South Coast Safari

After finishing the Kepler Track we had a final night in Te Anau before heading south along the 'Southern Scenic Route' towards the Catlins. Arriving at Tuatapere though we had one last opportunity for walking which we fancied as it involved coastal paths rather than the fiordland mountains we'd been living for the previous 4 weeks.

(View from close to our free campsite for the evening)

So bright and early, after a night on a kind farmer's station for free, we set off for just a two night tramp on the South Coast Track. It forms part of the Humpridge track – a privately managed walk with bigger and 'better' accommodation than you usually get from DOC huts. I think it costs at least $130 in season but from May onwards they decommission their huts and you can walk the whole track for $45.

Despite that option we decided that 3 days of 20km was perhaps a bit too much for us with how we were feeling, plus we could do the DOC part of the tramp on our hut passes and stay in the DOC hut which was an old school house.

So day one took us along the coast, with beach walking for about 17kn to a place known as Port Craig. It's an old timber milling place that was only in use between about 1917 and 1928. Now the only thing left in the School House – since it was owned by the Education Board rather than the timber milling company - and a few remnants of the wharf, sleepers for the train they used to carry the logs to the wharf and various rusty bits of machinery.

It was a lovely place to spend the evening and we caught sight of Hector's Dolphins down near to the wharf. We shared the school house with 2 other couples that night, one of them had actually booked the out of season Humpridge walk and said of the other hut that there was no way left of heating it and as it was up on the ridge (about 1000m I think) it was pretty damn chilly. The private company use the DOC hut in the off-season rather than 'Port Craig Village' a mini holiday complex place that they've built where Si and I think we counted enough bunkrooms for 80 people. I'm glad we just had 4 for company.

(Port Craig School House)

It's the most atmospheric hut we've stayed at and on our 2nd night we thought we'd have it to ourselves until a local hunter turned up. He was an interesting character to chat to though as he ran a paragliding business in Queenstown and had seen some massive changes in the town over the years. Good changes in terms of a lot more money and tourism being such a boon to the local economy, but as with so many popular tourist places, city money comes in to buy property, holiday homes and pushes prices up for everything from beer to groceries to rates the council charges. He's not sure how he feels about the overall result despite his business being successful all year round now.

On our 2nd day we walked 6km further along the track along the old tramlines to see the world's longest wooden viaduct that is still standing. The weather was a bit drizzly and we were both feeling a distinct lack of energy. All the Fiordland tramping was finally catching up with us so we headed back to the hut early, got the fire going and had a game of scrabble. We've been practising by playing open book – with the official scrabble dictionary – and this was the first time we've played for a while without the book so a combined score of over 640 (our highest ever) was pretty impressive!

Simon did say he was going to wax lyrical about community hut life, it's probably good that he ran out of creative energy as it would have simply been some intolerant rant about having to share space with other people. Simon loves it really, and he will be the first to admit that learning new card games off an Israeli chap, meeting long term ex-pats with their views on NZ, chatting to Kiwi's about their home and getting more space to spread out when sleeping compared to our van all makes communal hut living a great experience. Especially when the hut passes are such a bargain.

The walk out from Port Craig was tiring and I think there was a psychological element of our bodies knowing that once we got back to the van that was it. No more ridiculous long walks – for a little while at least – and after a short drive back into Tuatapere a treat of take-away fish and chips followed by a stack of homemade cinnamon pancakes with syrup went down a storm.

We started the drive through towards the Catlins the next day ending up at Invercargill. The biggest metropolis we'd see in quite a while. Population of 40,000 or so and not getting a great rep from people we'd spoken to. It was a bit of reality check getting into one of the main towns in the south, a few characters who wouldn't be out of place on Shirley High street on a Saturday afternoon and a reminder that New Zealand is definitely not on the world's rich list. Houses that can look quaint and cute when you first see them are also rundown and in need of more than just TLC. One very good plus point for Invercargill though was Devil Burger. The most interesting burger menu I've seen. I opted for the Dark Knight – Venison, salad etc, plum and apricot chutney.... Si went for the ManKiller. I thought my burger was big. Just the weight of the bag with his burger in was enough to make our jaws drop. Once it emerged from the bag we realised that he had ordered something that was easily bigger than Si's head, probably bigger than mine although a little bit smaller than Scott's.. Wow – he ate it all, unfortunately we didn't have the camera and he did say to me this morning that the continual background hunger he's been experiencing for the last month has finally subsided.

