Photo album here!
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Routeburn Great Walk
Routeburn Track: a beautiful 3-day walk in the mountains. Not much more to say here, just a few pictures to show!
Photo album here!
Photo album here!
Saturday, 17 January 2015
Mt Aspiring National Park
January 5th. Weather was good and together with Matthias (another member of the tramping club) we headed to Mt Aspiring National Park.
From the car park, we walked up to the Aspiring Hut in the evening an easy walk along the river.
The following day we climbed up to Liverpool Hut, and after dinner we pushed a little further, climbing on a very slippery slope. My tramping shoes are getting old and at places the sole's profile is worn almost down to the structure of dancing shoes! Eventually Matthias was able to reach a higher point than me, and we both got safely back to the Liverpool hut.
On the way back, we walked the Rob Roy side track and saw beautiful views of the glacier and waterfalls. We were also very lucky to watch part of the glacier break off in action, smashing into the pool below and causing a temporary flood. On the photo above, taken very quickly, you can still see some snow falling down!
The next day, we drove to the shore of Lake Hawea and after a short night we started walking the Timaru river upstream. You can walk either on the left bank, or on the right bank, or straight through the river, and we kept switching lanes all the time to find the best way through. And we had to be careful for giant boulders which sometimes roll away when someone is hopping onto it, and for giant tree trunks which instantly crack off when you squeeze 'em a little too hard. Right, Matthias?!
Our target was for that night was the Moonlight & Roses hut. According to the NZ Topomaps, there should be a path or track from the river to the hut through the forest. So we located the start of that track by GPS, and went up in the bush.
Can you see the path?! No? Right. There is no path. After a long time (and short distance) of bush-bashing through thick forest on a fairly steep slope, following the dashed line by GPS as closely as possible, we had to conclude that there is no path at all. Damn.
550 metres covered in 1,5 hour, and the hut was still four or five times that distance away. It was getting late in the afternoon and we had to assess the situation. We could probably not make it to the hut before nightfall. We investigated the possible alternatives: going straight up the slope to escape the bush as quickly as possible, or maybe following the river all way upstream to the point where it was closest to the hut. But we didn't know the terrain and either alternative might be too slow as well. So we decided to go back to the river and set up camp there. The only problem? We had no tent with us. And sandflies were already gathering...
We located some flat space in the bushes along the river and unrolled our sleeping bags. We had no roof above our heads, but luckily the night was all clear and not too cold. We let our damp clothes dry in the bushes. From the place, a strong smell of two humans who had not seen a bathroom for many nights, rose up in the air. We prepared a meal, and the sandflies called in all their relatives to gather for the feast.
Matthias had packed a mosquito net, but I had none. So at first glance, he would have better chances to survive the night. One problem was that his net had two large holes, apparently designed specifically for two-headed dragons and Siamese twins, so he had to be careful that the head was covered appropiately. I myself experimented with the magic insect repellent fluid, which did work when applied on the skin, but only for a short time until it dries up. After some rather unsuccesful experiments, I took the gamble and spilled half the bottle over the brim of my sunhat and put it on my head. Wow, that makes a lot of sense! Maybe a bit too much, because quite soon I saw entire huts floating around my head. At least they didn't land on me. Tucked deeply inside the sleeping bag, covered under the magic hat, the night passed away.
The next morning, Matthias was certainly looking worse than me: he had apparently been sleeping with part of his face uncovered, and the sandflies had left their marks, leaving him with something like a port-wine stain. But he didn't know until he looked in the mirror when we got back at the car. I clearly remember his yelling then: FFFUUUUUUU....!!!!
We set off for the third leg of our journey, but not before visiting the pharmacy of Wanaka and gathering up-to-date track information. This time we were sure that it was an easy walk along the Fern Burn river to the hut where we stayed overnight.
Matthias was already looking better and we returned the same way. Back to Wanaka, where Matthias took the bus back home the next morning. I myself drove to Te Anau, to prepare for the next chapter in my two-month holiday: the Routeburn Track.
Photo gallery here!
From the car park, we walked up to the Aspiring Hut in the evening an easy walk along the river.
