We’re alive! This past week has brought us to many $5 campsites and no internet. Therefore, let us tell you about our tramp in Mt. Aspiring National Park.
We did a tramp called the Rees-Dart and intended it to be a five day and four night event, but the weather had other ideas.
Our first day took us through a beautiful valley that was full of streams to cross and mucky, muddy, smelly bogs to sludge through. I didn’t bring my hiking boots to New Zealand, so I gave up almost immediately in trying to keep my feet clean and dry…it just wasn’t gonna happen.
Ross, however, attempted the long jump…
Other than our nasty feet, the hike was giving us stunning views of New Zealand that we’d dreamt of. It had been quite some time since any of us had done a back country hike, so day 1 was quite trying for us. However, the massive snow capped mountains and crystal blue skies kept us chugging along. By the time we reached the campsite, 7 hours later, it was unanimous that our feet may just fall off.
Day two brought more sunshine and beautiful landscapes. We would be going about half the distance as day one, but our notes said it would take approximately the same amount of time. As we reached Rees Saddle and then climbed the nearby peak, we were overwhelmed by the vista.
We made our way along the narrow path along the edge of the mountain and I was pretty sure the views we were seeing only belonged in National Geographic Magazine. I kept turning to Lauren asking, “Are we really seeing this?!” Yes, we were.
The next day we were to climb the strenuous Cascade Saddle, but the poor weather conditions beckoned us to keep moving on to the next campsite and forfeit the day hike...my feet thanked me.
We walked through golden fields and weren’t allowed to stop long due to the ravenous sandflies. Mosquitoes have nothing on these guys. Sandflies truly make one feel they are going mad.
So, we spent most of the evening hiding in the hut near our tents away from the little bloodsuckers.
Our final day was…wet. We woke late, as usual, and when we were eating our breakfast, most of the other hikers were already leaving camp. It had been pouring the majority of the evening and was still going strong. After a strong cup of joe, we all agreed that the rain wasn’t going to stop and the streams we were going to cross would only grow faster and deeper. So, about an hour after all the other hikers left…we followed suit.
Within 10 minutes, my feet and shorts were soaked. The first stream we crossed was up to my upper thighs. The streams were flowing fast into the nearby swollen river. It was not the kind of place where you’d want to lose your footing. The final stream we crossed had Ross and me linked arm in arm guessing as to where to put our feet, this was the strongest of the crossings.
The hike out was supposed to be a 4-5 hours and we were trying to catch the 2 o’clock shuttle to town. We left at 10 a.m. Needless to say, we were practically running. I felt like Ross was my drill sergeant and I was a weak rookie contemplating if this was really for me. Ross was in his element. Jogging and singing his Old Crow Medicine Show songs…in the rain. As I was about to ask for a break, we rounded the corner and saw the shuttle stop with all the hikers there.
3 hours and 16 kms later…we made it.
The four of us couldn’t stop laughing at ourselves. We had booked it and made it! Who knew? We got on the shuttle smiling to ourselves. What a trip.
Ross and I try to make everyday an adventure and while staying at Ngaio Bay, it was not a difficult task. One afternoon we decided to walk up the hill and go to the ridgeline to see what we could see! Our first stop? The natural beehive in the camper on the side of their drive. We proceeded with caution and this is what we saw...
No joke. Those are the honeycombs. I don't think we spoke for 2 mintues because we couldn't believe what we were seeing. Well, that was enough to make for a good adventure...but there was more!
The view was incredible. Massive rolling hills that look like they were covered with a soft brown blanket. Without using words (because the wind was so loud), Ross and I discovered that the wind was holding us up when we were leaning. We started playing around with leaning as far as we could without falling.
Then we jumped in the air and found that we were being carried a bit...a.k.a. flying!!! Needless to say, when we weren't flying we were crying from laughing so hard. However, our tears were just being whipped away. We finally had to walk away from the ridge because the wind was starting to hurt our ears and from exhaustion. Who knew flying was so hard?
