Hi All,
We've arrived at the Northern part of the South Island in a town called Motueka which isn't far from the trail head for the Abel Tasman National Park. We're leaving to hike the coastal track tomorrow. It is a three day hike and we're planning to forgo the hut situation for a tent instead. That way, we will avoid strangers snoring in your ear (the bunks in the huts are just a bunk room, so, you can be attempting to sleep near a total stranger who has a snoring problem!) however, we will take a chance in the weather department! So, say some fair weather prayers for us. The weather has been impeccable the entire time we've been here, so, let's hope it beats out Murphy's Law!
We spent most of the day in Nelson getting things arranged for our hike and we spent the night in Murchison after a pretty drive from the West Coast. We spent some time checking out beaches near Hokitika and they were gorgeous. It was too chilly for a swim and too messy for a surf, but, you could see Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman from the seashore - how beautiful! We stopped at the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers on our way up the West Coast. Both were pretty well socked in with clouds but we caught a closer glimpse of the glaciers than we could see at Mt. Cook. The glaciers are moving 100,000 times slower than an average river. Cool and strange to think about. We could have gone on a hike on the glaciers, but, since Peter spent months on glaciers near Mt. McKinley and the stupid hike cost in the 100's, we opted for the self-guided tours. I hate being cold, anyhow!
We stayed in Wanaka from Peter's wonderful skydive expedition until Wednesday (11/28?). We hiked a bit in Mt. Aspiring National Park. It was a very windy hike up the valley to the hut and we had intentions of hiking further up to another hut that had a superb view of the Rob Roy Valley. However, about 6 other hikers were headed to that hut and it accommodated only 6. So, we stayed at the first hut and opted for a short - completely uphill - close to Cascade Saddle. It was worth it b/c when we got to the viewpoint, the clouds dispersed from the peak of Mt. Aspiring. We got gorgeous views of the valley and the peaks around us. We met two Kiwi women at the hut who were a HOOT! We chatted up with them and had an enjoyable time. We were feeling kind of low energy the next morning - remember the aforementioned snoring strangers information I provided - and we headed back to the car park. We took a short hike up to check out the Rob Roy Glacier and it was truly impressive. It is retreating at a rate of 10-20mm per year and from the looks of it, it's not long for this world. There's not much left of it. After returning to Wanaka for the night, we tried a Mexican place for dinner that was suggested to us. Unfortunately, the food was good, but, neither of us would characterize it as "Mexican cuisine." Even the margaritas were weak.
On Wednesday morning, I awoke at 8:15 to see Peter walking up the driveway of the Caravan park. It was strange, because I assumed he'd left the van to go to the bathroom. He was approaching the van from an angle that wasn't from the bathroom, but, rather from the office of the Caravan Park. Weird!? He informed me straight away that we were to be at the entrance of the park at 9:00 to meet Steve (?) of Wanaka Paragliding!!!! I was jolted awake - but not very awake it seems b/c I just got dressed and ate breakfast as if I were meeting Steve (again ?) of Wanaka Walking Tours in 45 minutes. Peter knows me well. Spring it on her, give her no time to think too much about it, and you'll get results.
Off we went with Steve and his helper - Stacy (?) - to Treble Cone Ski Field. With a few words of wisdom and instruction, Steve and I hurled ourselves off the side of a mountain into the air. And it was...MAGNIFICENT! I wasn't scared at all, really! I was just in awe of the beauty of seeing the world from such a vantage point. The mountains were imposing, Lake Wanaka was shining calm in the distance, and the hill we climbed around Diamond Lake looked like a bump and a puddle. It is hard to describe, but, it felt as if we were flying but it wasn't loud like on an airplane. It was calm and freeing and I would do it all over again. We flew over to see a waterfall - from the TOP! What a view! As we approached, a hawk buzzed about a meter from us to keep us away from her nest. Amazing! Steve let us do a few spins which were cool.
Then, we had to land. That's when I started to get a bit twitchy. The ground wasn't soft and was probably less soft if you were hurling - albeit gently - toward it. The figures that looked like ants began to take the shape of sheep and deer more distinctly and I could see fencing and fence posts. Ouch! There was our van, too. That would be rather hard to land on. Luckily, Steve had a plan and before I had more time to think about landing, we touched down fairly easily. The only catch was that when he put the glider down, it ended up in a pricker bush. That was unfortunate. Peter was driving toward our landing site and approached me with a bit of worry as he saw the glider in the bush and the look of concern on my face. He said he couldn't tell if I was smiling or crying as he approached. He was delighted that I was smiling. As was I. It was a super, once-in-a-lifetime experience and I highly recommend it. Really! Peter had a chance after me but he still prefers skydiving. He even said at one point that paragliding was scarier than skydiving. I know, I'm one hardcore girl!
Hope you're well and Happy December!
