Hill Campground near the Mt. Cook village.

     
We had our coldest night of the semester camping. We sat around cooking dinner and star gazing until we couldn’t bear the cold anymore. We woke up early to get our hut passes and start breakfast. Once the sun was out and the snow had softened up a bit, we hit the trail.

We started on the Sealy Tarns track, which consisted of 1,800 steep stairs that switch-backed straight up the hillside.  It was such a beautiful day, that we barely noticed how many stairs there were. When we were about half way up, we stopped for a great lunch overlooking the Hooker Glacier.

The next part of the track didn’t have a set trail, but we followed markers through the bush and up the snow-covered saddle. It was amazing to see snow again, and the views of the Hooker Valley were unreal. At the top of the saddle we walked out to an overlook where we had a complete 360-degree view of the area. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we were all so pumped to be in such an isolated place.

When we finally reached the hut, we spent the afternoon sitting in the sun drinking beer. The hut had about 30 bunks, a nice rap-around deck, and a big common area/kitchen with gas-burning stoves. In the hut, there was a poster with huts from all over New Zealand that was titled “Rooms with a View”.  We were all grateful to be staying in such a desolate  hut with surreal views in every direction.

The next morning we woke up early to catch the sunrise. After some breakfast, we decided to break the rules and take the mattresses out of the hut and go sledding. We built a jump and had the time of our lives. I can definitely say that was the most picturesque place I have ever been sledding.  We spent most of the day playing in the snow before we packed up and headed back down.

On the way down, it was so steep and there was so much snow that we slid down the whole way on our butts. After awhile we had made a well-defined slide down the mountain. Coming back down all 1,800 stairs was definitely a challenge, but we were all so amped on our great weekend that we barely noticed. On our way home we stopped at a great take-away place for fish and chips and burgers. Definitely a weekend I will never forget. 

 

Copland Track

Copland Track was the craziest adventure of the semester by far. Looking back at our experience, I laugh at all the crazy things we did. After another big night on the town Thursday night, we headed out of Dunedin midday on Friday. We drove up towards the West Coast and camped at Lake Paringa. This is when all the rain began. It down poured the whole night and we woke up in a giant puddle. We packed up camp and drove to the trail head just down the road. We suited up in every waterproof article of clothing we had and started our journey into the rain forest.

The trail wandered through the forest and went along the Kārangarua River. Usually, the Copland Track is impossible to complete when there is heavy rain due to the extreme stream crossings. When we started our hike, there was steady rain and the trails were wet and muddy. For most of the track, we were walking through trenches and up small streams that had formed on the trail. 

About half way to the hut, we encountered a major stream crossing that seemed impossible at first glance. We considered turning back because we didn't know if we would encounter more impassable river crossings even if we made it across the first. Luckily, the boys adventured down stream and finally found a place that was safe for us to cross. Luke, Dave, and Tyler stood at various points along the way and helped us cross the rushing river. It was really cool to see everyone work together and make sure everyone was comfortable and safe.

After this point, we were committed to making it to the hut. We had several more considerable stream crossings and some amazing swing bridges across the major rivers. We were completely drenched and exhausted, but after about 7 hours of trudging through the mud and water we finally made it to Welcome Hut.

Welcome Hut was welcoming to say the least. As soon as we got there, we jumped in the natural hot springs and warmed up. That night we had the hut to ourselves, and we had one of the best nights of our trip. We dried out all of our gear, cooked some great food, drank the beer and wine we carried there, and stayed up late playing games and telling stories. Downstairs, the hut had a huge kitchen and eating area and upstairs there were heaps of mattresses lined in a row that made a massive bed. 

After a great sleepover, we woke up, made some breakfast, and took a last minute dip in the hot springs. Our hike back was a completely different experience. The sun was shining and spirits were high. We stopped for lunch on a bridge overlooking Copland River and made quesadillas. There were so many parts of the hike that I didn't recognize on the way back because the trail wasn't flooded. We finished our hike in about five hours and saw the sunset as we drove along Lake Wanaka. That night we went out for burgers and stayed in a hostel in Wanaka. After a great night sleep, we got some delicious breakfast and hit the road. It was another beautiful day in Peggy, and we all reminisced about the epic adventure we survived.

