Trotting Along Fox Glacier

If the North Island was another world, the South Island is a whole other universe.

It was late when our ferry docked at Picton harbour but we could just about make out the silhouettes of a mountain range not too far from the coast. The next morning in the sunshine we were amazed to find that the summits were covered in snow. How could it be warm enough to lie on the beach when there were snow topped mountains within sight? For me this just about sums up New Zealand in that there's absolutely everything here; something to please everyone and lots to please me! 

We spent one night in Nelson to break up the long journey down to Fox Glacier but were there for literally a matter of hours. As we saw so little of the small town my opinion is based entirely upon the hostel we stayed in and as the hostel served free homemade cookies on arrival, I've decided I like Nelson a lot. 

Fox Glacier, however, was even better. It's a tiny resort with a resident population of a few hundred people but it attracts a few thousand more each week because of the glaciers that sit just above it. We helped contribute to that statistic, all four of us embarking on a half day 'Fox Trot' tour on Fox Glacier. Kitted out in our hiking boots, crampons and poles (and about six layers of clothing!) we took to the glacier, hauling ourselves up the slippery staircase carved into the ice. It was another beautiful day and the glacier looked all the better for it as the outer layer of ice glistened in the sunshine like a sheet of sparkling diamonds. We stopped to observe various landmarks along the way such as caves and small water streams that have tunnelled their way through the ice. The views from the top were really impressive but we wished we could have gone on further to where the ice is cleaner, free from the rock stains found in the valley.

The trek was less physically demanding than we'd imagined so in the afternoon we took a long walk around Lake Matheson, one of the South Island's most beautiful lakes. At one particular spot when the water is still it reflects the perfect image of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook which makes for a rather incredible photograph. Once again we were left in awe of such an amazing natural beauty. 

Later that evening we walked again, this time to the forests nearby to our hostel. The sun had only just begun to set leaving us with enough daylight to explore the woodland properly. It was the weirdest and yet most wonderful forest I think I've ever seen, with obscurely angled plants and trees, and a thick layer of moss covering almost every inch. It reminded me very much of the set of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', a place where fairy folk dwell, too beautiful to be true. As daylight departed darkness fell, broken only by a scattering of spectacular blue lights shining through the shrubbery. With a head full of thoughts of Puck and Titania you'd forgive me for a moment for thinking these could indeed be fairies. If they were to exist anywhere in the world it would be here! However, this here was the work of extraordinary glow worms, decorating the darkness like stars in the night sky.

So far the South Island has lived up to the hype but there's a lot left to come. I can't wait to see what's in store for us next!

Tongariro Trekking: A Non-Hobbit's Tale

It was a misty morning as we started our trek through the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. With the marshlands on our left and Mount Doom on our right, I was beginning to feel like I'd been thrown into the final scene of The Lord of the Rings and it was bloody awesome! My inner geek peaked as the sun burnt through the clouds revealing Middle Earth's most feared volcano in all its glory. The sheer enormity was quite overwhelming and standing in its shadows, I've never felt so small; about the size of a hobbit in fact! 

Though we had no Ring of Power to worry about destroying, we did have our own quest of equal importance: making it to the Emerald Lakes in time for our lunch! And this was no easy task. The initially flat terrain soon right angled into a steep upwards climb, suitably named 'The Devil's Staircase', and once those phased out they were replaced with a dusty rubble which slid beneath us with every step. As we hauled ourselves higher the air became thinner, the wind colder and my flashbacks to Rinjani increasingly vivid.

Once we finally reached the top though we were rewarded with the most breathtaking views. Looking in both directions was like staring down upon two different realms with fierce red craters behind us and glistening green pools ahead; our very own diamonds in the rough. 

The agreed lunch spot was in sight but these little gems were further than they seemed and the pathway went downhill from there, not only literally but figuratively too. We slid and skid as far as we could before collapsing onto our bottoms and tobogganing down with about as much elegance as a herd of orcs. 

The Emerald Lakes were just incredible and we ate our picnic in absolute awe. I couldn't understand how something so beautiful had been kept so secret but the world suddenly seemed like a much better place. We'd have loved to have stayed there all day but still had four hours of walking left ahead of us. 

The next part of the trek was past another volcano, this one very much active and a constant threat. Our guide had told us to turn and run at the first sign of black clouds but having practically skiied down that last rubbly hill, we didn't fancy our chances at running anywhere! Luckily we caught it in a good mood though and it puffed only lightly as we hurried by.

The rest of the way back was completely bizarre as we covered just about every landscape imaginable. One minute we were enclosed in a blossoming forest and the next exposed in a baron terrain. Reflecting upon it is like watching a sequence in a film where different settings are used to represent a long journey. In our case, however, there was no camera trickery to help us along our way and we really did travel a long distance. At the highest point we reached 1,900km and walked a total of 19km in just over 6 hours. It was no Rinjani but we were suitably exhausted for our day's work and felt we deserved the feast prepared back at the hostel, large enough to feed a whole fellowship!