(Riverton - a quick lunch stop)

We continued along the south coast heading for Curio Bay – home to a 160million year old petrified forest visible at low tide and the rare Hoiho (Yellow Eyed) penguins. The penguins were amazing, a few people gathered around from about 5pm waiting for their exit from the sea up to their nests for the night. They would hop out of the sea into the seaweed and start the slow waddling walk along the rocks. They didn't seem in any rush to get to their nests and spent plenty of time waiting for playmates and preening themselves before bed. Fantastic. All of this happening whilst we're stood on the remains of the petrified forest which in itself is well worth a visit to the bay. Followed by a night's camping on a high spot overlooking the sea to 3 sides we were a bit spoilt. The campsite itself is nothing to write home about but it was quiet and the location was well worth the $15 fee to camp.

(Penguins!!)

(160million year old tree)

With more sunny, fine weather the next morning we had a long walk up the beach at Porpoise Bay keeping our eyes peeled for dolphins – there is a resident community that from the signs we saw obviously come close enough to swim with in the summer but settled for one lonesome sea lion.

There were plenty more sea lions though at our stop for the evening – Cannibal Bay. We headed along the beach and they were just there grunting, roaring, fighting and generally not getting around very quickly. That said we didn't want to be too close; 350kg of male sea lion could do a bit of damage. Another really special place and experience that was completely free and available to anyone taking on the 7km gravel road to the coast. We camped there for the evening undisturned except for mouse number 5 that met it's maker in our new well used mouse trap.  It is a shame that freedom camping has become such an issue in New Zealand.  Partially because of the sheer number of people renting campervans during the summer and possibly a few financial motives to keep the local economy turning over, it is getting progressively harder to camp out in New Zealand - particularly around urban areas.  Rightly so if people cannot be trusted to take away their litter and use public toilets but for responsible travellers, out of season it just gets a little bit frustrating.  Still - there are places around if you look hard enough.

(Sea Lions at Cannibal Bay)

From Cannibal Bay we decided just to hit the roads to Dunedin where we'll spend the next few days. It seems like a cool city, bit more artsy than Christchurch and an opportunity to tackle some internet jobs, sightseeing and a long-awaited trip to the cinema!!  There's also easy access to surfing along the coast which for some reason Si doesn't seem keen to get involved in... possibly the pre-requisite of a 7mm wet suit is something to do with it!  Next stop will be Christchurch when we'll check in with a somewhat more mundane blog I imagine covering our trip up the East coast and the hunt for work in Christchurch which is now looming!  (But on a plus side it also means that Odyssey Yoga will be up & running before too long). 

(Dunedin City Centre)

Love & peace,

charl x

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Fiordland

Fiordland. New Zealand's largest, and the world's fifth biggest, national park area. Towering, snow-capped granite peaks drop steeply into a series of azure (well, sometimes, weather dependent), fiords and great lakes, lower halves clad in dense beech forest. Home to three of the nine New Zealand “Great Walks”, including the Milford Track – possibly the world's most famous multi-day hike. Inhabited by a few hardy humans, accompanied by dolphins, seals, penguins, deer and an array of birdlife. A Mecca for trampers, hunters and sightseers the world over.

Something this good does not come without catches however, and there are certainly a few with Fiordland. Firstly the weather. Fiordland averages seven metres of rainfall per annum on the valley floor and up to eight to nine metres on the peaks, spread over two hundred and twenty rain days per year. That really is a lot of rain. The most common view you're likely to see is that of the rain hammering away at the window of your campervan, or maybe the interior of a cloud, when, after two or three days cooped up in your van you brave one of the mountain walks.

The rain isn't all bad news though. The drive to Milford Sound in the rain is an experience by itself, the road becomes surrounded by a huge avenue of waterfalls as the the rain makes its way off the mountains. The same could be said for a boat trip up Milford or Doubtful Sound. It's best to look on it as a win win situation.



