If you plan on hiking in New Zealand, be prepared to lose a toe nail.
At least that’s what happened to me after near frostbite on the Routebourn trail. At the end of the trip with the nail dangling off, I was left googling if it would ever grow back and encountering graphic images.
Would I do it all again given the effect on my toes? Hell yes!
I fell in love with New Zealand during my two week trip there. I went ready to go on an epic Lord of the Rings odyssey. And it completely fulfilled my expectations.
I need to give credit to where credit is due. Alex was the master orchestrator of this trip. The moment we landed, we were transported by taxi with our backpacks to the start of the 3-day Routebourn trail. And that is where our tale begins…
1. ROUTEBOURN TRAIL:
On this three day hike the capricious NZ weather will challenge your stamina, but nature will reward you with glowing green forest, incandescent turquoise streams, vast scenic views, and thundering waterfalls.
Alex and I had our full two weeks of everything on our back and from day 1 I regretted packing that dress I never wore on the trip. Pack light because you will carry it; You will feel it with every step you make. Also, make sure you are properly fitted with a correct fitting backpack before the trip. On day two a storm hit, soaking me from head to toe (hence the toenail-lessness at the end!) I had no rainproof gear and was hiking in gap aerobics pants the whole time. It was frigid and the rain came down hard, horizontal and icy, stinging our faces. At the rest cabin on the top plateau that marked our halfway point, the few locals also taking a rest with us where keen to point out that people die on this trek. At this point, I could barely feel my hands… Pro tip: bring gloves, a warm wool hat and your best Patagonia jacket. You will need it even if the first day of the trip is beautiful and sunny.
At the end of the day we had a glimmer of sun at our camp site and I relished in it, sunbathing on the edge of lake, which is your rest stop for night two. For the next 5 days all photos of this trip show me with a lovely red sunburn. Even if you feel you won’t get burnt wear sunblock. I got scorched and it was the end of the day and only an hour or so.
The next day winds around jungly mountain edges and the weather here is much more reasonable. Because we trekked rather fast, we got to the end earlier than our bus (the route is there and back, not a loop so be sure arrange pick-up and drop-off transport).
2. FJORDLAND
Resplendent with a crimson sunburn from the afternoon before, Alex and I took the long bus to Fjordland. If you get car sick, hold tight. I spent much of this feeling exceptionally nauseous and it’s a long drive, so much that they played a movie on the bus. The scenery is gorgeous and the reward at the end is worth it.
We boarded a ship for our two hour cruise through the Fjords on the western side of New Zealand. The boatman will get you expertly close to waterfalls. Being soaked in New Zealand is a regular occurrence so get used to it!
3. WANAKA
After Fjordland, we rented a car and made our way to Fjordland with astop at Lake Wanaka along the way.
While the food overall is more on the bland side in New Zealand (thing English food), the food the first night after the Routebourn trek was AMAZING! If in doubt on what to order, always order the lamb. Alex’s lamb with a New Zealand cabernet-merlot was divine. After eating cold indian food packets and kind bars for the last three days, a warm cooked meal was exactly what we needed.
Lake Wanaka is a beautiful region on the way to the Glaciers and a perfect stop to watch the sunset over the lake boat, or get some additional hiking in (although we gave our legs a rest).
4. GLACIERS
There’s a 50/50 chance if you book an epic glacier climbing trip, that it won’t happen. Thanks to the New Zealand rain, tour agencies will pretty regularly cancel bookings. Alex had booked an awesome helicopter glacier climbing expedition that never happened 🙁 (still sad about this!)
Even though we missed out, we were able to hike to the glaciers themselves by foot. They are well worth the short walk (2 miles or so) to a granite edifice sliced through by ice from the last ice age.