Archive for January, 2003
Oh the sandflies, how small and yet so evil. I am their only source of nourishment at this little hut tonight, and they are feasting on me as if I am the Last Supper. DIE all of you!
It was a long day today and I’m tired even though I only did 6 km and 1.5 hours of hiking. I hitch-hiked down to the trailhead from Wanaka in 6 rides, which included one ride where I drove around looking at houses with a guy from Arthur’s Pass and another where I was invited in for a cup of tea with a family from the North Island who are down here on holiday.
In between rides I stopped in Queenstown to have coffee and check email and at one point while waiting on the side of the road I was chatting up a few Kiwi construction guys. Can’t believe I made it all the way actually. It was supposed to rain today and we have had a few showers but somehow it’s held off since I started walking the track.
This hut is small, with only 4 bunks, and is a complete trash pit so I’ve chosen to set up my tent. I’m the only one here, except for the 400 sandflies currently swarming me.
Tomorrow onward and up the Rees Valley.
Hiking out of Matukituki Valley
Rees Valley on a rainy evening in NZ
The recenty upgraded Twenty Five Mile Hut
January 23rd, 2003
5:45pm, resting in the campsite shelter. Arrived here yesterday after a 2-hour walk down the valley from the carpark. Sharlene was going to Wanaka (a 2-hour drive from Queenstown) to visit a friend and offered to give me a lift. It was a fairly relaxing day in all – first having coffee in Queenstown on our way out, then having lunch in Wanaka with a few of Sharlene’s friends. After that Sharlene let me off on the road where I needed to hitch the 54 km to the trailhead. By that time it was after 3:30pm and I though my chances of getting a ride were slim because it was a dead-end road, but in the end I made it in 3 rides and arrived at the trailhead ready to hike at 5pm. The last ride was from an older English man, 68 years old, who told me all about his children and what they do and he wasn’t intending on going to the trailhead but in the end gave me a lift the whole way, going down a bumpy gravel road and through a few streams in his rental car to get me there!
So I arrived at the campsite last night. It was just me and an Australian couple camping here and we talked for awhile before heading to bed.
I was up early this morning and at the trailhead at 7:30am to head up to the Pylon at 1835 m (just over 6000 feet). It was straight up and continued up the entire way. It took just under 2 hours to get to the treeline and from there it was another 1.5 hours up through the tussock grass and rock to the summit. Quite steep at times, challenging for sure. Even before the top the views were great but once I got over the edge and could look down to the glacier and mountains on the other side it was amazing. Snow fields, glaciers, and granite peaks all around.
I was going to continue on to Cascade Saddle which is another 2 hours return from the Pylon, but the weather had been changing for the worse all morning and I really didn’t want to be above treeline any longer than I had to. The clouds had set in and I was already feeling drops of rain as I started to head down so I knew I had made the right decision.
2.5 hours of downhill and I was back at the Aspiring Hut campsite. It was still early, only 2pm, and I could have easily walked the 2 hours out to the carpark, but I decided to spend the afternoon here and enjoy the views in the valley. Since then a guided group of 11 tenters have arrived as well as 2 couples in addition to 4 more. Well so much for solitude.
Tomorrow I will head out and if the weather is good I’ll stop and do the Rob Roy Glacier side trail on the way to the road. Forecast doesn’t look good though ? they’re calling for a southerly which in NZ means a big blast of cold air directly from Antarctica and that can make things a bit chilly. In addition they’re calling for rain, so it won’t be a bad thing for me to spend a night in Wanaka tomorrow. It might be a good time to go and see the Two Towers actually. Wait out the bad weather in town then head off to the next tramp.
My hiking friends for the day
Matukituki Valley
Views from the Pylon, 1835 m
January 21st, 2003
I’ve been back in Queenstown for 2 days now – staying with Sharlene again, the Kiwi girl who picked me up on the way down from Christchurch. I hiked out from the Greenstone Track the other day – 4 hours down to the road and another 2.5 hours of road walk in the hot sun before 3 teenage kids finally picked me up and gave me a lift all the way back to Queenstown. Man was I glad for that. The sun was sweltering. Once in Queenstown I called Sharelene and she said yeah, no problem to stay with her again for a few days. Great! I was so happy to have a home to go to. Since then we’ve been hanging out, having coffee in town every day and barbecues with friends at night. It’s been really good. I’m going to stick around until Monday and then catch a ride to Wanaka with Sharlene where I’ll start the next tramp.
Walking out of the Greenstone Track
The road walk begins
Views of the lake on the road walk
January 18th, 2003
4 km road walk this morning then finally a pick-up thankfully to the road and the start of the Routeburn Track / Greenstone. Hiking at 10:30am up to Key Summit – great views/ beautiful weather/ perfect day to look around at all the surrounding peaks. Walking again back to Routeburn then to Greenstone – great track and perfect day for walking. Cruised along and enjoyed taking it all in. 2 hours to first hut, 4 hours to next. Full house here – I’m tenting outback. Good company though, interesting people. Don’t want to forget to stop and take it all in.
Wondergimp does Key Summit
Heading down into Greenstone Valley
Field of tussock
January 15th, 2003
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