Today, I made the 1 hour drive from Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook Village to begin 2 days of hiking and climbing in the Southern Alps. Upon arriving at Mount Cook Village, I notified the Department of Conservation of my intent to summit Mount Ollivier and spend 1 night at Mueller Hut, a mountain shelter nestled in between Mount Ollivier and Mount Sefton. At 8,000 feet, Mount Ollivier was the first mountain climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary, who then went on to be the first person to summit Everest. Aside from this historical element, the mountain has a lot going for it – it’s located amidst beautiful scenery, is a moderately difficult climb (>45 degree grade for more than 50% of the climb, and no trail whatsoever for the 2500 feet leading up to the summit, and has great views of the legendary Mount Cook. I began climbing around 9am by following the Sealy Tarns trail halfway up the mountain. The Department of Conservation did a great job with this section of the trail, carving 1810 steps right into the mountain. The steps are pretty steep, so even the first half of the climb was pretty strenuous. Around the halfway point, the steps vanish and the climb turns into flat-out climbing, orientated by following willow wands (brightly colored markers) placed on the mountain slope.
The climbing was not overly technical (ie. no ropes), but I had to take care going up as the cliffs were entirely exposed and even a little slip could have resulted in a very, very long fall. Thankfully, I made it to the summit of Mt. Ollivier safely, and descended in the afternoon to the mountain hut around 7,000 feet, where I stayed overnight. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip, as I got to meet a lot of really interesting people (I spent 3 hours alone just playing Yahtzee with some engineers who were on vacation from their full-time jobs in Antarctica). While up in the clouds, I witnessed what is probably the most beautiful sunset and sunrise I’ve ever seen in my life. The morning and evening colors were incredibly vibrant! In the morning, I made a quick 4-hour descent to my car, and began the long drive north to Akaroa.
This morning I took the 9am flight from Auckland to Christchurch on the South Island, landing around noon. From there, I caught a shuttle from the airport to go and pick up my rental car, which I’ll have the entire week I’m on the South Island. Driving on the left (wrong) side of the road has not been as difficult as I thought – what’s most tricky is remembering the odd traffic rules and “giving way” to traffic when going through traffic circles. The good thing is that since New Zealand’s population density is so low, traffic is nonexistent (save for a brief period during rush hour). After picking up my rental car, I headed to the International Antarctic Center - this is where the United States Antarctic Program is headquartered. Christchurch is known as the “Gateway to Antarctica” because all major Antarctic expeditions leave from there. The United States Air Force has a big presence here and I saw several huge transport planes getting ready to leave for McMurdo Station. Touring the Antarctic Center, I was able to see all of the program facilities, as well as some really informative historical exhibits and artifacts from the bottom of the world. There was also a simulation of an Antarctic snowstorm (with temperatures dropping to -20F) and a very cool reserve for some Blue Penguins – the smallest of their species in the world! Since I want to either visit or work in Antarctica someday, this was a fascinating place to explore. After that, I headed into downtown Christchurch. The city is still recovering from the devastating 2011 earthquakes, and walking around the city, I immediately noticed that there’s still a lot of work to be done. The center of town, Cathedral Square, is still cordoned off as it is part of the “Red Zone” that was the epicenter of the earthquake. Here, buildings are still crumbling and the reconstruction work is still continuing on the main cathedral. It was really sobering to see the destruction that happened, yet there are still vibrant signs of hope here. Just adjacent to the Red Zone is a concept retail space called the Re:Start Mall – this is where all businesses destroyed in the earthquake relocated to. It’s essentially a huge shopping mall constructed out of brightly colored shipping containers. I found it to be a really good use of public space, and there are lots of art displays, food vendors, and cultural exhibits in the area. After exploring around here for a couple hours, I got on the road to head to Lake Tekapo. This was a beautiful drive through the Canterbury countryside, and I aimed to spend the night here before heading onto Mount Cook Village the next morning. Tekapo is a quaint little town perched right on the banks of Lake Tekapo, a glacier-fed lake on the outskirts of the Southern Alps. I got into town around 9pm, and found a campsite to park my car and rest for the night. Around 6am the next morning, I went to the local Four Square (supermarket), and fueled up with food and petrol before heading off to Mount Cook Village.
