We are among the last to leave the hut this morning. We bid farewell to the six ladies we met on Day One and the family of nine we hung out with yesterday as they take off from the hut. Before leaving for good, we grab the camera and visit the bay again to see if anything exciting has arrived over night. We spot two kingfishers (mating!) and the heron again, but all are too far for photos, so our visit is fairly short. We head back up to the hut to grab our things and hit the trail. (more…)
Tag: nature photography
Rakiura Track, Day 2: Port William Hut to North Arm Hut
The day starts early in the huts. We are sleeping twelve to a room, four to a platform, all lined up like little sardines in our sleeping bags. As you can imagine, once the first person starts to stir, getting back to sleep is pretty hopeless, so we are up bright and early. (more…)
Rakiura Track, Day 1: Oban to Port William Hut
We wake up in Invercargill at 5:30 am to finish packing and eat a quick breakfast. Our ferry out of Bluff isn’t until 9:30, but we are hoping we can squeeze in a little time to photograph the tui birds that are hanging out at the B&B’s feeders. We are headed to Stewart Island, New Zealand’s “third island,” where we hear that there are far more birds than people. Sounds like our kind of place! (more…)
Kepler Track, Day 4: Brod Bay to Te Anau
We start our last day on the Kepler Track with breakfast on the beach. We only have a short and easy two hour walk back to the trailhead, so we are in no particular rush to get going this morning. (more…)
Kepler Track, Day 3: Iris Burn to Brod Bay
Sleeping outside in a tent is something that makes us very happy under ordinary circumstances. Add to that the fact that it is December and that we are waking up in New Zealand on Day 3 of a multi-day backpack, and we are feeling pretty dang lucky right now. (more…)
Kepler Track, Day 2: Moturau Hut to Iris Burn Campsite
I wake up to a swollen eye and wonder if one of New Zealand’s pesky sand flies chomped on me during the night. Hopefully, it will go away before too long, but I feel a little dread as I have had such bad reactions to bug bites lately. Ughh…
We have a lazy 9 am departure and begin our day back at the beach of Shallow Bay. The skies look a little dark and moody as we set off, and we wonder if we have some rain in store ahead. From the beach, we follow the lakeshore for a bit before ducking back into the mossy beech forest carpeted in lush green ferns for the 16.2-kilometer relatively flat tramp to the Iris Burn campsite. (more…)
Kepler Track, Day 1: Te Anau to Moturau Hut
According to Lonely Planet, the Kepler Track was originally developed as an alternative hike to help ease the demand for reservations on the South Island’s highly popular Milford and Routeburn Tracks. The label alternative may lead you to believe that this hike is somehow inferior to its more famous siblings, but don’t let that fool you. The Kepler Track is a beauty of a tramp in its own right. (more…)
Routeburn Track, Day 2: Lake Mackenzie Hut to Routeburn Falls Hut
So it turns out that sleeping in a room with two dozen or so other people doesn’t necessarily produce the best night of sleep. Go figure! Matt says that a man a few beds down from us started screaming in his sleep in the middle of the night. His wife settled him down. Somehow, I manage to sleep through that, but, as soon as the first hiker in the room starts to stir, I am wide awake. I play possum for a while hoping to will myself back to sleep, but there’s no hope. (more…)
Routeburn Track, Day 1: The Divide to Lake Mackenzie Hut
Our first taste of New Zealand’s Great Walks is the Routeburn Track, a 3-day 32.1-kilometer trek that is often touted as one of the country’s finest. In a country known for spectacular hiking, that’s quite an endorsement. It also happens to be considered one of the world’s “Classic Hikes,” so you know we are all over this one! (more…)
Cruising Milford Sound
It’s practically unheard of to visit the South Island of New Zealand and not go on a cruise in Fjordland’s magnificent Milford Sound. With sheer cliffs rising dramatically out of the deep blue waters, frolicking seals and dolphins and more breathtaking waterfalls than you can keep track of, Milford Sound is a must-see destination on practically every visitor’s list. (more…)
Take A Hike Photography 