Advertisement
Published: April 8th 2008
Awaking with my nuts hiding somewhere deep inside my chest, my toe escaped outside the tiny duvet and almost dropped off - it was clear it was bloody freezing outside and Rodders is not too well insulated. Both absolutley freezing we got up and put on all the layers we had before heading to the kitchen which was nice and warm. After a bit of breakfast and a thorough defrosting we headed off to the start of the Routeburn track. Being 1 of NZ's 'Great Walks' we though it would be well signposted and easy to find with the usual large NZ signposting we have come to know and love. Cruising along my attention was mainly on wiping the condensation off the windows so I could see and Pauline was keeping her windows clean, trying to keep warm. As we hit a gravel road and the sign welcomed us to Mt Aspiring NP we knew we were only 15 mins away. 1 hour later we were at the end of that gravel road with no Routeburn track in sight and only a river to cross. Me, feeling bold, tried to convince Pauline that the start of the track had to be
across the river and through a field.... Pauline was having none of it so promtly we turned around and started back down the gravel road. With all our attention now turned to sign posts we read everything that we passed until finally getting to the start of the gravel road and seeing a tiny sign pointing right with Routeburn on it - eeeeexcellent. So we eventually arrived ready to start walking at 11 instead of the intended 9 - better late than never.
The walk begins through forest and there is a lot of moss on those trees, but then again for an area that gets somewhere around 6m of rain a year you'd expect it! As the track starts to climb there are some fantastic views back down the valley and up to the glaciers above. The halfway point of our walk was up to the Routeburn Falls which is a steep climb up over rock and some water. We were exceptionally lucky with the weather and had a gorgeous day with blue sky, but in the rain some of the track would be almost impossible. The walk back down was the same way we came but seemed
to take much longer as our legs became increasingly tired, Paulines idea of 'name that tune' seemed to pass the time - she is obviously taking after her mother in the games department (no offence Corinne - i love 'scrambled celebrities names' at christmas)!
That night we headed down to Queenstown and stocked up on cold and flu relief along with many boxes of tissues as we were both struck down with colds - cheers Rodders! Queenstown is really nice and has a real 'Alpine' feel to it. We indulged in a bit of retail therapy with no cash which isn't quite the same but managed to go out for a meal on Friday night providing a nice change from campsite kitchens. The plan was to go for drinks afterwards but wether it was the cold, getting old or the sheer amount of food we ate we were straight to bed afterwards. The weather was generally great but we did have a bit of rain which gave us an excuse to pop into the cinema and catch a movie - 'Run Fat Boy Run', which was very amusing. The one thing i didn't have time for was what could
Halfway to the falls...
a fantastic view done an injustice by the camerapossibly be the greatest game ever invented - frisbee golf! Still, maybe next time.
Leaving Queenstown behind we headed south to Te Anau which is the gateway to Fiordland NP. Our first adventure was down to Milford Sound which is beautiful. Mountains, glaciers and deep water. We saw the sound from water on a days kayak trip which was definitely one of the best ways to see it. There were some great views and even seals playing in the water as we kayaked along. A good but tiring day.
We are now back in Te Anau having another day of rest as the cold's hopefully leave us and we can continue further into the Fiordland NP.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.182s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 24; dbt: 0.1593s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1mb
Amanda
non-member comment
who r u?
Dont faint but its aunty!!Been looking at ur photos just to remind me who ur!!Looks like ur having a great time.Nick and kieran r in aus as i type.They hav travelled from Melbourne,down to Canberra and then finally Sydney.Kieran loving it-he managed to get nick to take him to the cricket ground AND buy him an Aus cricket shirt!!!Nicole is revising for her GCSE's(remember those days?)However there seems to be more breaks than revision going on!Elliot is just elliot!HE has just cum back from a 3 day school trip to Flatford Mill,apart from falling in the pond he had a good time!!!Me?what the hell am i doing?Oh yes(apart from chasing everyone else)i am busy producing the Players summer show called It's A Small World(very apt!!!)It has the usual level of talent-say no more!!!How bout u both joining on ur return - something to fill those long boring hours of nothingness!seriously tho keep enjoying yourselves and make the most of every minute.I am looking forward to your return,so are the kids.We should have a mega party?Anyway,take care and have fun.Amanda xxxxxxxxxxxxx