Rees-Dart Track Day 4 and back to Queenstown

January 27th, 2003 at 12:00am

So I am back in Queenstown and living it up again in my Kiwi friend Sharlene’s house. The weather is still quite cool and overcast and it’s a great feeling to be inside and warm and dry. The dirty smelly hiking clothes have been washed this morning and are currently on the line outside drying so in just a short time I will have clean clothes again!

Yesterday I hiked out of the Dart Track – it was 18 km out from Daley’s Flat to the first parking lot at Chinaman Flats. The trail going out was really pretty with great views of the Dart Valley and I was completely enjoying the scenery. Once I got down to the Dart River though it was a bit of a bummer because there were Dart River Safari jet boats running ‘punters’ up and down the river and here I was walking the track alongside the river and being bombarded by the sounds of jet boats every 30 minutes. Not exactly what I would consider a wilderness experience in the midst of a National Park, but it’s very typical of New Zealand to allow any boat, helicopter, or plane anywhere just to make a buck. It’s a shame really.

I got to the first parking lot where there were a few cars, and I had a quick snack and a break before starting the 6 km walk down the 4WD track to the next parking lot at Paradise. As luck would have it I only walked for about 10 minutes before a car came by and they actually stopped and gave me a 20 km lift all the way out to the main road and to the DOC office in Glenorchy! I was so happy that I did not have to walk especially because it was just started to rain lightly and I didn’t fancy walking in the rain all afternoon. The couple who gave me a lift was 2 Germans who just recently moved to New Zealand. They let me off at the DOC office where I dropped off my intentions form to tell them I made it out alive and safe, and I then went down to the road to hitch the 44 km back to Queenstown.

Didn’t take too long to get a lift, about 10 minutes or so, and I got a ride all the way to downtown Queenstown with 2 really nice English guys. Once in town I went and had a big Tip-Top ice cream cone, then checked my email, and then bought some food before taking the bus up to Sharlene’s place. Sharlene is actually away at the moment, hiking the Hump Ridge Track with friends, but she told me I could stay here with her roommates, a Danish couple, if I got back to Queenstown early. My next mission will be to drive her friend Sally’s car down to Riverton, about a 4-hour drive from Queenstown, to pick them up on Wednesday. It should be interesting, my first time driving in nearly 18 months and on the left side no less. I will have to have a few coffees before I leave on that trip. For the next day though I think I’ll stay in Queenstown to rest up a bit and relax.

Signs of glacial activity in Dart Valley

Dart Valley

I’m told this river was in Lord of the Rings Two Towers

Entry Filed under: Hiking/Trekking,New Zealand,Rees-Dart