Love,
K & P
xoxo
We've arrived at the Northern part of the South Island in a town called Motueka which isn't far from the trail head for the Abel Tasman National Park. We're leaving to hike the coastal track tomorrow. It is a three day hike and we're planning to forgo the hut situation for a tent instead. That way, we will avoid strangers snoring in your ear (the bunks in the huts are just a bunk room, so, you can be attempting to sleep near a total stranger who has a snoring problem!) however, we will take a chance in the weather department! So, say some fair weather prayers for us. The weather has been impeccable the entire time we've been here, so, let's hope it beats out Murphy's Law!
We spent most of the day in Nelson getting things arranged for our hike and we spent the night in Murchison after a pretty drive from the West Coast. We spent some time checking out beaches near Hokitika and they were gorgeous. It was too chilly for a swim and too messy for a surf, but, you could see Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman from the seashore - how beautiful! We stopped at the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers on our way up the West Coast. Both were pretty well socked in with clouds but we caught a closer glimpse of the glaciers than we could see at Mt. Cook. The glaciers are moving 100,000 times slower than an average river. Cool and strange to think about. We could have gone on a hike on the glaciers, but, since Peter spent months on glaciers near Mt. McKinley and the stupid hike cost in the 100's, we opted for the self-guided tours. I hate being cold, anyhow!
We stayed in Wanaka from Peter's wonderful skydive expedition until Wednesday (11/28?). We hiked a bit in Mt. Aspiring National Park. It was a very windy hike up the valley to the hut and we had intentions of hiking further up to another hut that had a superb view of the Rob Roy Valley. However, about 6 other hikers were headed to that hut and it accommodated only 6. So, we stayed at the first hut and opted for a short - completely uphill - close to Cascade Saddle. It was worth it b/c when we got to the viewpoint, the clouds dispersed from the peak of Mt. Aspiring. We got gorgeous views of the valley and the peaks around us. We met two Kiwi women at the hut who were a HOOT! We chatted up with them and had an enjoyable time. We were feeling kind of low energy the next morning - remember the aforementioned snoring strangers information I provided - and we headed back to the car park. We took a short hike up to check out the Rob Roy Glacier and it was truly impressive. It is retreating at a rate of 10-20mm per year and from the looks of it, it's not long for this world. There's not much left of it. After returning to Wanaka for the night, we tried a Mexican place for dinner that was suggested to us. Unfortunately, the food was good, but, neither of us would characterize it as "Mexican cuisine." Even the margaritas were weak.
On Wednesday morning, I awoke at 8:15 to see Peter walking up the driveway of the Caravan park. It was strange, because I assumed he'd left the van to go to the bathroom. He was approaching the van from an angle that wasn't from the bathroom, but, rather from the office of the Caravan Park. Weird!? He informed me straight away that we were to be at the entrance of the park at 9:00 to meet Steve (?) of Wanaka Paragliding!!!! I was jolted awake - but not very awake it seems b/c I just got dressed and ate breakfast as if I were meeting Steve (again ?) of Wanaka Walking Tours in 45 minutes. Peter knows me well. Spring it on her, give her no time to think too much about it, and you'll get results.
Off we went with Steve and his helper - Stacy (?) - to Treble Cone Ski Field. With a few words of wisdom and instruction, Steve and I hurled ourselves off the side of a mountain into the air. And it was...MAGNIFICENT! I wasn't scared at all, really! I was just in awe of the beauty of seeing the world from such a vantage point. The mountains were imposing, Lake Wanaka was shining calm in the distance, and the hill we climbed around Diamond Lake looked like a bump and a puddle. It is hard to describe, but, it felt as if we were flying but it wasn't loud like on an airplane. It was calm and freeing and I would do it all over again. We flew over to see a waterfall - from the TOP! What a view! As we approached, a hawk buzzed about a meter from us to keep us away from her nest. Amazing! Steve let us do a few spins which were cool.
Then, we had to land. That's when I started to get a bit twitchy. The ground wasn't soft and was probably less soft if you were hurling - albeit gently - toward it. The figures that looked like ants began to take the shape of sheep and deer more distinctly and I could see fencing and fence posts. Ouch! There was our van, too. That would be rather hard to land on. Luckily, Steve had a plan and before I had more time to think about landing, we touched down fairly easily. The only catch was that when he put the glider down, it ended up in a pricker bush. That was unfortunate. Peter was driving toward our landing site and approached me with a bit of worry as he saw the glider in the bush and the look of concern on my face. He said he couldn't tell if I was smiling or crying as he approached. He was delighted that I was smiling. As was I. It was a super, once-in-a-lifetime experience and I highly recommend it. Really! Peter had a chance after me but he still prefers skydiving. He even said at one point that paragliding was scarier than skydiving. I know, I'm one hardcore girl!
Hope you're well and Happy December!
Love,
K & P
xoxo
1 comment:
It is good to see you two are still alive and kicking, or shall we say, alive and flying.
Have a great x-mas, we will cheer to your health, happiness, and safety.
Love,
Shana
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