The Fiordland Sandfly

Secondly Fiordland accommodates New Zealand's densest population of sandflies. The New Zealand sandfly is a particularly horrible little creature and even after a couple of months the bites it gives me can cause two or three bad nights sleep whilst I fight a generally losing battle against the urge to scratch my skin off. So bring your best cloth-melting insect repellent, or cover up, as every year hundreds of people (particularly those trekking the Milford Track) probably have a large dent put in their enjoyment of their holiday due to these nasty little critters.



Lake Manopuri & the Fiordland Interior

Finally, due to its terrain, Fiordland is not all that easy to get about. The road from Te Anau to Milford Sound aside, your car is not a massive aid to you. Fiordland is an officially designated Wilderness area for good reason. To really see the interior you need to go by air, water or lace up your hiking boots. There are a variety of scenic flights by chopper or small plane about, a great way to see Fiordland on a clear day. Like most services around here though it doesn't come cheap. Boat trips are available on Milford and Doubtful Sound and both day and overnight trips are available. Doubtful Sound is supposed to be the money shot, but at a minimum of two hundred and fifty bucks for a day boat cruise it'll have to go on our “list of things to do when we've got a bit more money” (steadily growing). Personally I think the way to see the Fiords is probably by kayak, but given it's been six degrees today I think we might come back and do that in the summer.

Seeing Fiordland on foot is what we've really come here for, but even tramping isn't all straight forward here. Most people will see Fiordland's interior on the Milford Track, the scenery is supposed to be world class, however the Milford Track is often fully booked months in advance so you're taking a gamble on the Fiordland weather and personally I'd rather gamble on Gordon Brown winning “comedy personality of the year” (or possibly the general election). The Kepler Track, another great walk, is an easier walk to pick up a short notice booking on but, although spectacular, doesn't have the fiordside scenery of the Milford. The Routeburn Track offers great views of the Hollyford Valley but then crosses the divide back into the Mount Aspiring national park, the scene of our previous tramping tales and an awkward four hour hitch or $150 odd transport fee to get back to your car.

Otherwise to really penetrate the Fiordland interior you're looking at something like the seven day Dusky Track. A remote walk requiring boat or planes in & out, a high levels of fitness and carrying locater beacons / mountain radios etc. In the local DOC stories of fatalities and near misses are on display in an effort to discourage the ill-equipped. The weather is so variable flash flooding and winter avalanches are ever present dangers.

Our first stop and indeed the first stop for most people coming into the park was Fiordland's main and only town Te Anau. Situated on the shore of its namesake lake, Te Anau is a chilled out little place geared up to supply trampers and adventurers heading out into the park. A couple of k's behind Te Anua an observation point set on a hill gives an excellent view of how the rural central Otago cattle flats end on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau, whilst on the western shore the peaks of Fiordland rise steeply from the lake shore. Te Anau is also home to the best pie shop we have come across to date, Miles Better Pies, (the proprietor's name is Miles – great pie shop Pun). Stevo - I reckon that Pieman from Manly must have learnt his trade here.



Te Anau seen from the viewpoint

With a bad weather front approaching we opted to play safe with a two day / one night tramp by Lake Manapouri, twenty minutes south of Te Anua. As a tramp it wasn't too challenging, a water taxi over from pearl harbour, five hours walk the first day, a night at Hope Arm hut, then a nice easy three and a half hour walk back to the water taxi. It served as a good taster though and did give us our first look into the interior of Fiordland. The trip was probably most noticeable for introducing us to staying with Hunters, the other main group who tend to use the backcountry hut system.

Hunting is actively encouraged by DOC in New Zealand. Although indigenous species are all protected, introduced species like deer, possums and stoats are fair game for anyone who wants to have a pop. A surprisingly high percentage of Kiwi's will own a firearm's license (Charl: I now have an image of armed kiwi's walking through the bushes protecting themselves from the stoats. I think Si means the Kiwi people). We were now in the hunting season for Roe Deer, a two – three week period known as “the roar” as the stags roar to issue challenges and attract deer to their herd, although unwittingly they'll often end up attracting a bullet.

Hope Valley Hut, with an unfortunate Deer providing the dinner

We were pre-warned Hunters could be anyone from city guys on a holiday to proper hillbilly types or yahoos out more to drink whiskey then crawl around in the bush. This lot were a nice bunch of family guys from Wanaka. They had their own boat so had loads of stuff with them and we were treated to some spare venison (freshly shot), fruit juice and a chunk of apple & blackberry crumble that one of their wives had prepared – all luxury stuff when you're out on a tramp! A bunch of the hillbilly sorts did turn up later, but obviously decided there wasn't enough space for them all to hang their dungarees up or strum the tune from “Deliverance” on their banjos so they left shortly after.