Rob Roy Glacier and Skydiving

This weekend more St. Lawrence kids joined us from Australia. We headed out of Dunedin with 14 people and 3 cars. We had a great time on the drive blasting music and made a stop at our favorite fruit stand outside Cromwell. We camped on Lake Wanaka and spent the next morning making breakfast burritos and hanging out by the lake. 

That afternoon we hiked to the Rob Roy Glacier. It was a great day hike and the Glacier was gorgeous. At the top we ate lunch, encountered some aggressive kea, and hiked up to waterfall for the coldest shower of my life. That night we drove to Queenstwn to visit our favorite campsite, Moke Lake. We drove the Crown Range from Wanaka to Queenstown and set up camp late. We had a great dinner and listened to music while star gazing. 

The next morning we drove into Queenstown without any expectations for the day and ended up jumping out of a plane. Max, Luke, Dave, Tyler, Lindsay, and I went skydiving that afternoon from 15,000 ft. The ride up was unreal. We could see the entire Queenstown area, and at the very top we could see both the East and West Coasts. The free fall at the beginning was like nothing I had ever felt, and once the parachute was pulled the ride down was so gorgeous. When we got back to Queenstown we stopped at our favorite gelato shop and hit the road for Dunedin. 

Easter Break

Over Easter Break, Luke, Dave, Laura, Hannah and I took the Wee Beast for an epic adventure around the South Island. We started in Dunedin, drove all the way to the northern tip of the Southern Island, headed down the west coast, and ended with a bang by doing the Rees-Dart Track. Here's a taste of what we experienced.


Day 1 (April 5th): Dunedin to Christchurch
We left Dunedin Thursday afternoon psyched for our big adventure. We had a little scare with our car, but the boys figured it out and before we knew it we were headed north. We had a beautiful sunset dinner and a late drive to our campsite.








Day 2 (April 6th): Christchurch to Picton

After spending the day at the harbor in Picton, we got real fruit ice cream but were devastated to realize that there are no liquor sales in New Zealand on Good Friday. We spent the afternoon skipping rocks at our campsite and hit the sack early to head to Nelson.

Day 3 (April 7th): Picton to Nelson
We spent a long day relaxing on the beach in Nelson. We played some soccer, took a three hour nap, then headed up to our campsite at the Cobb Reservoir where we had our first cold night with a heavy frost.

Day 4 (April 8th): Nelson to Farewell Split

After a couple days of laying low, we decided to head out on a few adventures in the Abel Tasman area. We started the day with a quick hike up to Rawhiti Caves and then headed to Whainui Falls for the afternoon. The cave was filled with stalactites and was an amazing start to the day. At Whainui Falls we went for a chilly swim and soaked up the last bit of sunshine that came through the valley. That night we had a blast  freedom camping on the beach near the northern tip of the south island.


Day 5 (April 9th): Farewell Split to Lake Paringa

That morning we woke up early to watch the sunrise on the northern most tip of the southern island. It was one of the best sunrises I have ever seen, and after we headed to a nearby town for breakfast at a cafe. Driving down the west coast was one of my favorite drives so far. We drove along the water for most of the day, and stopped at Pancake Rocks for a quick touristy pit-stop.  That night we went out for pizza and headed to our campsite at Lake Paringa. We set up our tents and when we woke up, we were lying in about 5 inches of water from the downpour that night. We woke up at around 5 am in search of a dry place to re-pack our stuff for our backpacking trip.

Day 6 (April 10th): Lake Paringa to Queenstown
We had a much needed rest day in Queenstown drying out all our gear and relaxing on the beach. We went out to lunch, got ice cream, and got to see a sneak-peek of Queenstown nightlife. We watched the sunset on the beach, climbed trees, and drank wine. We stayed in a hostel for the night so we were well-rested for our big trip the next day.

Rees-Dart Track

Day 7 (April 11th): Muddy Creek to Shelter Rock Hut (19 km, 6 hours)
On our first day, we hiked up the Rees Valley. The first 10 km had lots of river crossing and the valley floor was really swampy. It was a long day getting used to our heavy packs, but we were all so excited to be out that we barely noticed. Our first night in a DOC hut was a great experience. The hut had a main room with a coal burning stove, tables, and counter space to cook. The bunk rooms were very comfortable and had mattresses which made a huge difference for our backs. That night we started the tradition of nightly massage trains. We made burritos for dinner and chatted with some of the other backpackers staying in the hut. For the next four days we were on the same schedule as three other couples. It it was really fun getting to know some new people.