The following day we climbed up to Liverpool Hut, and after dinner we pushed a little further, climbing on a very slippery slope. My tramping shoes are getting old and at places the sole's profile is worn almost down to the structure of dancing shoes! Eventually Matthias was able to reach a higher point than me, and we both got safely back to the Liverpool hut.
On the way back, we walked the Rob Roy side track and saw beautiful views of the glacier and waterfalls. We were also very lucky to watch part of the glacier break off in action, smashing into the pool below and causing a temporary flood. On the photo above, taken very quickly, you can still see some snow falling down!
The next day, we drove to the shore of Lake Hawea and after a short night we started walking the Timaru river upstream. You can walk either on the left bank, or on the right bank, or straight through the river, and we kept switching lanes all the time to find the best way through. And we had to be careful for giant boulders which sometimes roll away when someone is hopping onto it, and for giant tree trunks which instantly crack off when you squeeze 'em a little too hard. Right, Matthias?!
Our target was for that night was the Moonlight & Roses hut. According to the NZ Topomaps, there should be a path or track from the river to the hut through the forest. So we located the start of that track by GPS, and went up in the bush.
Can you see the path?! No? Right. There is no path. After a long time (and short distance) of bush-bashing through thick forest on a fairly steep slope, following the dashed line by GPS as closely as possible, we had to conclude that there is no path at all. Damn.
550 metres covered in 1,5 hour, and the hut was still four or five times that distance away. It was getting late in the afternoon and we had to assess the situation. We could probably not make it to the hut before nightfall. We investigated the possible alternatives: going straight up the slope to escape the bush as quickly as possible, or maybe following the river all way upstream to the point where it was closest to the hut. But we didn't know the terrain and either alternative might be too slow as well. So we decided to go back to the river and set up camp there. The only problem? We had no tent with us. And sandflies were already gathering...
We located some flat space in the bushes along the river and unrolled our sleeping bags. We had no roof above our heads, but luckily the night was all clear and not too cold. We let our damp clothes dry in the bushes. From the place, a strong smell of two humans who had not seen a bathroom for many nights, rose up in the air. We prepared a meal, and the sandflies called in all their relatives to gather for the feast.
Matthias had packed a mosquito net, but I had none. So at first glance, he would have better chances to survive the night. One problem was that his net had two large holes, apparently designed specifically for two-headed dragons and Siamese twins, so he had to be careful that the head was covered appropiately. I myself experimented with the magic insect repellent fluid, which did work when applied on the skin, but only for a short time until it dries up. After some rather unsuccesful experiments, I took the gamble and spilled half the bottle over the brim of my sunhat and put it on my head. Wow, that makes a lot of sense! Maybe a bit too much, because quite soon I saw entire huts floating around my head. At least they didn't land on me. Tucked deeply inside the sleeping bag, covered under the magic hat, the night passed away.
The next morning, Matthias was certainly looking worse than me: he had apparently been sleeping with part of his face uncovered, and the sandflies had left their marks, leaving him with something like a port-wine stain. But he didn't know until he looked in the mirror when we got back at the car. I clearly remember his yelling then: FFFUUUUUUU....!!!!
We set off for the third leg of our journey, but not before visiting the pharmacy of Wanaka and gathering up-to-date track information. This time we were sure that it was an easy walk along the Fern Burn river to the hut where we stayed overnight.
Matthias was already looking better and we returned the same way. Back to Wanaka, where Matthias took the bus back home the next morning. I myself drove to Te Anau, to prepare for the next chapter in my two-month holiday: the Routeburn Track.
Photo gallery here!
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
Queenstown!
After Cedar Flat Hut, I drove south and crossed the Southern Alps for the fourth time, again chasing the beautiful sunny weather to the other side of the mountains. I ended up in Queenstown, New Zealand's capital in extreme sports!
So I rented a proper donwhill bike and booked a shuttle to Coronet Peak where I took the chairlift to the top of Coronet Peak. From there, you have no easy route going down. Only intermediate and expert. Guess which one I took? Yes, the intermediate one, I needed to save my kicks for the canyoning on the next day.