Today I took a bus to Rotorua, the epicenter of geothermal activity in New Zealand. Since the island nation is located right on the Ring of Fire, there tends to be a lot of volcanic and tectonic activity. I hiked through Wai-O-Tapu, an area about 50 miles south of Rotorua, and the Waimangu Valley, an enormous volcanic valley filled with geothermal vents, ponds, and hot springs. Two of my favorites were the Champagne Pool, in Wai-O-Tapu, and Inferno Crater in Waimangu Valley. The crater is filled with milky blue water that’s around 150F and boils off sulfur-smelling steam. It’s absolutely incredible. There weren’t many people around, which made for a nice day of hiking. For lunch, I stopped in at a small café for a delicious tuna melt. After that, I hiked for a few more hours and then got on a late-night train/bus combo in order to make it back to Auckland before my flight the next morning. All told, it was a fantastic day. New Zealand is a beautiful country and very diverse, both in terms of landscape and culture. Everyone is very friendly and helpful; I haven’t met anyone who’s been indifferent or rude (not yet, at least). Tomorrow I’m flying to Christchurch and in the following days will head to Mount Cook National Park to do some hiking and climbing. After that, it’s off to the coastal town of Akaroa to unwind. Onwards and upwards!
Exploring Auckland
I spent today roaming around downtown Auckland. In order to combat the jet lag incurred from 32 hours of flying, I slept 10 hours last night and woke up at a leisurely 930am. From there, I took a train from Papakura (the village where I’m staying) into Auckland Central Station, called the Britomart – a very neat train station that reminds me a bit of Grand Central Station in New York City. Auckland, despite still being a very car-dependent city, is still quite easy (and fun!) to get around by foot. The town is built well for pedestrians, and there’s lots of public space dedicated to creative walkways. I spent most of the morning exploring the Viaduct Harbour, which is Auckland’s main waterfront. Auckland is internationally known as the “City of Sails”, and for good reason! There are more sailboats per person here than anywhere else on Earth. The Viaduct is home to the America’s Cup (the World Cup equivalent of sailing), and some of the yachts used in the competition were docked in the harbor. I had a great time in this area; seeing all of the sailboats and yachts was a real highlight. I also visited the New Zealand maritime museum, which was a great way to learn more about the history of the area.
From there, I walked up to Albert Park, which is a beautiful public park just adjacent to the University of Auckland main campus. Covered in beautiful palm trees and landscaping, this had a great view of downtown and made for a nice place to eat lunch. After eating, I headed down the street to Sky Tower. Reminiscent of the CN Tower in Toronto, this landmark is the most prominent feature of Auckland’s skyline. From the top, amazing views of the city were had. Every major landmark in town could be spotted, even the extinct volcano Rangitoto across the harbor. The Queen Mary II was docked in Auckland today, and I met some of the passengers on that ship – they were making a quick stop in Auckland before heading onto Sydney and then Johannesburg. After looking at the scenery and watching a few people bungee jump from the top, I decided to head down and explore some more.
In the afternoon, I still had a few hours to kill before getting on my 8pm InterCity bus to Rotorua, so I serendipitously decided to go for a walk down the Viaduct Basin again. There is a lot more than just boats here – the City of Auckland has transformed this place into somewhere that is both a world-class harbor and an incredible public commons. There are also a lot of neat sculptures, parks, and cafes along here. In my mind, it’s definitely one of the contributing factors to the winning formula that consistently places Auckland high up in the rankings on Quality of Life surveys around the world. On my walk, I ran across a basketball court and met two South Korean guys playing. I joined in on their pickup game and before long, a Kiwi and an Australian joined in as well. Played for about an hour, and head a great time! Everyone is really friendly here; from what I’ve seen so far, the Kiwis are really welcoming and kind-hearted people. Now I’m getting on an overnight bus to Rotorua, where I’ll be checking out some really unique geothermal sites. Photos and more soon!
