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Archive for November, 2004

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Treking the Track

Saturday, November 13th, 2004

Day 10 – Pichton to Queen Charlotte Track

And so we began our mighty tramp. We woke up around seven in order to have enough time to get our things together and get to the water taxi by 7:45. We’d gotten most of our gear together already, which just left showing and getting breakfast. After we did that, we walked over to the water taxi and caught the boat to ship’s cove where the tramp would begin. The boat ride took about 45 minutes and brought us through the bay. It gave me the opportunity to see a variety of birds as well as the scenery of the Pichton area. Once at Ship’s Cove, we were confronted with the rain forest-like path that ascended steeply upward. [read on]

Ready, Set, Hike!

Friday, November 12th, 2004

Day 9 – St. Arnaud to Pichton

With only a short drive before we got to Pichton, we set out early from St. Arnaud. The drive was brief and included only one intermittent stop in which we got gas at Blenheim. I bought some breakfast there but the lady working had no idea how to make any type of coffee and so even though I ordered a cappuccino, I only got black coffee. As we drove around the north part of the island, the roads became noticeably more crowded and the land quite a bit more populated. Pichton was a relatively small town that seemed to mostly revolve around its role as a Ferry port and jump-off point for the Queen Charlotte track and other resorts in the bay. [read on]

Drive Drive Drive

Thursday, November 11th, 2004
Day 8 – Franz Josef to St. Arnaud Having gone to bed so early, Tory and I were both astonished when we woke up at the relatively late time of 8:30. We were both so utterly exhausted that we’d slept well ... [Continue reading this entry]

On Ice

Wednesday, November 10th, 2004
Day 7 – Franz Josef Glacier It was another early morning for Tory and I as we awoke for our adventure on the glacier. We donned several layers of clothing and set out for the spot where we would be meeting ... [Continue reading this entry]

Glacial Preparations

Tuesday, November 9th, 2004
Day 7 - Te Anau to Franz Josef Consider how tired we’d been, we got a relatively early start towards Wanaka. Traveling to Wanaka required us to do the only backtracking of our whole trips on the South Island. We knew ... [Continue reading this entry]

Kayaks and Sandflies

Monday, November 8th, 2004
Day 6 - Te Anau to Milford and back. Without a shower and with minimal breakfast, we rolled out of the YHA at 5:45am to await our transport to Milford. We were the first to be picked up. A woman named ... [Continue reading this entry]

Mountain Paradise

Sunday, November 7th, 2004
Day 5 - Queenstown to Te Anau Still feeling some of the leftover effects of the beer from the previous night, we got up late at the Queenstown YHA and prepared to go to Te Anau. We were unsure exactly how ... [Continue reading this entry]

Broken Boat

Saturday, November 6th, 2004
Day 4 – Glenorchy to Queenstown We awoke early to a bright sunny day. After some quick food and a brief shower, Tory and I met up with a bus, which would take us out to the nearby river for some ... [Continue reading this entry]

Towns, Dead and Alive

Friday, November 5th, 2004
Day 3 – Mount Cook to Gleorchy After a night in which sleep was no longer a theory, but a reality, Tory and I got an early start, heading for Queenstown. After packing up our stuff, we went in search of ... [Continue reading this entry]

Saturated

Thursday, November 4th, 2004
Day 2 – Christchurch to Mount Cook After an all-to-unsatisfying night of sleep we left Christchurch. Breakfast consisted of one whole muffin, after which the rental car agency picked us up and took us out to get our car. The car ... [Continue reading this entry]