We then overnighted back in Te Anau before taking off on the Milford Road, the winding 120km road to the famous Milford Sound. This road is how most people will get to see Fiordland and from about 11.00 onwards you have to take your place in the orderly procession of tour buses and rental campervans making their pilgrimage to the famous Sound. The route is punctuated by stops for roadside attractions, DOC campgrounds, day walks and car parks for several longer backcountry trails.

Now I try to understand these tours, I really do, and even as I'm writing this I'm telling myself to try not to sound condescending or patronising when talking about them – although I'm invariably going to fail. No, I do understand that tours are an informative and social way of seeing some of a country's highlights on a limited timescale. This however, is mass, conveyor belt, “drink now, eat now, go to toilet now – 5 minutes only please, thank you for travelling with real journeys we hope you have....etc”, tourism, and I can't help but view it with a sense of something between bemusement and horror.

We braved one roadside stop, the Chasm, and sat in the van watching the rain come down and the tour buses arrive with the regularity of WWF Wrestlers, making their way into the ring at 30 second intervals for the Royal Rumble. We braced ourself and made the break, managing to squeeze roughly in between two big tour groups. The Chasm as it happens is spectacular and well worth more than the minute that most of the shuffling masses have to give it. Picture this if you can, tourist in rain mac, umbrella in one hand camcorder in the other. Jumps out the bus and walks swiftly round the attraction, looking mainly down at his swift moving feet whilst swivelling robotically from the hips to record the surrounding landscape. Presumably the idea is to experience the holiday on your Plasma screen TV from the comfort of your own lounge?

Anyway, as usual I digress. We did do a Milford Sound boat cruise, it was mightily enjoyable even in the somewhat blustery, damp conditions. Here is our advice on doing Milford Sound. First take a drive along to the Milford Sound Lodge, just ½ km from the cruise ship terminal. Pop in, check the weather for the following day looks reasonable & enquire about rates /availability. Resist the urge to jump up & down and shout “Greedy corporate bloodsuckers” at them when they tell you they're going to charge you forty bucks for the privilege of sleeping in your own van – there is some serendipity to the situation. Then drive along to the Terminal, go and have a look round the four different cruise companies and decide which one you fancy going with. Head back to the lodge and book in for the night. The following morning get up early and check the Fiordland weather hasn't. had an overnight change of heart, always possible, and then book the first cruise of the morning through the lodge – at which point you should receive a $25 or similar discount which cancels out the extortion for camping. The early morning boats have no big tour groups so you can then appreciate the Sound in relative peace & harmony, getting back to your van and heading off just in time as “El Masses” tours etc.. all turn up in a blaze of camera flashes and oriental sounding noise pollution. For what's it's worth we took the 8:50 am Mitre Peak small boat tour, a bargain at forty bucks and well worth the money.



Rain and cold weather then stopped play for a couple of days, thank god we brought the Scrabble board along, a splendid way to pass a few hours on a rainy day. With the sun eventually making a comeback we set off on the Caples / Greenstone track. A circuit of 60km or so that we intended to take four days, three nights over, however due to leaving all our dinner food in its bag at the first hut was cut short to to three days/two nights. The walk is a pleasant valley walk for the most part, although the sub alpine saddle (995m) was tough work getting up from the southern side. Hunting was still in full flow with four hunters in every hut. In Greenstone Hut we were treated to the Redneck Yahoo type of hunters. They got up at four thirty in the morning, belching, farting, talking loudly and generally making it obvious that they didn't give a damn about the rest of us. W**kers. At another hut we met and chatted to a group of sixteen year old lads on a hunting trip. Sixteen year old lads, on their own, out with guns....you grow up quick in the country round here!



Crossing the very pretty Mckellar Saddle

Back to Te Anau we went again, a quick stock up on food and a trip to DOC to book our places on the Routeburn Track, one of the Great Walks and a connecting route between the Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks. To save ourselves a marathon hitchhike back to our car we opted to walk into the first hut, Lake Mackenzie, on day one. Then on the second day we walked up the main peak, Conical Hill for a famous panoramic view of the Hollyford Valley & Darran Mountains, before retracing our steps to the Divide car park. The Great Walks are all well groomed tracks but this second day was still 30km and a good ten hours so we were happy to hit the hay on our return to the van.




