New Zealand’s North Island has three national parks: Egmont, Whanganui, and Tongariro. On this trip we selected Egmont and Whanganui, two of New Zealand’s less-visited parks. We’ve spent two days hiking Egmont’s lovely trails, with two more days to go. Saturday January 6 9:50a Wellington Central Railway Station, Platform 9 (Bus) 12:10p Palmerston North City… Continue reading Snapshots: Egmont National Park
Category: Walk
Easing Back
Egmont National Park, Day 2 of 4. After yesterday’s Big Climb, we eased back and hiked lower-altitude forest tracks starring numerous waterfalls and furry trees hosting mosses and epiphytes.
Hiking on All Fours
Clambered, sometimes on all fours, over volcanic scree to reach this hut at 6,450 feet. We turned around at the hut and rode the scree back down. We’d need ice axes, crampons, and the skill to reach the summit of Mount Taranaki at 8,261 feet.
Wellington Urban Hike
On our Wellington urban hike: a glimpse of the ferry we took last night for a four-hour journey from the South Island.
Hike Above Picton
Hiked above and beyond Picton, a port on New Zealand’s South Island. Tomorrow evening we take one of these ferries to Wellington on the North Island.
Snapshots: Queen Charlotte Track
Our descent into Marlborough, BHE, New Zealand, gave us a preview of our upcoming visit to the region. First we flew over the crenellated, sunken valleys of Queen Charlotte Sound, then we came in low over the vineyards of Marlborough wine country. Our first priority was to hike the Queen Charlotte Track, a path people… Continue reading Snapshots: Queen Charlotte Track
Snapshots: Queen Charlotte Track
Posted Snapshots: Queen Charlotte Track.
Punga Cove
New Year’s Eve, continued walking the Queen Charlotte Track to Punga Cove. The view is from our verandah.
Hiking on a Rest Day
We designated today a rest day. So, we did what we always do on rest days: we hiked.
Queen Charlotte Sound
No photo did justice to Queen Charlotte Sound on the first day of our tramp.