Day 106
Dec 15 day 106 Greenstone Road to Taipo Hut 10:30-4:45 24 km Got transportation to the trail head (which is across the lake from Queenstown and so is a long van ride around). I was the only passenger, so Mr. Buckley explained the transformation of Queenstown in the 50 years he has lived here. A […]
Day 105
Dec 14 day 105 Queenstown 0 km It seemed indulgent taking another zero so close to the last one (at Wanaka), but the Motatapu Track really kicked my ass, and I did want to take the time to see Queenstown which is a fascinating place. Apart from all the different places to book adventures that […]
Day 104
Dec 13 day 104 Arrowtown to Queenstown 8:30-2:30 28 km After a quiet breakfast in Arrowtown (the place is terminally cute) it was a simple stroll over to Queenstown. Made one wrong turn and ended up cutting through a private section without permission. The wealth in this area is palpable– unlike any I’ve been in […]
Day 103
Dec 12 day 103 Highland Creek Hut to Arrowtown 7:00-5:30 33 km Today I was a walker and rider in rivers. Got an early start as I knew it would be a long day– how long I did not suspect. The first stretch was physically very difficult, one of the hardest trails I’ve been on […]
Day 102
Dec 11 day 102 Wanaka to Highland Creek Hut 8:30-6:00 30 km Really did not want to leave Wanaka– my new favorite town in NZ. Lingered over coffee in the hostel which incidentally was called the YHA Purple Cow hostel. I asked if the name had anything to do with Williams College, but nobody knew. […]
Why I Walk
Why I Walk The first answer to the question “why walk?” is because I can, a claim I don’t make lightly. I turned 59 just before starting this particular trek–the Te Araroa in New Zealand–and I am constantly reminded of the need for good health and strength in order to backpack long miles day after […]
Day 101
Dec 10 day 101 Wanaka 0 km Ahh, a zero day (by choice). Wanaka is an amazing little town, lives up to all the good things I have heard on the trail. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I stopped walking a bit. Feels good not to be moving very much […]
Day 100
Dec 9 day 100 Lake Hawae Village to Wanaka 8:45-2:00 25 km Lake town walking– flat and fast. Woke at 5:30, bing–wide awake. Decided to spend early morning in hostel kitchen drinking coffee and catching up on correspondence. So far behind on a series of short essays, but hard hiking days really don’t lend […]
Day 99
Dec 8 day 99 free camp to Lake Hawae Village 6:45-4:00 28 km So I pitched my tent on what looked to be a great free camp site, and it was except the ground was not as level as I thought, so my night was a good bit of sliding from one side to the […]
Day 98
Dec 7 day 98 Ahuriri River to free camp on ridge above Timaru River 7:15-5:15 30 km (+4 walk up road to trailhead) Recipe for hiking on South Island: Start day hiking up narrow valley, probably crossing a cold stream often, climb all morning to reach a saddle at about noon, then descend into a […]