Day 8 (April 12th): Shelter Rock Hut to Dart Hut (9 km, 4.5 hours) 
The first part of our day we had a steady climb up along the Rees River towards the Rees Saddle. We spent about 2 hours on the saddle soaking in the views. We could see the Rees Valley we had hiked the day before and the Dart Glacier that we were headed for. It felt great to gain some elevation and see what Mt. Aspiring National Park really looked like. Once we got to Dart Hut, we cooked up some pizzadillas and pasta. Dart Hut was the biggest hut we stayed in and was filled with people from all over the world.

Day 9 (April 13th): Cascade Saddle (20 km, 7.5 hours)

Our hike up to Cascade Saddle was my favorite day in New Zealand so far. It was mostly flat to the Dart Glacier, then we had a steep hike up to the saddle. At the top it was the most beautiful view I have seen yet. The sky was mostly clear, and we had a great view of Mt. Aspiring. The wind was so strong we could barely stand up, and unfortunately I lost my hat. On the way down we stopped at the glacier, drank some glacial water, and touched the icebergs. We headed back to Dart Hut for the night, and had another epic massage train.

Day 10 (April 14th): Dart Hut to Daleys Hut (18 km, 6 hours) 

Hiking out of the Rees Valley was very different from what we had done earlier on our trip. For most of the day we were hiking through open meadows along the Dart River. We stopped for lunch at the rock bivy shelter tucked away in the woods. We had a very relaxing day, and realized that we were sad our trip was almost over. We encountered some amazing swing bridges, and when we got to Daleys Hut we went for a much needed swim. We had a great last night talking with the other backpackers and making brownie scramble.

Day 11 (April 15th): Daleys Hut to Chinaman's Bluff (16 km, 4 hours) 

We had an early start our last day. We hiked out the last part of the Dart Valley to the car park where our shuttle picked us up. We hiked along the Dart River for most of the day, and the water was incredibly blue. Once we got back to car park, our shuttle picked us up and we headed back to Queenstown for a quick Fergburger and Patagonia ice cream. We saw my roommate Allie from UVA who is studying abroad in Auckland for a short while, then headed back to Dunedin. This was definitely a trip for the record books!

Milford Sound

This past weekend felt like a dream. Milford Sound is by far the most beautiful place i have ever seen. After a late drive Thursday night, we woke up early Friday morning and drove through the fog into the windy roads of Milford Sound. Everywhere you looked there were waterfalls running down the lush mountains that seemed to pop straight out of the ground.

Our first day we stopped at the Chasm and then headed down to the water to take a cruise out to the Tasman Sea. We got extremely lucky and had a gorgeous day on the water! After the jaw dropping views out on the boat we headed out for an afternoon hike up Key Summit. From the top we could see the three valleys that converged in the area. We also spotted Marian Lake from a distance and put that on the to-do list for our weekend.

After another pasta dinner under the stars and a few bedtime stories we hit the sack in preparation for a big day up Gertrude Saddle. The fog had settled in the valley when we started our hike up. The climb up to the saddle consisted of slippery rock faces, boot-skiing snow fields, and a series of glacial waterfalls. The view from the top was unreal. We all just sat and took it all in as the clouds made there way through the saddle.

That night we made another huge dinner, had a couple bottles of wine and played my new favorite game, GEORGE. Our group of ten consists of eight kids from St. Lawrence. It has been awesome being adopted by their clan, and I can't wait for three more months and many reunions to come. The next morning was April Fools. Much to my dismay I woke up as the boys collapsed our tent on us at the break of dawn. After a couple more pranks and a dip in the stream we headed out on our last hike of the weekend.

Taking the advice of my 'big brother' and New Zealand mentor, Chris Garren, we decided to explore Lake Marian. The trail up to the lake went along a raging stream, through the lush rainforest, and spit us out at the most stunning lake I have ever seen. The reflection was just as clear as the mountains themselves. We spent about 3 or 4 hours basking in the sun, snacking, swimming, and making massage trains after a long weekend in the mountains. Much to our dismay, we packed up and hit the road back for Dunedin.

On the way back we stopped for an impromptu fire on the shore of Lake Te Anau for sunset. That night the reality of my life started to set in. Like every other college kid in America, our group has adopted the mantra "YOLO" (you only live once). I can say for a fact that I'm practicing what I preach.