So, this is part of the view of Coronet Downhill XC track. It is a 7 km singletrack flowing over ridges and mountain slopes. The powerful downhill bike (Specialized Demo 8, $4600) is doing an excellent job in riding over the rocks and numerous hops. Although I have few experience in tackling hairpins, the track is a beautiful ride!
Next day, I went canyoning! The Queenston Adventurer seemed too easy for me, so I chose the Routeburn Explorer option which is more demanding and for fearless people only. It was a great experience! Jumping from cliffs, abseiling, sliding heads-down into waterfalls, scrambling, zip line travel: it has all in it!
See here for some pictures of Routeburn Canyoning (not from me). Image you are standing on top of a 5 metre high waterfall and that you had to jump right into the white water. You had to trust the instructors that jumping forward was a completely safe thing to do, which is not quite obvious at all. But you see, I am writing this blog so I have survived it all!
Hostel life here is nice here as well. Pancakes are cheap and tasty, so I bake these a lot. My newest invention is the strawberry pancake, it is just a banana pancake but then with strawberry slices instead of bananas. On one evening, someone else was cooking a rice meal, but when it was ready she accidentally hit the table edge and smased all the rice on the floor! So she ended up eating a few of my pancakes and she really enjoyed the one with strawberries. That's just one those little things that make hostel life good.
I will stay in Queenstown until the second of January. Still, time is too short to do everything I would like to do, but I try to make the most out of it!
So I rented a proper donwhill bike and booked a shuttle to Coronet Peak where I took the chairlift to the top of Coronet Peak. From there, you have no easy route going down. Only intermediate and expert. Guess which one I took? Yes, the intermediate one, I needed to save my kicks for the canyoning on the next day.
So, this is part of the view of Coronet Downhill XC track. It is a 7 km singletrack flowing over ridges and mountain slopes. The powerful downhill bike (Specialized Demo 8, $4600) is doing an excellent job in riding over the rocks and numerous hops. Although I have few experience in tackling hairpins, the track is a beautiful ride!
Next day, I went canyoning! The Queenston Adventurer seemed too easy for me, so I chose the Routeburn Explorer option which is more demanding and for fearless people only. It was a great experience! Jumping from cliffs, abseiling, sliding heads-down into waterfalls, scrambling, zip line travel: it has all in it!
See here for some pictures of Routeburn Canyoning (not from me). Image you are standing on top of a 5 metre high waterfall and that you had to jump right into the white water. You had to trust the instructors that jumping forward was a completely safe thing to do, which is not quite obvious at all. But you see, I am writing this blog so I have survived it all!
Hostel life here is nice here as well. Pancakes are cheap and tasty, so I bake these a lot. My newest invention is the strawberry pancake, it is just a banana pancake but then with strawberry slices instead of bananas. On one evening, someone else was cooking a rice meal, but when it was ready she accidentally hit the table edge and smased all the rice on the floor! So she ended up eating a few of my pancakes and she really enjoyed the one with strawberries. That's just one those little things that make hostel life good.
I will stay in Queenstown until the second of January. Still, time is too short to do everything I would like to do, but I try to make the most out of it!
Christmas tramp to Cedar Flat Hut
What to do with Christmas when you are in New Zealand? Yes, join a Christmas tramp! Organized by Tania, seven people set off to Cedar Flat Hut, somewhere in the mountains not far from Hokitika.
After almost four hours of walking, boulder hopping, rock scrambling and stream crossing, we finally arrived at Cedar Flat Hut.
At the hut, we had two nights of delicious dinner, played card games and shared fun stories!
We also had the time to explore the beautiful environment. We went swimming in the Toaroha Canyon, tackled (part of) the Adventure Ridge, did a rather unsuccessful search for the Squall Peak track, crossed a very high swingbridge after some bushbashing...
The river was ice cold, but along the river there are some pools which are very hot! Quite a surprising contrast in the wilderness.
And of course, there was plenty of opportunity for taking night shots.
Yes, we had a Christmas tree with us! (I should have placed the tree much closer to the camera.)
More photos here!
