Archive 2013
Knights Point
Driving north from Wanaka, State Highway 6 leads via Haast Pass towards the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Only a short distance north of Haast where the highway meets the coastline, is Knights Point with its beautiful view of the Tasman Sea. The road here turns inland for most of the next 200km, running parallel with the coastline on one side and the Southern Alps on the other, neither of them far away.
Kinloch Jetty
From Queenstown, New Zealand’s fun capital, a 45km drive on what is basically a dead-end street takes you to the small town of Glenorchy at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu. But the road doesn’t end right there. Just across the lake – some 3km as the Kea flies – is Kinloch, but to drive there you need to take a little detour, making it another 25km from Glenorchy, the last few on an unsealed road. Kinloch was once meant to be a small town, but never really was. Today, it basically consists of a lodge, a campsite and a couple of buildings in the area.
Lake Mackenzie
While Fiordland is great, it is not the only spectacular place in the south-west of New Zealand’s South Island. Right next to Fiordland, the Routeburn Track, one of the Great Walks of New Zealand, leads from Fiordland National Park to Mount Aspiring National Park and is usually walked in three days.
Mackay Falls
The last day of the Milford track is less spectacular than the day before but still has beautiful forests and waterfalls on offer.
Clinton Valley Inversion
On the third day of the Milford Track you walk up from Mintaro Hut in zig-zags towards Mackinnon Pass with spectacular views of the valleys on both sides of the pass. A long descent and a short detour take you to the Sutherland Falls before you reach the third hut.
Milford Track towards Mackinnon Pass
One of the most famous walks in New Zealand – and one found on many lists of top ten walks of the world, in fact – is the Milford Track. Mackinnon Pass is the highest point along the route, and to me it is one of the most beautiful spots I have ever been to.
Hollyford Valley
My favourite place in New Zealand – or maybe in the world – is the south-western part of the South Island. Fiordland is an incredibly beautiful place not only with fiords, but also with beautiful forests and a great landscape with mountains up to 2700 metres tall. It is also a very wet place which is why there is a rain forest here that in most parts is primeval and protected within the Fiordland National Park. Several walks – from very short ones to multi-day tramps – lead into the wilderness.
Catlins Waterfalls
In the south east corner of New Zealand’s South Island, there is an area that doesn’t get too many visitors because it is a little further away from the main tourist routes: the Catlins. The Catlins are not only famous for the beaches with their wildlife, but also for their waterfalls in beautiful forests. I really can’t decide which of the waterfalls is the nicest; for this posting I decided to choose the McLean Falls.
Mount Cook National Park and Sealy Tarns
The highest peak of the Southern Alps is Aoraki/Mount Cook (at the right edge of the image). The National Park named after it offers some very nice walks, one of which leads up to the Sealy Tarns and – if you have enough time and energy – further on to the Mueller Hut where you can stay for the night.
Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd
Leaving Christchurch with its heavily damaged city, my first stop is Lake Tekapo. While this lake and the town of the same name on its shores lie pretty much in the middle of nowhere, it is a busy place.