The Hollyford Valley - Seen from the Routeburn

Another day was then spent waiting out some of Fiordland's finest rain before we embarked on the Hollyford Track, a valley based route that runs from near the Milford Road, skirts the side of the enormous Lake McKerrow and comes out on the coast at Martin's Bay. At a minimum track time of seven days, there and back, this was going to be our longest track to date, around 115km (return). Martin's Bay is supposed to be a beautiful slice of costal wilderness where you can see dolphins, penguins and seals on a regular basis and after all the alpine trekking we had been doing sounded like a marvellous contrast. We knew from the hut warden at Lake McKenzie that the weather was looking sketchy for a couple of days, but when you're setting off for seven days or more in Fiordland you're going to have to endure some bad weather so we off we went anyway. On the second day however we hoisted the white flag in the face of worsening rain and cut it short at lunchtime, stopping at Lake Alabaster Hut – about ten km and half the distance we were intending to cover.

Watching the rain pour down outside we decided the best course of action was to light a fire, dry our stuff out and see what the next day would bring. More rain, was the answer to that question, and indeed the day after that, and after that. In fact we couldn't really go anywhere anyway as the lake level had risen by at least two metres, flooding the path to a chest deep level. On the third day I, along with Rodney and Patricia, an older couple stuck in the same situation as us, decided to try our luck bashing our own path though the bush. We successfully circumnavigated the lake, but half an hour back down the path ran into one of the guides from a private lodge on the same path. The river had burst it's banks and the path back was chest deep in water we were told. The next day we did successfully manage an exit, getting pretty wet in the process. By this stage we just wanted to get back and check the van hadn't been washed away, however we bumped into another Pyke Lodge guide and found out the road back to Te Anau was shut due to flood damage anyway. With there being no way out to the sanctuary of a town we opted to take advantage of the the space and heating facilities of Hidden Falls Hut – just 2 hours walk away from the car park.

Flood damage caused by the heavy rains

The next day we were to find out that this was a record flood for Fiordland and that vast areas of farmland were under water and several main roads closed due to flood damage – and we'd been stuck out on a backcountry track. Bit of an adventure really, and luckily we were well stocked and had the comfort of a relatively new, twenty six bunk hut to enjoy for most of it. We did find out about another guy called Marcel, who we could tell was a day ahead of us on the track from his entries in the visitors book. He'd got stuck in between two creeks further up the track and had to set up his tent and camp by the side of the path for two days until the creeks went down enough to cross. A lesson in respect for the Fiordland weather.

We were pretty much done with Fiordland at this stage and there was increasing talk about going to find some nicer weather. We managed however to muster our energy reserves for one more big track, The Kepler, a 60km four day track in the mountains facing Te Anau. This really is a great walk, glacial valleys, lakeside tranquillity and a whole day's worth of alpine ridge walking with possibly the best views we've experienced so far.



Mt Luxmore Hut - Kepler Track
So there we go, Fiordland: great place, awful weather. I was going wax lyrical about the joys and challenges of communal hut life but my creative juices are running dry and I think that's a subject for the next post. Just a couple of notes to finish.

First: We've done well over 400km of walking treks in the last six weeks or so, normally carrying about 20k or so on our backs. We're quite capable of covering 20km in 5 hours without feeling to much in the way of adverse effects. As always though there's someone there to burst your bubble. Today we met a group of runners. Their idea of recreation is running three of the great walks in three days. Day 1: Milford Track – 50km, ? Vertical elevation. Day 2: Routeburn track: 35km ? v.e. Day 3 Kepler: 56km 1400m elevation. Just. Plain. Silly.

And lastly best campsite sign to date, spotted in the kitchen of the great lakes holiday park, Te Anau:

“Your mother doesn't live here, so please CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS”.

You tell 'em son, horrible little layabouts. For some reason a certain section of the backpacking crowd just can't their heads around the fact that Jeeves (or his dutch / german / scandinavian equivalent) simply can't get the time off the family estate to follow them around, clean up their dishes and put their garbage away!

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