Saturday, 27 December 2014
Hanmer Springs
Hanmer Springs is a great place for mountainbiking! Long and beautiful tracks for all grades. Mostly going through forests, but you don't have to worry about the tree roots as the tracks are excellently prepared. It is not my first time there: last year I already visited Hanmer Springs a couple of times, so many tracks were quite familiar to me.
I also cycled the Jacks Pass - Jollies Pass loop, a beautiful, not too long circuit over gravel roads.
View from Jacks Pass over the Hanmer Plains.
Besides mountainbiking, I also walked up Mt Isobel (yes, again). From my hostel it was a three hour walk uphill. But this time I ascended in the evening, watched the sun sink down behind the other mountains and stayed on top for half of the night, making numerous photographs and timelapses.
Less than one hour before sunset.
Hanmer Springs at night.
The planet Jupiter with three of its moons.
The journey back was not easy, as there is only a poled route along the ridge and my headlight was too weak to see the path markings from a distance. So I was just walking in the general direction, searching for the route that was not too steep, sometimes retracting my steps. After leaving the ridge, following the path got much easier. When I finally arrived back at the hostel, it was already dawning and I was quite exhausted, sleeping half the day away. But it was totally worth it all! The first series of timelapses look promising, but I need to add more material in order to make a good compilation. Stay tuned!
I also cycled the Jacks Pass - Jollies Pass loop, a beautiful, not too long circuit over gravel roads.
View from Jacks Pass over the Hanmer Plains.
Besides mountainbiking, I also walked up Mt Isobel (yes, again). From my hostel it was a three hour walk uphill. But this time I ascended in the evening, watched the sun sink down behind the other mountains and stayed on top for half of the night, making numerous photographs and timelapses.
Less than one hour before sunset.
Hanmer Springs at night.
The planet Jupiter with three of its moons.
The journey back was not easy, as there is only a poled route along the ridge and my headlight was too weak to see the path markings from a distance. So I was just walking in the general direction, searching for the route that was not too steep, sometimes retracting my steps. After leaving the ridge, following the path got much easier. When I finally arrived back at the hostel, it was already dawning and I was quite exhausted, sleeping half the day away. But it was totally worth it all! The first series of timelapses look promising, but I need to add more material in order to make a good compilation. Stay tuned!
Hokitika
Hokitika. A small and cosy place in the West Coast where I stayed three nights. Baking pancakes for the other backpackers makes good friends. We played games, visited the glow worm dell together and I cycled around a bit on my MTB.
The backpackers come from all over the world. Of all the ones I encountered so far, most seem to come from Germany. Others come from France, Switzerland, Canada, USA, The Netherlands (yes!), Iran, Alaska, New Zealand itself and some more countries I can't remember right now.
The glow worm dell at night. It was very impressive to see all those small lights in the valley!
From Hokitika, most backpackers continued their pre-planned trip and went South, to Fox Glacier. Initially I planned to go that direction as well, but after studying the weather forecast charts I decided to turn around 135 degrees and go Northeast instead, back to the eastern side of the Southern Alps over the Lewis Pass.
Guess who was enjoying the days in sunny weather thereafter? Me! And who has been sitting all day inside because of the rain? The others! Long live the total freedom holiday :)
Friday, 19 December 2014
Night skies from Helihill
Helicopter Hill (or Helihill in short) is an ideal place for night time photography. I walked up at aroud 21:00, and returned at 2:00. Going down through the forest, walking for one hour in darkness, the path only illuminated by the light of the torch, gives a quite special feeling.
In darkness, trees seem taller and the sounds of the forest are much creepier. Did I see something moving over there? You know there cannot be big wild animals out there. This is not Russia or Brazil. There are no wolves or giant snakes. But still, after walking alone for some time you start seeing "things" that are not really there, connecting them with the sounds you hear or don't hear. Pretty creepy, but also an interesting experience!
Ok, back to night time photography. I had two cameras with me: the NEX-C3 and the Alpha 6000. Great cameras these are!
Orion. Upside-down, of course. The bright orange star is Betelgeuse.
In lower right, you can see the Southern Cross.
Large Magellanic Cloud.
Wide angle view of the Milky Way with a distinct glow over the hills, probably coming from the rising Moon which illuminated the faint clouds over there.
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